Re: Numbered Headings?

[SIANNON -at- VISUS -dot- JNJ -dot- com]

The usefulness of numbered headings often depends on the function of the 
document.  The software system I'm working with right now is a system that 
must be validated under FDA regulations. Therefore, the Detailed Design 
doc, Testing docs, and Maintenance Procedures (plus anything else we wish 
to use for the purpose) all have to be cross-referenced with the 
Requirements doc in a separate traceability matrix to prove that we've 
addressed every requirement somewhere.  If you tried to do that just by 
heading, you'd go rapidly insane, let alone the potential hassles of 
dealing with later changes/enhancements to the system when the changes 
significantly affect the docs.

A system of nested, numbered headings means we can reference the relevant 
section of text in the traceability matrix by number, and updates needed to 
any doc that references a changed section are easier to identify. Now, 
these docs are not "end user" docs, so YMMV.  However, I believe it is 
unnecessarily harsh to arbitrarily discount the benefits of numbered 
headings when the contexts of usage may vary.

Just my $.02,
Shauna Iannone

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