Re: Start at the very beginning...

[Bill Swallow <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>]

>  - They desire a central system linking all information, references,
> documentation, support experiences, internal and external materials,
> etc.
> 
>  All this and the usual writing and editing any company needs. I'm not
> in over my head, but I could use a few tips on where to start to get
> this all organized. Perhaps knowledge management software?

1. Nail them down on what they think they need. Focus on the "why" and
not the "what". That'll define your work. Chances are they don't
really know the "what" but do have reasons for what they're asking
for. Figure out those reasons first and validate that they are common
reasons throughout the senior organization before acting on it.

2. Find out what's important to them. Is it uniformity of content and
accessibility to all, or is it merely having one place where they can,
internally, find their docs? From what you've shared, it sounds like
they just want to be able to find everything at this point in time.
Uniformity of writing style and appearance sounds secondary. You
should determine whether this is true or not...

Find out all you can. The more you know about what they want vs. what
they need, the more clearer your plan of action will be to you.

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