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One method would be to test the installation process yourself.
Use your self as the tester and install all of the other junk that needs to be
installed before you install the software you are writing about.
You might find some pit falls and gotchas. That might be the stuff about other
companies software installation you have to draw attention to in your
documentation.
If you are too close to the stuff (as many tech writers are) bribe someone in
your office with a free lunch and watch them install it.
My guess is that your boss is right. Sometimes the developers get so hung up
with the myriad of possible things that can go wrong, that they fail to see that
90% of the end users will never encounter any problems.
Sometimes as technical writers we tent to document too much and send out mixed
signals to end users. I once edited a manual where there were five pages of
things that could go wrong. It lead end users to thinking that they *should*
encounter problems, and that just was not true.
Besides, we don't *really* want to put tech support out of business, do we?
-Barry
> From: Martha Silverspring <silverspring9235 -at- go -dot- com>
> I'm documenting one of those monster software suites that needs 17 pieces of
3rd party software installed before it'll run.
> I've been told by my boss that I don't need to document the installation of
the 3rd party stuff: they have their own manuals, and besides, with all those
companies making changes to their software, how would we ever be able to keep
our manual current? So I'm just documenting the configurations and settings that
need to be made to the 3rd party products to make our product run.
> But all the developers and testers (in another state) are complaining that I
haven't documented enough; they want me to document everything that needs to be
installed.
> How the heck do you handle this no-win situation?
> Martha
Regards,
Barry Kieffer
Senior Technical Writer
Integrated Measurement Systems, Inc.
Portland, Oregon
Cube: 564
Phone: 1.503.469.3615
Email: bkieffer -at- ims -dot- com
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