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We are just starting to implement a Shared Review for the PDFs. You need to set up a Shared Workspace in your SharePoint site. This solves the following:
2. They can access the file at the same time. They can also update their view on the fly to see if other comments have been submitted. However, it doesn't guarantee that they will complete their edits on time :-)
3. They don't need to check the file out, so that isn't an issue.
4. The problem is changed from using SharePoint to using PDF Reviewer.
The other issues are still issues (whether or not you use SharePoint).
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+bgilber=transunion -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+bgilber=transunion -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of DoughtyTechWriter Mordant
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 10:13 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: SharePoint for Review Copies
Hello everyone, Doughty here.
We have recently started putting review copies on a SharePoint page and telling reviewers to get their review copies (PDFs) there. In particular, we want them to:
1. Check out the copy.
2. Make edits to it. (Commenting has been enabled in the PDF.)
3. Check in the copy.
This means that if there are 7 reviewers:
1. All 7 of them will put their comments into one copy.
2. They will time their access to the copy perfectly and not have to wait for access to it. Everyone will complete their edits on time.
3. No one will check it out and forget about checking it in. (For such reasons as being distracted by a business trip to China.)
4. No one will have trouble using SharePoint.
5. No one will have trouble reading and commenting on a document that has multiple generations of comments on it.
6. No one will get into a commenting war and start making arguments, instead of corrections, in their comments.
Even if all of these conditions are met, I am still the lucky recipient of one PDF with seven generations of comments.
OK, OK, so I'm whining pre-emptively.
Ye who have followed this model, comfort me!
Or, tell me if you used it for a while and modified it greatly (and how) OR dropped it because it was unusable in real life.
Do other people successfully use SharePoint in this way to manage reviews? or in some similar way?
Thanks for all comments.
--Doughty
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Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help. Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need.
Try Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
