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Brad wondered: <<My employer received a machine that we specified and
another company build under contract. The contract called for an
operations manual. The machine is very complex, but we received only a
one-page (very general) operation manual. He has asked me to determine
the prevailing definition of an operation/user manual by content. So,
in your experience, what are the "must haves" in such a manual?>>
The only useful list of "must haves" answers the following questions:
Can I use the product successfully? Can I use the product safely?
Details depend on the product. On the face of it, a 1-page manual isn't
very useful for anything more complicated than a stapler.
<<Can anyone point to a definition of such a manual?>>
Yup. Whatever the contract specifies. If it doesn't specify anything
other than "a manual", you don't have much legal ground to challenge
what the other company provided. Of course, a good lawyer would nail
the other company, and the person who awarded the contract would remind
the company that they'll be sued if someone is injured using the
product...
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
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