New How To Information: Programming Manuals and Requirements Definitions Docs

[Nina Panzica <panin -at- MINDSPRING -dot- COM>]

Hi again,

 

Does anybody know of any good books or Web sites that provide:

 

(a) Information on how to write a programming manual. (By that I mean the documentation of a large custom database system composed of modules written in six or seven different languages so that if or when the guy who created this thing leaves someone else will be able to step in and understand it well enough to maintain it and to add to it.)  I'm particularly interested in finding out what kinds of information such a manual must contain to be of any use to a replacement programmer.  I'll be getting my information from a very smart but also very busy programmer, so I need to know what sorts of questions to ask him. I also don't know a lot about programming so I need info. that's on a pretty basic level.

 

(b) Information on how to write a thorough requirements definitions document. Once again, what categories of information do these documents need to contain to be useful when the programmers move to the design phase? The goal here is to make it as complete as possible, give them more info. than they need, if possible.  If it's of any help, the designers will be plugging the information collected into this document into a tool called "Rational Rose." (sp?) The info. will be gathered at a series of meetings with the representatives of the organization purchasing the customized product.

 

Thanks again in advance for any help you can provide.

 

Regards,

Nina P.

 

__________________________________________

 

Nina Panzica

panin -at- mindspring -dot- com