Help for a new tech writer

[Dori Green]

Jim Mezzanotte wrote:
Am I nuts to take this on? 

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Without any hands-on experience as a manufacturing technical writer or a
degree in manufacturing engineering?  Pretty much.

But it depends.

A _lot_ will depend on whether or not your boss intends to obtain ISO
registration.  If he expects to export to Europe, this will probably be
a necessity.  If that's the case, your model for document organization
and control has already been developed (ISO 9000) and you might want to
consider partnering with an ISO registrar in a consulting position to
get you started.  You can do most of the grinding-out-documents work but
guidance will save you hours and headaches.  Many registrars offer
start-up consultation service or can point you toward independent
consultants who do.

Without the half-dozen ISO training programs and years of experience
I've enjoyed, I would not want to tackle this job alone.  With them, I'd
still suggest the use of a consultant just for another set of eyeballs
on the system.

Dori Green