[austechwriter] Re: ISYS, dtSearch, zyImage, Verity Ultraseek, RoboInfo

  • From: "Steve Hudson" <cruddy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 19:46:40 +1000

G'day Gazza.

VSS / CVS / Any decent revision control system.

Get management buyin.

Set a nice directory structure and a small readme for what to include in
each one.
Create a VSS database on the network server. Import the dirs into it.

That way when they set up the vss client on their machine they get their own
local file structure to MOVE files into from wherever. They import the new
files into vss, EVERYONE has that file, just do a get latest. Give them
simple procedures for dooing this, call it the documentation procedures
manual and start cooking. Personally visit every single staff member and get
them to start the haul.

At the end of every week, search for files with extensions you are
interested in (ignoring the ones in controlled dirs), and submit reports to
the appropriate team leaders cc'd to the big boss dude to PLEASE get their
staff to clean their documentation up ASAP with lists of the files in their
areas.

Do imports on the whole structure yourself on each machine weekly, or even
better, write a procedure for the support dude to do it. Until people start
passing, keep it weekly. Then die back to monthly via an email request to
everyone and a quarterly check.

You have now achieved CMM 1/2. Get cracking to make CMM 1. Buy multiple
copies of J Hackos Managing your documentation projects and hand around
liberally. Plan CMM 2-5. Get management buy in, kick ass and amaze us all by
rising above 3 :-) It _can_ be done. It _does_ take time, persistence and
balls. Do it.

Personal note to a few chicky babes I know who spin out at the usage of
"balls", it's not just courage. It's a bit of arrogance, bluff, a LOT of
persistance and firm standing of ground and a smidgin of cockiness, a good
dose of risk-taking and willingness to cop the blames, all rolled into one.
Blokes don't need it explained :-)

Steve Hudson

Word Heretic, Sydney, Australia
Tricky stuff with Word or words for you.
Email:      steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Products:   http://www.geocities.com/word_heretic/products.html
Spellbooks: 728 pages of dump left and dropping...


-----Original Message-----
From: Stevens, Garry

Hi All:

My unit is looking for a way to pull together a disparate and disorganised
collection of docs in various formats. I've been browsing the above
products, and was wondering if anyone had any experience in any of them.

From what I can work out of the brief (I've only been here two days):

* About ten+ authors involved, producing everything from Word docs to SPSS
scripts to spreadhseets, etc.
* System must index all these forms.
* Every author must be capable of publishing to the system.
* Moderate turnover of personnel, hence the problem: what did old so-and-so
do with that document?
* File locations all over the place. Can't see much point in doing a massive
file re-org since the whole thing will disintegrate fairly rapidly thanks to
personnel turnover.
* Moderate cost: there's only ten people involved, after all.

Yours,
Garry.


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