Re: Publications Plans

[Garret Romaine <garret -dot- h -dot- romaine -at- EXGATE -dot- TEK -dot- COM>]

So far I've had several responses to my plea from people who are
interested in seeing the results, but I haven't been able to get anyone
else interested who has actually done one. I already have a few that I
put together; aren't there any others out there?

It is noteworthy that the majority of the negative comments on this list
have to do with respect, resource loads, quality definitions,
tools...all elements of a good plan. By writing these issues out while
the project is unfolding, rather than dealing with them in-stream, you
do yourself a favor. No blindsiding with last-minute reviews by outside
departments. No bindery changes from 7 x 9 to 8.5 x 11. You know the
litany -- we've all been through it.

But how many of us write out a pubs plan for every big project? How many
of us insist on using 5% of our time up front to plan out the details?
How many of us are using this valuable tool, and how many of us plunge
right in?

According to JoAnn T. Hackos, in her textbook "Managing Your
Documentation Projects", there is a direct correlation between planning
the publications process and the quality that can be expected. Says she:
"Poor planning results in unrealistic deadlines, inadequate resources,
and one crisis after another...It is easy to avoid management
activities, especially if they are unfamiliar. Yet, if you are going to
succeed in moving from chaos to an orderly, managed, and repeatable
process, you are going to have to make time for managing. In fact, your
managing time is the most important time you give to a project..." (page
24)

I'm happy to round up a set of pubs plans that are already in use, clean
them up to protect the companies, and make them available. As Jerry
Maguire might say, "Help me so I can help you."

Garret Romaine
garret -dot- h -dot- romaine -at- tek -dot- com