Re: How to approach this task?

[John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Now that I confirmed with Guy offline that we're not both going for
the same job...  :-)

I'd start with the assumption that some of the existing stuff is
valid and some isn't. You want to figure out which is which. When
I've been in this situation, I spent the first week doing extensive
searching through existing stuff using current software model names
and current concepts. If you have an application called "Apex 4.2",
try searching using terms such as "Apex 4". Anything that gets a hit
gets siphoned into a repository for immediate attention. Keep hitting
the existing material with any relevant terms.

I then siphon off into the same repository any existing material that
was created or updated in the last 6 months. Once I have a collection
of material, I look for file sizes. A Word file of 500k is going to
contain more information than a Word file of 27k. Place the big stuff
in another directory. Don't throw out the other stuff, but worry
about it yet.

Now look through the juiciest stuff (you'll know it when you see it)
and start contacting the brains, telling them that you have some
stuff and you'd like their opinion on it validity. Schedule it in 15
minute chunks. Part of what you are after is their knowledge, but
mostly, you want to introduce yourself and determine who your "go-to"
guys are (you can also recognize them when you see them).

You will now end up with a collection of information. Start reading
like hell. You are in a race. You want to start contributing before
anyone starts to think "When is he going to start contributing?"

Each time you get done with something, schedule a meeting with
someone in the braintrust, telling them you'd like to discuss what
you just read to see if you understand it. Guess what? You are now
doing what you were hired to do...getting their skull-knowledge on to
paper.


> They are growing rapidly, and some of the necessary information is
> recorded only 
> in the minds of IT staff. They do have a wiki, but even that
> apparently has 
> major navigational issues.
> 
> My background is in documenting programming languages, their
> related tools, and 
> APIs -- addressing the programmer audience, but the CUSTOMER
> programmer.  This 
> task's audience is in house.  When new people come on board, there
> is no set of 
> documentation, help screens, written procedures for them -- they
> have to learn 
> from the existing staff.
> 
> How do you go about mining and organizing such material?


=====
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer

?Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone 
amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built 
the Titanic.? - Dave Barry


		
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