RE: Business Process Information in a User Guide

["Damien Braniff" <dbraniff -at- amphion -dot- com>]

This is a part of an ongoing debate about just how much information we provide.  Are the users interested in the why and whatfor or are they only interested in the how.  It very much depends on exactly what it is you're documenting - know your audience again.  When I've done online help, I've tended to make it procedure based - the how to approach, working on the principle (and customer feedback) that when the user resorts to help it's because they're stuck and want to know how to do something.  We have also included links to background topics (the why etc) for anyone who is looking for that.

In other projects we've used a flowchart approach with each block in the chart representing a stage in the process. Each procedure has the relevant step in the flowchart highlighted and a reference to where in the manual background information can be found.

Damien Braniff
Technical Writer
Amphion Semiconductor Ltd.
50/51 Malone Road
BT9 5BS  Belfast, Antrim
Northern Ireland

Tel:	028 9050 4000
Fax:	028 9050 4001
E-mail:	dbraniff -at- amphion -dot- com
Web:	www.amphion.com




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