TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Dev. Cycle and the Manual From:Brian Martin <martin -at- SODALIA -dot- IT> Date:Mon, 7 Jun 1999 10:08:08 +0200
I also agree that creating a user manual would be virtually impossible
at the end of the requirements phase. Assuming that development starts
with requirements and continues with architecture, system design, and
component design, it seems unreasonable to attempt a user manual so
early. If functionality is detailed in the System Design and widgets
are described in the Component Design, what would you be writing about?
Neither a procedure or reference manual would be a likely scenario
without a working understanding of the product derived from designs.
What I you may be looking for is a Product Description that gives a
general overview of intended use, rough application functionality, and
possibly a generic look at architecture.
Brian
A
> > Is it possible to have a user's manual near
> completion at the end
> > of the requirements phase of development?
And John replied
<<HAHA!!! I've rarely seen a Users Manual near
completion at the end of the code writing phase of
development, let alone at the requirements phase.
