From musselwhiteb at lifepoint-sc.org Wed Jan 3 06:38:44 2007 From: musselwhiteb at lifepoint-sc.org (Bill Musselwhite) Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 06:38:44 -0700 Subject: New Member - Bill Musselwhite Message-ID: Here is my brief profile: I am the Manager of Document Control for LifePoint-SC, the Organ & Tissue Recovery Agency for South Carolina. We are FDA-regulated, and I am a member of our Quality Systems team. My background is in business planning and project management - primarily in the health services and hotel industries. My interests are technical writing, document control, & process improvement. I look forward to reading and contributing to this List. Bill From dawny1313 at yahoo.com Wed Jan 3 07:49:39 2007 From: dawny1313 at yahoo.com (lady dawntreader) Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 06:49:39 -0800 (PST) Subject: introduction Message-ID: <20070103144939.16835.qmail@web34212.mail.mud.yahoo.com> My name is Judy; I work in the Maryland office for ACT, Inc., a company based out of Iowa City, Iowa. I recently joined the STC as an individual, but corporate-sponsored membership. I started at ACT in the QA department in 1998, but I moved into technical writing almost four years ago. I write and edit end-user manuals for online and paper guide formats using RoboHelp, Word, and sometimes we are asked to convert these documents to PDF. There are also internal documents we work on as well. There are five Tech/Spec writers in my department, two of us with memberships to the STC, each assigned to a different special interest group. I'm always interested in improving the process of writing, obtaining good program specifications, help creation, and overall documentation processes and I look forward to reading more about this group. Judy __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From davidovic.milan at gmail.com Wed Jan 3 08:05:32 2007 From: davidovic.milan at gmail.com (Milan Davidovic) Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 10:05:32 -0500 Subject: requirements (was: How is your editing/DTP/graphics team structured?) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <23d299f50701030705g7ac2a205y390fa82c2b59720b@mail.gmail.com> On 12/29/06, Milan Davidovic wrote: > Ah, it's a book that a guy at work is reading, and I'm not back in the > office until next week. I'll post a reference then... Well, it turns out that my association of agile development with clients not knowing what they want until they have a prototype came from conversations with developers rather than the reference I was thinking of -- which, by the way, is: Martin, Robert C. and Martin, Michah (2007). Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C#. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0131857258. However, I did find this in a paper out of the City University of Hong Kong, "An Agile Approach to Capturing Requirements and Traceability": "While stakeholders generally know the functions and features the software should include, they have difficulty quantifying the fine grain details and behavior of a system. They make the mistaken assumption that the high-level description of the features implies the detailed procedural steps. The details of the system can often be elicited through interviews and discussions between the stakeholders and the software development team." www.soi.city.ac.uk/~gespan/paper3.pdf In most sources on agile development I've looked at, the stated rationale for minimizing requirements gathering is that requirements tend to change and change often. Which kind of fits with the other rationale: if clients tell you one thing, then see what you've built, then tell you it's not what they want, that can be regarded as a kind of "change", at least from the developer's point of view. Myself, I would say it's more a case of not having them correct or complete to begin with, but that's me. -- Milan Davidovic http://altmilan.blogspot.com http://www.terminus1525.ca/studio/view/2758 From pwilton at vocollect.com Wed Jan 3 09:51:22 2007 From: pwilton at vocollect.com (Wilton, Pete) Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 11:51:22 -0500 Subject: New Member - Pete Wilton - Vocollect - Pittsburgh Message-ID: Greetings. I am new to this SIG and to the STC. I manage a small writing group at Vocollect. Part of my job duties include individual contributions. I started at Vocollect as the sole technical writer when we had only 45 employees. We have grown to 300+ and I now manage the writing group after a brief stint in technical support. I'm interested in looking for ways to improve the teams writing process and helping to maintain consistency and continuity of our end-user materials as the products evolve and are re-engineered for different markets. Vocollect designs and builds wireless wearable computers and headsets that use a speech interface to direct order fillers in grocery and dry goods warehouses as well as new markets. We also design supporting software to provide complete solutions to customers and partners throughout the world. Pete Wilton Manager, Technical Publications Vocollect, Inc. Voice-Directed Work 703 Rodi Road Pittsburgh, PA 15235-4558 work: 412-349-2421 fax 412-829-0972 pwilton at vocollect.com -CONFIDENTIAL, PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION- This e-mail transmission is private and intended for the addressee(s) only.? It may contain information that is privileged and/or confidential.? If you have received