Best Shortcuts

[Rikki Nyman <c1043 -at- AZFMS -dot- COM>]

I am working on a User's Reference with a short "getting off on the right foot"
 section that I have to have in a very clean first draft by August 25th.  I
 estimate about 200 pages. The software is a freeway management system;  the end
 user and audience of this manual are ordinary Janes and Joes who will use it to
 detect and monitor incidents on the freeway.

The basic structure that I have established is the usual front matter, "getting
 started" which is a tutorial, and a reference section that will go through each
 screen and explain each button and data entry.  There is no time for an index.
 I am spending time with the users to get a feel for the way they think so I can
 incorporate their logic into the doc.

For too many reasons that we have all heard before, there is no time to plan and
 execute this the way it should be done.  I'm a big fan of Hackos and
 documentation project management, so it isn't as miserable as it might be, but
 I am really hoping that some of you have streamlined some of your tasks to the
 extent that they constitute "secret weapons."  If you are willing to share,
 e-mail me ASAP.  I will compile a list and either post to the list or e-mail
 you individually.  (Individual feedback will have to wait until after the
 25th!)

Thanks in advance for all of your insights!