I Want Arbortext!

It's so frustrating that I have to worry so much about formatting with my current job. It seems I'm spending more time checking and fixing or revising the format than actually writing.

It's times like these that i appreciate my old job more. Not that I would ever wanna go back there (not in the local office anyway), but the technical writing tools and processes in use there are really more advanced.

With Arbortext, for instance, I never have to worry about formatting. I can even write with my eyes closed (metaphorically speaking) and be sure that the format's ok. With other tools, things like formats are done too manually and can be quite tedious. Couple that with a really meticulous (can't think of a better term) SME who wants to change our documentation standards and... ugh! It's almost hopeless!

With GA just two months away, the SME still wants to revamp the format for our help. Uhh, shouldn't we be focusing on content instead? So I make the change they want, only to be told later to revert back to the old format... ugh!

With the too manual way of doing things with other tools, it can also be hard to maintain documents. I actually have to make two copies of the same document that differ very slightly such as in just one link. With content management systems and tools that are capable of versioning and profiling, things such as these can be more easily taken care of.

I know I used to resent Arbortext for the "lack of aesthetics" and Documentum for the very slow processing of check ins and check outs among others, but compared to the other tools I've used so far, they're much better at ensuring accurate documentation while making the life of a technical writer much easier.

Now back to checking the format for my help file... phew!