Hello All:

Good to be back after a 3-year hiatus from Techwr-l.

I've put together some ideas for revamping my business unit's documentation development process, but want to be sure I didn't miss anything great that others are doing.

Here's the current scenario:

Design engineering (DE), apps engineering (AE), and tech pubs share the same FrameMaker source files. These source files are overflowing with conditional text tags specific to each of these different functions. My tech pubs team supports apps engineering; there currently is no doc support for design engineering (no $$ for headcount), who create the product specs from which user docs are developed (using conditional text). As of late, the entering of ECOs (engineering change orders) has gotten out of control (incomplete entries in bug-tracking database; folks making changes in source files without tracking those changes in the database). When DE completes a spec, AE goes through and manipulates content that is appropriate for customers, but the technical content is in such horrible shape (incomplete bug descriptions, unknown impact to customers) that AE spends an inordinate amount of time fixing content. When they finally finish, docs are handed off to tech pubs for editing and pushed to publishing domains.

DE is now using a much improved database to log ECOs and we are revising bug fields that will allow tech pubs to go in and directly access content to update user docs with much less AE intervention. We are also looking into taking FrameMaker source files out of the hands of DE and AE and just let tech pubs control the source files.

Everyone in the business unit except engineering management is aware of the need of a much more fully staffed tech pubs team--especially to support DE spec development efforts, though we are making progress in that area. We need a better process to push more accurate docs to customers...was wondering if anyone else has used a bug or content tracking database to update docs without engineering having access to the (Framemaker) source files...

Thanks in advance.

Donn LeVie
Marvell Semiconductor
Applications Processor Business Unit/Tech Pubs Mgr.