Re: Question: saving or storing comments and info from SMEs

[Barb Philbrick <caslonsvcs -at- IBM -dot- NET>]

>Question:  Do you save or store hard copy or online review comments and
>      info from SMEs?  If yes, then how or for how long?
Yes. I store them in cardboard boxes in my attic. One of my clients
has a cubicle that contains many file cabinets in which they store
review comments. I haven't decided on length of time --- next time I
talk to my lawyer, I'll probably ask him. My thinking is that my
client could get sued at any time, and even though my contract says
they can't come back to me, I like to have a backup.

When I have to store online comments (actually, any soft-copy
documents), I put them on CD-ROM.

>What do you do if they refuse to write down their comments or use the
>      online editing features?
I take notes, incorporate them, and have them review and sign off on
it. If you're really in a war with them, you could tape record
interviews and store the tapes.

> We also continuously have the problem they
>      start making the changes in the documents themselves or MISusing our
>      templates and destroying our layout and style by cutting and pasting
>      from our documents.
I'm not sure I understand the problem here. They can do whatever they
want --- it's just a copy. Take what you can use and discard the rest.

If they're not using revision control features, use document compare
to mark the changes. (I assume you're using a word processor that
offers these features.)

Good luck,

Barb

Barbara Philbrick, Caslon Services Inc.
Technical Writing. caslonsvcs -at- ibm -dot- net
Cleveland, OH