RE: Writing a product functional spec AFTER the product is built

["McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>]

 Heather Anderson noted:

> I've worked on validation documents after the system was 
> already completed and in use (and by that, I mean 
> requirements documents, testing plans, etc.) and right now 
> I'm working on a user guide for a system that's been 
> completed for some time.

Wow. What a luxury!

I mostly create user docs for products that are anywhere 
from pre-alpha to "just finished, gotta go out with the docs 
today". 

One of the dances is "this feature, right here - do I write 
it up the way it's supposed to be at GA, or the way it's 
working right now?" 

The question is really:  "Is it going to be fixed in time, 
and work like it's supposed to work, or is this an item 
that will be ... um... deferred, and I should describe it 
more like it's current alpha implementation?" 

What ends up happening in many cases is that the decision 
is made to defer, then the beta customers complain and 
the feature gets fixed, and I get to rewrite the day before 
it goes to final QA.  That's not so bad when it's just ONE 
feature...   :-) 

Having to write docs for a product that had been completed 
and stable and that I could test and tinker and see the 
beast operating exactly as the customers would... wow. 
Luxury indeed.  

But that luxury isn't about to happen. We live in a market 
where waiting to release a product for any amount of time 
after it's finished would put us behind competitors. Or would 
put us behind fast-advancing customer needs.

 -  Kevin

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