TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
My company recently implemented a single, IT-wide standard software
development process based on the SCM/CMM framework. It is very rigid and
bureaucratic and not terribly concerned on creative or ?outside-the-box?
thinking ? miles and miles of templates and processes, and not ONE word of
the role of technical writer. In all of this paperwork and definition of
roles (tester, project manager, developer, and many others) no mention is
made of the need for customer/admin documentation.
They now want me to create a High-Level Design and Detailed Design
document for each Change Request. The problem is, I have a hard time
convincing people that, while our existing online help system is of course
an ?application,? it is also ?documentation,? or a hybrid between the two.
Using a HLD and DD template which is intended for software developers is
not exactly meeting my needs. For example, which level of detail should go
into a high-level design or detailed design? On Change Requests where only
a few sentences should be added to help, this seems excessive. The terms
used in a HLD/DD design don?t really meet my needs, either, since I use
RoboHelp and do not code anything. They also want to be able to map each
HLD or DD help requirement on the requirements traceability matrix.
I?ve read information about information plans and content specifications
(mainly from Joann Hackos? book ?Managing Your Documentation Projects?),
but they seem to be geared towards brand new projects and not existing
maintenance help systems. The thing is, if I can figure out revised
template info for help HLDs and DDs, I could apply for a waiver to use my
template. However, I?d like to do this right, so, if I were going to
create a help HLD or DD (if these are even the words to be used?), which
template fields should go into each one? Would you suggest one help design
document instead?
My company does not have a strong technical communication awareness, so I
may be treading new ground. I?m pretty confused!! Any advice would be
appreciated.
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
