Re: Style Guides and Documentation Standards

["Miller, Lisa" <Lisa -dot- Miller -at- ANHEUSER-BUSCH -dot- COM>]

Eric:

It's the list of standard deliverables that would make a terrific reference.
For example, my group hasn't really produced any standard analysis or design
documentation.  Most additional requirements were documented in management
presentations.  Earlier analysis and design documents have been lost in the file
server directory jungle that's now five years old (with the associated multitude
of documents).

I had actually thought that ISO had designated some of these deliverables as did
government development standards such as the (now replaced with a reg I don't
remember) outdated 2167A standards.

The question would be is how to get managers to buy into and see the benefit of
analysis/design documentation both for publications and the product itself.

In the consulting world it's kind of hard to find, create, and enforce standards
because it's been my experience we're not around for more than one or two
projects.  The thrust (time) is on the project, not standards.

Lisa Miller
Technical Writer

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Eric L. Dunn [SMTP:edunn -at- TRANSPORT -dot- BOMBARDIER -dot- COM]
        Sent:   Thursday, June 03, 1999 11:19 AM
        To:     TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
        Subject:        Re: Style Guides and Documentation Standards

        I can easily say that the industry in which I work (railroad mass
transit
        equipment) is very difficult to implement standards. Each customer has
        their own idea as to what the right way to do things is and thinks they
are
        the best operating system on the planet. Indeed most of the operating
        authorities are run like small realms, sometimes seemingly completely
        detached from the outside world. Unlike the aviation industry, there is
        little need for inter-operability or a common ground for of
communication.
        In some cases (placarding, warnings) customers are reluctant to change
to
        international (or even national) standards because their employees will
not
        recognise them.

        From an overall view, I think Lisa Miller gave some good common points.
        It's not an overall style guide that is required, but the list of
required
        information. Trying to get all the international standards groups to
agree
        on general documentation standards would also be a plus. I would agree
that
        there may be some room for the STC or other organisation to do this.
After
        all the SAE manages well in their field of influence. We need that kind
of
        representation on ANSI as well.

        Eric L. Dunn


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