this transmission in error, you are not authorized to read, copy, disclose or disseminate it in any manner.? If you have received it in error, please delete it and all copies (including backup copies) that have been made, and transmit a reply message informing the sender that it was misdirected. From gciminelli at clarity.com Wed Jan 3 15:28:26 2007 From: gciminelli at clarity.com (Gabriele Ciminelli) Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 09:28:26 +1100 Subject: New Member STC QPI In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <8AB608C4F56AB942AA731CA5E49D1AC004E2DB99@pwrexns1.pwr.com.au> Hello, My name is Gabriele Ciminelli and I am currently the Documentation Manager at Clarity International - a telecommunications company in Sydney, Australia. I am also a member of or Quality Process team. We are continuously striving to develop and improve all processes across the organization. Having traveled throughout Asia/Pacific, I have a strong interest in developing the best/most suitable documentation production methodology by absorbing and creating an APAC universal method that is both efficient and exceeding in customer expectations. I am looking forward to learning from this group Gabriele From phyliscarlin at yahoo.com Wed Jan 3 17:51:23 2007 From: phyliscarlin at yahoo.com (Phylis Carlin) Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 16:51:23 -0800 (PST) Subject: introducing new member Message-ID: <127323.47077.qm@web31506.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hello All, Happy 2007! I'm Phylis Carlin Buchner. I'm a Senior Technical Writer currently working at a start-up company. I've been writing technical documents for approximately 10 years. My passion for technical writing led me to be become certified in "Managing the Development of Technical Information." Network security has been my area of focus for the past few years. I find that even after 10 years within the industry, there is still SOOO MUCH to learn about technical writing. I look forward to learning more about how to improve documentation quality and processes from ye all. best regards, Phylis Carlin Buchner phyliscarlin at yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From k_m_green01 at hotmail.com Thu Jan 4 07:51:44 2007 From: k_m_green01 at hotmail.com (Kerensa Green) Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:51:44 +0000 Subject: New Member Message-ID: Good mornin' all My name is Kerensa Green but my co workers call me Kay, either is good. I have been a technical writer since January of 2001 working mainly for telecommunciations companies. I am currently working for Pilgrim Software in Tampa who write Enterprise Compliance and Regulatory software. Prior to getting into writing I worked in Quality Management Systems at British Telecom which was ensuring that we complied with ISO 9000. I have also worked in the Medical Device fields with MDS Nordion both in a quality capacity and customer service. At Pilgrim we are working hard to improve our own quality of the documentation in house and I am looking forward to any advice/ideas that we can share. Regards Kay _________________________________________________________________ Dave vs. Carl: The Insignificant Championship Series. ?Who will win? http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwsp0070000001msn/direct/01/?href=http://davevscarl.spaces.live.com/?icid=T001MSN38C07001 From Sharon.Lynn at shawgrp.com Thu Jan 4 12:21:26 2007 From: Sharon.Lynn at shawgrp.com (Lynn, Sharon) Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 13:21:26 -0600 Subject: Welcome New Members Message-ID: <5ED416FF5485904BB6E801691E7B3B019D6E3F@entbtrxmb03.shawgrp.com> Welcome to January 2007 Q&PI SIG new members Bill Musselwhite, Manager of Document Control for LifePoint-SC, the Organ & Tissue Recovery Agency for South Carolina; Judy, technical writer and editor of end-user manuals for Act Inc., a company based out of Iowa City, Iowa; Pete Wilton who manages a small writing group at Vocollect in Pittsburgh; Gabriele Ciminelli, Documentation Manager at Clarity International, a telecommunications company in Sydney, Australia; and Phylis Carlin Buchner, Senior Technical Writer. Thank you for introducing yourself. Ann L. Wiley, who founded this SIG (and others) and orchestrated its revitalization in 2005, watched as it recently became the fastest growing group in STC. She will work with me to develop the direction of the SIG and goals for 2007 and beyond. With best wishes, Sharon Lynn Technical Editor Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc. 3010 Briarpark, Suite 4N Houston, Texas 77042 713.996.4428 direct 225.987.3984 faxcom (In Box) 713.996.4436 fax www.shawgrp.com- ****Internet Email Confidentiality Footer**** Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not copy or deliverthis message to anyone. In such case, you should destroy this messageand notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of The Shaw Group Inc. or its subsidiaries shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it. ______________________________________ The Shaw Group Inc. http://www.shawgrp.com From JRichardson at cochlear.com.au Thu Jan 4 16:45:01 2007 From: JRichardson at cochlear.com.au (Jacqueline Richardson) Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2007 10:45:01 +1100 Subject: New Member Message-ID: Hello, My name is Jackie Richardson. I am the Technical Documentation Manager for Cochlear Ltd, an Australian bio-medical company based