RE: where do docs fit in the development process?

["Anita Lewis" <anital -at- threerivers-cams -dot- com>]

>This is why you need to understand the product and technology inside 
>and out. You should be working AHEAD of the engineers. Documenting 
>stuff before they even coded it. Its not insane if you understand what 
>they are doing and you have an established relationship with the 
>engineers.
>
In my first tech writing job, most of the documentation I wrote was
based on design specs.  I never saw or tested the product before I'd
produced a first draft.  So I was working ahead of the engineers, and
not really having to make assumptions.  I only added screen shots for
the close to final draft.  Sure, some things changed from design to
release, but at least the bulk of my job was finished before the coding
was.  It was much easier to go back and tweak a few things in the
documents than to start writing after all the coding was finished and
having only a week or two to complete an entire manual.    
Anita Lewis
Three Rivers Systems, Inc.
Training & Customer Support
anital -at- threerivers-cams -dot- com
314.469.9648
"What can be said at all can be said clearly."  
Ludwig Wittgenstein

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