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"...the guy who actually has to use the software...is NOT the guy who decided to buy it."
And as you pointed out, this guy isn't consulted when the decision is made to buy the software. So from the standpoint of trying to make a sale, the documentation ought to be directed at the VP making the purchasing decision. (Assuming he or she even looks at the docs. All the VP probably does is sees "docs included" on a Powerpoint slide of product features.) Unfortunately this does not lead to good documentation in the empirical sense.
So our customers are in layers, starting with
1. Your boss (I want my name at the bottom of each page!)
2. Internal reviewers (My second grade teacher says you are misusing the semicolon.)
3. The people presenting the product to others (Can you make our logo flash red and blue?)
4. Potential customers evaluating your product (Get rid of the flashing logo and replace it with ours)
5. The decision maker (He who holds the purse strings)
6. The poor schmuck who actually has to use what you write (I can't find the index!)
Alas the poor user.
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Michael Shea
ROSEMANN & LAURIDSEN GMBH
Am Schlossberg 14, D-82547 Eurasburg, Germany
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