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Subject:RE: We can sink battle ships - and subs! From:"Guy A. McDonald" <guy -at- nstci -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 10 May 2000 18:05:10 -0500
"Submarines are jam-packed with all kinds of equipment, and maintenance and
repair
is essential while under way. Online documentation is the only way to
go." -- Barry Kieffer
"Shouldn't the mission-critical sections of that documentation be accessible
in more than one format and delivery method?" -- Chuck Martin
~~~~~~~
As a former submariner who operated nuclear reactor plants for the U.S.
Navy, I can't pass this one up. Chuck Martin is correct to mention the
importance of multi-formatted document availability. Actually, it takes
more than documentation redundancy to successfully "sink" an already
submerged submarine. It takes a dedicated audience who is willing to submit
to an arduous training program to achieve success.
I am a witness to how technical documentation, in its purest sense, can be
used for its intended purpose. For example, many factors contribute to the
continued success of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Program. However, for this
forum, I would like to discuss one important factor.
__Training people to use the documentation is just as important as writing
the documentation for people to use__
You see, it wasn't enough that our reactor plant manuals were excellent ...
it was that we USED them to increase our knowledge of the subject. This took
an organizational attitude that transcended the use of fear that I mentioned
earlier. Executive level and senior personnel bought into the idea that
documentation, along with training, helped the organization achieve its
mission.
I am also witness to the notion that this attitude towards documentation
doesn't exist in the private sector. No company in the private sector could
ever hope to meet schedule due to the associated cost of obtaining this
level of document quality and usability. Only government agencies like NASA
have the deep pockets to achieve a similar level of quality.
