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----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike O." <obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Newsgroups: techwr-l
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 7:28 AM
Subject: Re: Requirements documents for documentation
>
> stacy naus wrote:
> > Has anyone out there written requirements documents for
documentation
>
> Mike O. wrote:
> i think the magic keyword is "documentation plan."
>
There are plenty of typical items in documentation
requirements, some or all of which may be covered in a doc
plan (it depends on how your methodology defines doc plan
and doc requirements). Typical requirements range from
planning and progress timetables, to document design and
delivery media, to the document content the customer
requires. Somewhere along the line (depending on how you
agree to do the work, maybe in a contract or doc plan or
requirements) you can agree to contingencies, for example,
that the requirements can change as the project progresses,
and that these changes may result in revised documentation
delivery dates.
To me (IT-oriented), Documentation Requirements should
reflect the agreement between you and your customer about
what needs to be in the docs. I use many specific
requirements, generally trying to provide a detailed listing
of the major sections of the document, what information is
to be included in each section, and the particular Roles and
Responsibilities, and attendant procedures, to be covered in
the docs. Your customer should sign off on the
requirements--to me, any reluctance on their part is a cause
for concern but not usually a show-stopper..
Looked at another way, the requirements spell out your
customer's Acceptance Criteria. Seen yet another way, your
requirements are fodder for a working outline of the
documents you identified in the documentation plan.
Ned Bedinger
Ed Wordsmith Technical Communications Co.
doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com http://www.edwordsmith.com
tel: 360-434-7197
fax: 360-769-7059
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