RE: Writing to your audience

["Porrello, Leonard" <lporrello -at- illumina -dot- com>]

A good point, and having different types of documentation isn't a compromise; it's a best practice. Ideally, you'll have three types of documentation: functional specs, administrator's guides, and end user guides/help. The functional spec is written by developers for developers, and in some development paradigms, such as Agile, is ideally contained in the code and comments; the functional spec has all of the nitty gritty and exhaustive details of exactly how an application works. The admin guide gives admins enough information to be able to understand the product and do their job; it might include things such as the algorithm you mentioned if understanding the algorithm is important for configuring and/or maintaining the product. End user docs give the end user just the info they need for an overall understanding of the product and how to complete specific tasks.

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+lporrello=illumina -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lporrello=illumina -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Chantel Brathwaite
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 2:51 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Writing to your audience

The compromise of course is to have different docs for different 
audiences - so the internal user can be assured that the information 
will show up in some piece of documentation (even if it is not the one 
that they are reviewing at the moment) while the end user can have 
document that addresses topics that will help them to complete their tasks.

-- 

Chantel Brathwaite

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