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I think the size and format of the release notes for most companies
depends on size and complexity of the changes. If funcationity was
changed, you need to tell the users. Otherwise, the phones in your
customer support department will be ringing off the hook.
At CFI, we produce software for banks that enables the bank to compile
with local, state and federal lending laws and regulations. Needless
to say, we have a number of changes in the software every year due to
changes in laws, in legal interpretations and lately, the use of
imaging equipment in state filing offices. We provide large release
note sets which explain what has changed, why we changed it and what
the user needs to do differently to produce the correct loan
documentation.
The release notes include screen shots because the screens change
based on the state in which the user is located. (State lending laws
vary widely and different prompts are required.) We made no attempt to
show every variation of the program in the manual since it would be
impossible. If a new prompt or option was added for a particular
state, we show the option and explain it. If the changed screen is
shown in the manual, we will issue an update page showing the changes.
Becca Barrett
CFI ProServices, Inc.
bbarrett -at- cfipro -dot- com
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Question about release notes
Author: "Julie F. Hesselgesser" <jhesselgesser -at- OXMOL -dot- COM> at Internet
Date: 7/8/97 10:00 AM
Are there any standards or rules about what constitutes release notes? My
boss wants to create a hard copy Word document that outlines the new
features of our next release. He is planning to include screen shots and
procedural instructions. He's calling this document "release notes." I've
always seens release notes produced as ASCII text files. I've never seen
screen shots in release notes. He feels the changes are substantial enough
to warrant this level of documentation. (Obviously, I'm not in agreement.)
We just finished producing a nice set of hardcopy manuals for the current
version. Has anyone ever had to document new screens right after producing a
manual? How have you handled this? I always thought users were sort of on
their own with interim releases like this. I was planning to document the
new screens and features in the documentation for the next major release.
Julie Hesselgesser
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