atw: All Electronic Doco Solution?

Hi Austechies,
 
Our company's releasing a new gee whiz version of our software so I
thought it was a great opportunity to look at our doco and how it's
meeting user needs (or not, as the case may be). 
 
Our product is a web-based student management system, and we currently
have plain HTML context sensitive help, a bloody thick reference guide,
an administrators guide and training manuals. I'm using Frame to put it
all together, with WebWorks to create the HTML from the one source. The
training manuals are in Word, with plenty of nice piccies. 
 
I'm entering uncharted territory here, so I have two questions:
 
1. Are the days of the thick Reference Guide numbered? Especially
considering we have relatively meaty training manuals which cover all
the basics? For the time/effort required to maintain a paper-based
guide, is this still the best way for users to find information?
 
2. One idea I'm entertaining is enhancing the web-based context
sensitive help to still have the relevant info about the page, but
include more relevant information such as relevant links to release
notes, online training about the page/process, relevant FAQs, KB
articles - perhaps something that the Support team could help me
maintain. 
 
Obviously this would mean a move away from Frame/WebWorks. Does anybody
know of a tool that would help me achieve the flexibility I'm talking
about? Our CTO suggested a Wiki that support/users could help maintain -
and I have to say I'm warming to this a lot. What do you guys think?
 
Thanks in advance,
Craig
  
Craig Bligh | Document and Communication Manager

MXL Consolidated Pty Ltd
Level 1, 261 George Street | Sydney NSW 2000 AUSTRALIA
P +61 2 8249 0022 | F +61 2 8249 0099
craig.bligh@xxxxxxx <mailto:craig.bligh@xxxxxxx>  | www.mxl.com
<http://www.mxl.com/> 

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