New at this Game

["Shannon Morris" <shannon -dot- morris -at- gen21 -dot- com>]

I was recently hired as a Technical Writer and I want to know if you can
suggest any good references.  My company is great and I enjoy working here.
My problem is I am fairly new to this field and am not sure how to go about
getting the information that I need to put together some of the documents
that are needed.  The company has grown exponentially since last year, from
7 to 50, so they don't have a lot of documentation currently developed.  The
only unfortunate thing is my direct manager (VP/CIO) is dealing with a
family crisis and has been unavailable to provide any of the information
needed to begin the work.  I have been asked to develop/update all of the
engineering & software specs.  My past experience includes writing several
training manuals and documenting a project from start to finish,
additionally I have worked on the technical aspects of a project too.  I
have a pretty well rounded background, in education and information systems.

Currently, I have several systems analysis and design texts (one by Dewitz
and the other by Whitten & Bentley), Project Management by Shtub, and a few
technical writing books. Are there any other books you can suggest that
would also provide examples of documents or steps that would include all
aspects of a particular document.  Also, are there specific standards for
developing an IEEE document?

I hate to sound like a novice but I think I am and would appreciate any
expert advice.

Thanks
Shannon