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I normally take exception to the "template first" approach. I prefer
the "bottom up" approach. I'd say take your three most successful
product specifications and, if everybody agrees they are good, use them
to derive a template.
If you don't have any product specifications that everybody recognizes
are good, then start writing some! An organization is probably not in a
position to start creating templates until it learns exactly how to
write the docs it wants a template for.
Alternatively, you could try benchmarking. There are tons of publicly
available product specifications, probably for similar products. Ask
our managers to show you product specs they think are good, and then
use them as a model (but don't copy them).
I also think that by "template," managers and tech writers sometimes
mean two different things. So when management asks for a "template," I
start asking probing questions about what they really want.
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