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If there's no code freeze, then pick an arbitrary point before the release date that you intend to have all the documents reviewed (tech review, edited, etc.) Get everything you can into the doc you send out for review, and call that "final" until a change comes. <g>
I usually say that I can make changes to the help right up until the minute the product is shipped off for burning onto CD, and in the manual until the vendors deadline to get it printed and back to us before we ship. :-) However, whenever changes come in after the "final" reviews, I always send out a standard e-mail saying that I can make the change to the documentation, but that there will not be time for review and that late changes increase the likelihood that errors will enter the documentation and not be caught before the official release... blah blah blah. This reminds everyone that they are at least contributing to a possible problem - even though it seldom stops the changes from rolling in.
This (the last minute change) is just the nature of the beast. All you can do is your best!
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-129804 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-129804 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of G.
Abenhaim
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 8:15 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: doc release
Hi,
when do you make the last changes to the documentation? Take into account
that there is not code freeze where I work. When do you say no more changes
to be done?