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: use cases - what are they good for From:lyndsey -dot- amott -at- docsymmetry -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 13 Jan 2005 11:32:24 -0500
Neumann, Eileen wrote:
I am concluding that use cases are not going to be helpful in my =
particular documentation project. It seems that they are helpful in =
designing new products and agreeing on what the user goals are, as well =
as what features / procedures need to be developed and documented.
In my case, the procedures are firmly in place, and have been used for a =
while. They just haven't been documented yet.
~~~~~~~
You are right. You do not need use cases for products that already exist.
Use cases are useful when you are documenting a product that has not yet
been developed, as is often the situation in companies that follow the
practice of concurrent engineering. In this situation, use cases provide a
starting point for the developers and the writers, but keep in mind that the
actual product might diverge from the use cases as it develops. Once the use
case is written, it is rarely updated if the product design doesn't follow
it, so they are only helpful at the beginning of a project.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lyndsey Amott
www.docsymmetry.com
Winnipeg, MB R3G 2J3
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo: http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Technical Communication Certificate online - Malaspina-University College, Canada. Online training in technical writing, software (FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Dreamweaver, Acrobat), document & web design, writing manuals, job search. www.pr.mala.bc.ca/tech_comm.htm for details.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
