RE: The magic tool that everyone can use without stepping on toes

["McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>]

The original sticking point was the part where four or five unconnected techpub groups AND more than one marketing group would somehow coalesce across the time zones. 

Anyway, the guy moved on, and then we had a re-org, during which the dedicated Professional Services group (all two or three of them?) got split up and absorbed into other parts of the organization. Then we got bought, and nobody was thinking along those lines for some time. 

The new owners have since revived the Professional Services moniker - in other words, we started charging again for that kind of work, instead of giving it away.  :-) 
So the old e-mail got me to wondering.  What tools and methods are available nowadays that might make this a viable notion - at least parts of it?  

I think somebody was right that a key aspect would be some sort of version control. 

However, hell will freeze over before this company supports two different 
version control systems, and currently we use <mumble-mumble> in-house. 
That'll be replaced - soon on the glacial scale - probably another year 
or so to settle on a candidate replacement, then two or three years to 
get it ready and rolled out with all the <mumble-mumble> content migrated. 

The little company that we just acquired has my deepest sympathy. 
They'll have to migrate to <mumble-mumble> just in time to migrate to 
whatever replaces it. 

You know there's a problem when some of your engineers think 
fondly back to the days of ClearCase...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+kevin -dot- mclauchlan=safenet-inc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-
> l.com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+kevin.mclauchlan=safenet-
> inc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Connie Giordano
> Sent: June-13-12 1:28 PM
> To: 'reshma pendse'; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: The magic tool that everyone can use without stepping on
> toes
> 
> Brava Reshma!
> 
> I suggest everyone who worries about demonstrating value to employers,
> print
> out Reshma's statement, hang it on the cubicle wall, and refer to it at
> least three times a day.
> 
> "Perhaps, when we get such requests, we should try to find out what
> exactly
> they want to achieve, and then look for ways in which we can help meet
> that
> goal."
> 
> Connie
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+connie=therightwords -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+connie=therightwords -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
> On
> Behalf Of reshma pendse
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:43 PM
> To: McLauchlan, Kevin; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: The magic tool that everyone can use without stepping on
> toes
> 
> Hi Kevin,
> 
> FWIW, maybe the request wasn't so far-fetched after all...
> 
> I actually got a somewhat similar request from our Professional
> Services
> team a while back. They wanted to know what tool (Flare, btw) we used
> to
> create our WebHelp and if it would be possible for them to customize
> the
> out-of-the-box help system. The requirement was for one of our clients
> who
> uses a highly customized version of our product, and also maintains an
> in-house Tech Writing team (yes, really!). Well, we collaborated on
> this
> with the client and they were able to customize our output using their
> own
> help tool and link the customized output to the application. All this
> without us having to share our source files or change our tool.
> 
> Perhaps, when we get such requests, we should try to find out what
> exactly
> they want to achieve, and then look for ways in which we can help meet
> that
> goal.
> 
> regards,
> Reshma
> 
> ________________________________
>  From: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
> To: "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Sent: Wednesday, 13 June 2012 9:34 PM
> Subject: The magic tool that everyone can use without stepping on toes
> 
> I found the following, from somebody in our company in 2006:
> 
> "What I am really looking for is a way to create customized versions of
> the
> documentation that the Tech Pubs and Marketing groups already
> create/maintain while being able to add, delete, modify, and augment
> said
> content. This will allow us to deliver custom documentation for
> professional
> services engagements that target the organization's specific
> environment and
> needs. This would make keeping up-to-date with documentation updates
> and
> changes much easier on my end. One of my requirements is to provide
> this
> documentation in both a printed and an indexed, searchable electronic
> version. Ideally, it would be possible for the customer to add their
> own
> work product to this electronic version once it is delivered so that
> they
> could store all information related to their implementation in one
> place. "
> 
> I replied something like:
> 
> "You want TechPubs* and Marketing to drop all our current tools and
> start
> producing all documents in a common Wiki?"
> 
> I think the guy left the company soon after, so I never followed up
> with
> him, nor he with me.
> 
> What would be your response to him, in 2012? Don't say DITA.
> 
> 
> 
> -          k
> 
> 
> (*TechPubs was, at best, a classification, not a department. Then, as
> now,
> there was no single ownership or leadership.
> I think Marketing was ... if not a group... at least reporting to a
> single
> Veep somewhere. So, images of herding cats while pushing string should
> come
> to mind.)
> 
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