Hi Karen - Good documentation of processes, limitations, nuances, warts, etc. is traditionally missing in many EDI groups. When I've been brought in to augment a staff, you would be surprised on the lack of info -- even with the big companies. The guidelines offer an opportunity to document the processes. Most have Notes which can be suppressed or written, giving the company the opportunity to write internal documentation as part of the process.
Many of the guidelines I have written (with a tool) are often over 40 pages long. When I've seen companies write them manually, often they are unprofessional looking and are error prone. Yes, it is possible to write them manually in EXCEL. However, it is just too easy to transpose a code. Usually, the process just gets shelved or pushed aside when another project becomes hotter. When recommending a product, I recommend GEFEG's. http://www.gefeg.com/en/index.htm When one of my client's last purchased them the price was relatively lower than the other offering. One disadvantage is I had to work with their support to get the format into one I liked, instead of the traditional European one. Hope this helps! Susan Norton, Karen wrote: > > Hi everyone. > > I want to justify purchasing some software to create implementation > guidelines because we're on a big standardization kick for 2009, but > when I mentioned it to my boss, he said "<groan> More money? Can't you > just do them as Word documents?" At that point, I stopped talking > because I knew I could explain the need but it would take me about 30 > min. and several pieces of paper, and by the time I finish he'll just > be ticked off, even if I convince him. > > So I need an analogy. I don't need cost/benefit analysis, or ROI, etc. > I need something relatively short and snappy that will turn on the > light bulb over the head. Something on the order of "Imagine creating > that fancy newsletter when all you have is Notepad -- yes, you can do > it, but with lots of pain and effort and asterisks and pipes and > dashes". But with more oomph, to impart the intricacies of code lists, > required vs. optional, segment descriptions, etc. I had ideas like > building a car without design diagrams, or making a chip without > whatever, but I don't know enough about either to make the analogy > work. Ideas? > Thanks for your help. > > Karen Norton. > Atmel Corp. > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > -- / Excellence in eCommerce Integration and Products since 1993/ Regards, Susan Stecklair, MBA President *Phone: * 408.996.7492 web: www.ecommerce-inc.com <http://www.ecommerce-inc.com> ------------------------------------ ... Please use the following Message Identifiers as your subject prefix: <SALES>, <JOBS>, <LIST>, <TECH>, <MISC>, <EVENT>, <OFF-TOPIC> Job postings are welcome, but for job postings or requests for work: <JOBS> IS REQUIRED in the subject line as a prefix.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
