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Subject:RE: where do docs fit in the development process? From:"Lisa Wright" <liwright -at- earthlink -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 28 Jan 2002 21:22:03 -0800
I heartily agree with Andrew and Bruce: writers can and preferably
should be writing ahead of the developers. Make it up as best you can
according to whatever information you have available:
a. Specs
b. Conversations
c. Intimate product knowledge
d. Previous experience
e. Use case scenarios (formal or otherwise)
f. Technical knowledge
g. Creativity: make it up
You get a bunch of potential benefits: First, if you submit these
sections of text to the developers, they can correct as they're coding,
so it's less likely they'll forget about the gotchas. Second, the
developers can use the text to check their assumptions (they may not
realize they're doing this, but it has that effect). Third, you know
where the section fits into your doc. Fourth, you've already written
something about the topic so you won't get stuck with the "gosh, I know
I have to write this but I'll just put it off another day" blues. Fifth,
you might actually give the developer a good idea!
I think writers and documents benefit far more from this approach than
from worrying about the document being *right* the first time out. Of
course, the closer you are to being right, the more impressive it is!
Lisa
-----Original Message-----
On Behalf Of quills -at- airmail -dot- net
>"Susie Pearson" <spearson -at- espial -dot- com>
>
>> OK -- so how am I supposed to be finished documenting at the exact
>> time
>they
>> are finished working on the SDK?
>"Andrew Plato" wrote: You should be working AHEAD of the engineers.
Documenting
>stuff before they even coded it. Its not insane if you understand what
>they are doing and you have an established relationship with the
>engineers.
>
This is not a reasonable assumption. No it is an assumption,
according to the cliche. It makes an Ass out of you and me.
If you document ahead of the engineers, and with as little design
documentation as Susie has stated, then you will be on the wrong
track a good portion of the time.
Document it before they code it and it is wrong.
Scott
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