Catapult Communications Corporation
Catapult Communications Corporation brought in a contract technical writer from TimelyText primarily to update their FrameMaker templates to a new look. They expressed a desire to achieve a fresh, open, spacious look without drastically changing their documentation. The TimelyText writer chosen for the project was uniquely qualified for the job because of his strong FrameMaker skills and his eight years of previous experience with Tekelec, the company from whom Catapult had purchased one of their key product technologies. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, the North Carolina location maintains a small technical writing group, which has faced the task of standardizing documentation for the combined product lines (Catapult’s DCT and Tekelec’s MGTS). In the initial stages of the assignment, the TimelyText writer has perceived an advantage from his contractor status, which allows him to stay “one step” removed from the normal challenges and compromises involved in merging corporate culture and product lines. The “one off” status of the TimelyText contractor allows him to make “out of the box” suggestions without cultural (and sometimes emotional) attachments to long-standing processes, standards, and practices on either side of the corporate fence. His “neutral” ability to take a fresh perspective on the documentation set has helped to improve it without being perceived as confrontational or uncompromising.