Re: User documentation as product specs?

[Len Olszewski <saslpo -at- UNX -dot- SAS -dot- COM>]

In article <H000054604f11471 -at- MHS>, Karen Otto
<KAREN_OTTO -at- hp-spokane-om2 -dot- om -dot- hp -dot- com> writes:

[...]

|>      Where you really need to start is with the user identification, and
|>      work with developers and marketeers to create a list of the users'
|>      needs.
|>
|>      From that, you can evaluate what the requirements are for
|>      documentation, HW, SW, and other parts of the product.

[...]

Using user documentation as a product spec is better than not having and
specifications at all, however there are other things besides what the
users see that good software developer need to consider in the analysis
and design stages of a project.

You might get away with using user documentation as a functional
requirements specification. But full requirements, design, and testing
specs don't usually fall out of what the end user gets as product doc.

Software developers should try to meet the needs of their customers, no
question about that. But they do them and their company a disservice if
the code they provide looks functionally correct, but is not solid
underneath the sheets.
--
Len Olszewski           My opinions; you go get your own.
saslpo -at- unx -dot- sas -dot- com

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