in Sydney. Cochlear has grown rapidly in recent years and I am interested in building and maintaining best practice documentation processes in the highly regulated bio-med business environment. My background is in technical communication, training and project management and I have worked for a range of organisations, from very large to very small, in both the US and Australia. My interests are information design, useability and process improvement. I look forward to the insights and experience the group has to offer. Best regards, Jackie ============================================== "The information contained in this e-mail message may be confidential information, and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, interference with, disclosure or copying of this material is unauthorised and prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us by return email and delete the original message." From fool at telus.net Thu Jan 4 20:33:41 2007 From: fool at telus.net (PaulZ) Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 19:33:41 -0800 Subject: New Member References: Message-ID: <001601c7307a$4b8306d0$e65c06cf@paulf45c2s2aec> Hello all My name is Paul Zabkar and I work for Teekay Shipping, which is an oil tanker / LNG carrier company with it's head office in Vancouver BC. At Teekay we are ISO 9000, 14000, OHSAS and ISM code compliant. We have a content management system networked to our offices worldwide, and on board all of our ships that is subject to never-ending changes. We have been for years now trying to update the content management databases on our vessels using satellite technology and XML, but haven't had much success yet. I hope to perhaps gain some knowledge from the experiencees of others who might be in similar situations, where content needs to be managed remotely using unconventional methods. And within budget, of course. Hope to chat to some of you soon. Paul From bhayes at houston.rr.com Thu Jan 4 22:17:48 2007 From: bhayes at houston.rr.com (Brian Hayes) Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 23:17:48 -0600 Subject: Another new member Message-ID: <006901c73088$d8c5ddc0$0400a8c0@brian> My name is Brian Hayes, and I am the Global Quality Manager for the Tubular Running Services division of Weatherford International, Inc., a worldwide company of 30,000+ employees with corporate headquarters in Houston, TX. As Quality Manager, one of my areas of focus is managing the authoring, reviewing, publishing, and archiving of documentation related to QA/QC processes, equipment, and services. My group is providing global work instructions for the maintenance, inspection, repair, and operation of oilfield equipment to over 300 regional operations offices worldwide. Since Weatherford has acquired over 100 companies in the last 6 years, we have a huge conglomeration of subcultures and the legacy documentation that they bring with them, combined with legacy docs of Weatherford origin that exist in various places. Since Weatherford has not previously tried to manage documentation for my specific product line at the global level, a huge amount of effort is being spent to get everyone on the same page (pun intended) with respect to the use of common/standard work instructions. We have a fairly mature intranet-based doc management system (with a custom built interface on top) with which to deliver, archive, and retrieve the finalized and approved documentation. We also have a separate custom built application to deliver product alerts, advisories, etc. Since these tools are working in concert with other similar endeavors, tools, and utilities, we have many people marching toward a common point on the horizon (which looks closer one day and farther the next), and keeping it all pointing the same general direction is quite challenging. From soozward at earthlink.net Sun Jan 7 14:14:22 2007 From: soozward at earthlink.net (Susan D. Ward) Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 14:14:22 -0700 Subject: New to this SIG Message-ID: Hello - I've been an STC member for several years now, but am new to this SIG. The bulk of my work has been around requirements elicitation and compliance issues. I love requirements work and hope to do a lot more of it. I'm also involved in testing (sometimes more than I'd like). I'm looking forward to lots of communication with the members of this SIG. Regards, Susan Ward From caronam at earthlink.net Sun Jan 7 21:11:46 2007 From: caronam at earthlink.net (Annette Caron) Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 23:11:46 -0500 Subject: New Member Message-ID: Hello, I have been a member of STC for only a few years. I have been in several different SIGs based on my current work. I recently changed from web site editing to technical writing with an emphasis on process improvement. I hope to gain additional insight, especially document quality, through this SIG. Thank you. Annette M. Caron From kelly.a.dooley at esso.ca Mon Jan 22 09:14:08 2007 From: kelly.a.dooley at esso.ca (kelly.a.dooley at esso.ca) Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 09:14:08 -0700 Subject: New to this SIG In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi there - Happy New Year! I've been an STC member for several years and I am new to this SIG. The majority of my current work deals with regulatory and environmental compliance for our pipeline and terminal operations within Eastern Canada. I'm looking forward to participating in this SIG. Kelly A. Dooley