Release notes, customer support and product managers

["Carrie Baker" <carriebak -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I wrote Release notes for a product which has a number of components
and therefore a few Product Managers. They approve the information
about the new products, a list of relevant bugs and limitations, and
approve what is finally written.
When complete, I sent to a distribution list that included customer
support manager.
I was surprised when he told me that he had last approval of these RN
(I have been doing them for a few years and never came across this).
He sent them to his staff and got comments, I discussed what I got
with the PMs and implemented what they thought appropriate. I then
mailed him indicating which points the product managers had not wanted
to include and why.

Today I get another mail from the cust support manager originating
from one of his staff, "cc"ed to the whole world (i.e. my boss, his
boss and chief Product Manager), complaining why I had not implemented
all of x's comments, why y product did not have any bugs listed, and
why there were not enough pictures (the 2 there were at the managers
insistence)! (I had already related to the first 2 of these issues in
an email to the Customer support manager).

I feel that the Release notes turned into a free for all. As far as I
am concerned the Product Managers have final approval for this
document. I can't take comments from all and sundry. What do you
suggest I do to prevent this happening next time?

I thought of emailing the Product Managers boss directly, who had not
taken kindly to the idea of cust. support approving the document
(although they do have good ideas), and requesting that all customer
support comments should be sent directly to the PMs and not me,
thereby making them "more" responsible for the final content.
What is your opinion?
Thanks

--
Carrie Baker
carriebak -at- gmail -dot- com
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