What is this system for? What is it about? Why build this system? The answers to these questions need to be on a composer’s mind at all times. Why, because the answers to these questions influences the protocols, or consistent ways of doing things in the composition of this system.
The reasons for composing a system are varied. The list below offers a few ideas and is certainly not a full list. What is done here is to illustrate simply how the reason for composing a system alters the various protocols and consistencies you may choose to incorporate in your system.
Build a massive document
If you are building a massive document the efficiencies you gain through building the text in pieces and then assembling the whole document at a later date enables the composer to keep the document in revision for much longer than otherwise. Actual section numbers may be added as a part of each heading to keep track of exactly where this text chunk belongs in the whole range of text.
Build reusable text
When building text chunks to obtain reusable text, there are a number of factors that make text highly reusable. First, do not mention the name of the original book in any text chunk. This creates an editing job in any subsequent text built from the reusable chunks. Second, do not place heading numbers in titles of a text chunk –this can be added automatically when composing the book.
Gain efficiencies in updating a manual
If updating a document is your primary reason for building a system, you may need to document your protocols of layout, referencing and similar. People forget over time how something was accomplished and different people may be involved in using the system. Make the documentation of the system a part of the manual and not a separate text. This could be an appendix or it could be a hidden text that only the manual production staff know about.
Expert to share document construction
When several people are involved in writing a text, there are style concerns to think about. What type of vocabulary, heading styles, naming conventions that all must be agreed upon by the writers. It is useful to note these in a document to save having to edit and re-edit.
A protocol is a standard procedure –it matters what procedure is used if using a different procedure the outcome may vary. Thus, if this is the case, then all writers need to follow the same procedure to get the same result.
Consistencies are about outcomes where procedure or protocol does not matter. Thus, while we need to have a “Heading 2” as say Verdana, 14 point, and as long as each second-level heading is that size, then it does not matter what procedure is used as long as the consistent output is included in every text chunk. However, if what is needed is to have a “Heading 2” labeled as a “Heading 2” and that the text be Verdana 14 point for that heading, then the procedure or protocol of using Style Formatting should be specified.
Headings
• Only three levels of headings
• Headings set up in a common style sheet to all documents
• Heading 1 –Arial 16
• Heading 2 –Arial 14
• Heading 3 –Arial 13
• If a fourth level is required it is to be an unmarked (no heading style) heading that is
Text
• Normal text to be set as style sheet
• Tahoma 10
• Bullets set by style sheet to be Normal, Bullet
• Numbered text only within body
• No headings numbered
• All documents to be saved as .rtf
• Documents all to be linked to a Brain Though of the same name
• All documents to be included with the Brain of the book name
Document Linking
• All document linking to be achieved through using updatable fields in MS Word
• The “InlcudeText” field to be the only field to be used to link documents
Thematic Content
• The document name not to be mentioned in the main text
• References to other sections within text to be avoided
• No Contents or Index table to be inserted until the final document in the series
• Only numbered and bulleted lists to be used in the main text of the document
• Diagrams are not to have any special labeling
• Clip art and diagrams can be included but only to be referred to within the section
within which it is inserted
• Tables to be formatted with plain formatting only –no colors, black reverses etc.
• All tables to be MS Word tables and not inserted from Excel