Re: Systems documents

[Alexia Prendergast <alexiap -at- SEAGATESOFTWARE -dot- COM>]

Hmmm. If I were the Lone Tech Writer, and I was already up
to my eyeballs in work, I might be nervous.

As with most everything, there are pros and cons. Here's an
incomplete list...

Pros:
You control the document -- you can make sure it's done right,
which will benefit you later, as well as your developers. You
know you'll be able to get your hands on the thing. You'll be
able to get a lot of questions answered early in the process,
which will put you ahead when you start writing. You can spot
UI flaws early.

Cons:
Doing the system docs will eat up your time. If you work
on multiple projects and you have user docs for one project and
systems docs for another project due at the same time, which one
is going to take precedence? They aren't going to expect you to
use the system docs as the user docs, are they? (Was it here that
someone posted that they were expected to combine their test cases
and user docs?)

I'm sure others can add to both lists...
A.
--
Alexia Prendergast
Senior Technical Writer
Seagate Software
mailto:alexiap -at- sems -dot- com

>----------
>From:  Ron Sering CDS[SMTP:ronaldse -at- MANX -dot- CDS -dot- TEK -dot- COM]
>Sent:  Tuesday, July 29, 1997 4:34 PM
>To:    TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject:       Systems documents
>
>There is a dark cloud gathering over my cubicle. I am hearing rumblings that
>I will be responsible, as the Lone Tech Writer, for developing and maintain
>all systems documentation, such as system requirements, design specs, etc.
>
>This troubles me, as I feel that there are plenty of issues directly related
>to user documentation, such as improving the online help effort, researching
>and developing ways of making documentation available over the internet and
>on CD, to single-source or to not single-source, that I need to be working
>on. In my background, the programmers/engineers produce the design documents,
>which I use as a basis for developing the user documentation.
>
>What have been your experiences with systems documentation?
>
>
>- Ron Sering
>
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