One Project file or many?

[tguarnera]

We are building our plan to implement Flare. We are wondering if there is an advantage to having one GIGANTIC Flare project where we could use across all our manuals. Or maybe one project for each product line. Or, many, many projects with one for each manual. By the way, we are leaning towards using TFS if that helps.

We are a manufacturing organization and have 3-4 product lines. Each line has multiple models that tend to use a core configuration, but each one is customized.

With a single project, we imagined that we could know the "where used" of each topic. With a project for each product line, we could have the where used, but only for that product, but manageability might be easier. Some trade off.

Finally, with a new project for each manual, you would have a more dynamic environment, but lose almost all where used functionality. Any help from those that have already figured this out would be helpful.

[SteveS]

One approach might be:
1. Maintain a seperate project for each product. Each variation with the product is managed using a target(s) with its own TOC. Each media type is managed using conditional text.
2. Use global project linking to maintain the presentation elements for the manuals. For example, the style guide, and other layout elements.

I used thiis approach to maintain a suite of applications. Each program had its own project, with Quick Guides, manuals, and training materials. Each manual type had its own TOC. Each publication was in print on webhelp, managed using conditional text. (In some cases conditional text was also used for publication type - learning and assessment questions weren't needed in the user manual).

All the style stuff was in its own project, change the style guide once and the whole suite was updtaed next time I published.

HTH

[tguarnera]

Thanks Steve. How about any other users? From this post and others Forums responses, I am beginning to think that the Hybrid approach might be a way to go. Can anyone feed me some reasons why or why NOT you would choose to go with a certain solution? What are the drawbacks of a single project only? What other negatives exist that would drive me away from a certain solution? I need to present my solution to a group, so I will need to have a solid argument for my solution as well as against any other solutions.