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I'm starting a new software documentation project. I'll be documenting
components of a server product that is designed to be a starting point for
an individually customized product. Programmers inside and outside of our
organization will need to know how it works, in detail. MIS Managers of
outside organizations will need to know about the architecture, features,
requirements, etc. And we need to provide information for Sales/Marketing
efforts, too.
I'm trying to define the documentation set for this project. I'm looking
at:
1) A Functional Specification for MIS Managers - purpose, design
2) An Implementation Specification for programmers who will be working with
it - detailed doc
3) A Sales/Marketing story - features, benefits, etc.
Does anyone out there have any standards, examples, definitions, or ideas
about how these different information needs could be defined, described, or
consolidated? Producing 3 different types of documents for one product
seems like overkill for a one-person documentation department (like mine).
But there are clearly 3 separate audiences, all with very different
information needs.
I would appreciate any thoughts you have on this. I'm on the digest.
Unless your respond to me directly, as well as to the list, there will be a
delay in my response.
Thanks very much.
Susan Jelus
Research Computer Services Inc.
Dayton, Ohio USA
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