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You might be in for a tough time unless you're really mechanically
inclined. That said, if you can gather enough engineers together, here's
what I'd ask 'em:
- How technically savvy will your customers be? Will the manual be
translated?
- Should you write a site survey section to help the customer verify that
power, ventilation, flooring, etc. are within spec?
- What unpacking instructions are needed? Check with the engineers to see
how heavy different parts are, if something weighs more than 25 lbs,
you'll need to specify additional people to carry it.
- Don't forget to sprinkle caution and warning statements liberally
through the manual so you'll not get sued later for failing to notify
users of liability issues.
- What supplies, equipment should the customer have on-hand to install,
configure, and use the product?
- Are you supposed to provide a theory of operation section? If so,
that'll take the longest to prepare.
- Whether or not your people let you disassemble the thing, get your CAD
department to prepare a series of isometric diagrams showing assembly and
disassembly of all components that the customer will be expected to
install or maintain. They should save the diagrams as PDFs so you can
import them into a graphics app like FreeHand or Illustrator.
- Get all the info you'll need for the Compliance section so the manual
will pass UL inspection
- Find out what will be considered as field-replaceable components and
write a maintenance section of replacement procedures for those items
- Find out how the device is supposed to be operated and document those
procedures.
- Have a section that just describes turning on and turning off the device
- Write a troubleshooting section. You'll need lots of help from the
engineers to tell you what can be expected to fail and how to go about
figuring out that something has failed.
Use lots of illustrations!!!
Good luck,
Chris
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TopTechWriter.US http://www.toptechwriter.us
Award-winning technical writing and illustration services.
First of all, are you comfortable working with machines., because the
best hardware wr? The best hardware writers are those who are mechanically
inclined, otherwise how coulIf you have any aptitude
> Details:
> I'm taking on a new job for a old client -- in the past I've only worked
> with their software. But, they also manufacture turnkey h/w s/w solutions...
> In this case, they have a prototype of the system put together, and a
> stringent set of requirements from the customer about the docs. Install,
> calibration, and maintenance procedures are required. Trouble is, they've
> been working with this prototype for more than 6 months without documenting
> ANYTHING. So, the system is all put together and lovely, and my job is to
> figure out how you would put together the thing from scratch. Of course, the
> engineers are all busy busy, and I've been limited to 2 hours per week for
> brain-picking. My first meeting with them is next Wednesday. At this point I
> have no specs, nothing except a few high-level design drawings of the
> system.
>
> Help...
> So, what I'm looking for is any tips from the h/w pros that I can use in my
> Wednesday meeting. What is the most expeditious method, in your experience,
> of creating an install procedure for a system that is all put together (and
> it's huge, so it can't just be stripped down and put back together) with
> nary a thought to recreating it? I realize I need to get my hands on any
> requirements docs (assuming they have them) and any design drawings. Other
> than that, how do I make the best use of my 2 hours?
>
> Thanks!
> Leanne
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