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Good point, Fred. In my case, we're documenting an enterprise/server
application, for which we currently provide requirements (including use cases)
and design docs (on the tech side). Those are the docs we're having the most
trouble with in terms of identifying the audience and making the docs useful. I
think one issue is that our audience includes management (for approval) as well
as testers and developers. What I'm looking for is a general accepted definition
of what, for example, a design specification document should include and the
audience.
Thanks!
Sue
________________________________
From: Fred Ridder <docudoc -at- hotmail -dot- com>
To: smckinn2001 -at- yahoo -dot- com; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Mon, March 7, 2011 8:44:21 AM
Subject: RE: Software Documentation
Sue McKinney wrote:
> In my office, some of us are having a debate about the appropriate content for
>a
>
> document set for software, such as requirements, use cases, design, and so on.
> Is there a good source that outlines what a good documentation set is and
> what each document should include? Part of the confusion is over who the
> audience is as well as how to include information that changes frequently.
I'm afraid your question is too broad to get a answer that will be very
meaningful to your specific situation. "Software" is an *extremely* broad
category, which can include such disparate things as programming languages,
operating systems, interface protocols, application development interfaces
(APIs, which have become my personal specialty), enterprise/server applications
(e.g., databases, business management systems, web services, CMSs), complex
desktop applications (e.g. CAD and photo editing tools), and simple smart phone
apps. It's all software, but each has its own, different kinds of audiences
(some have multiple audiences) and its own requirements for documentation.
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