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.
I've just entered a new world... the wonderful world of hardware
documentation. After years working in software, I think I'm suffering from
culture shock. I could use some help from those pros with years of h/w
experience...
Details:
I'm taking on a new job for a old client -- in the past I've only worked
with their software. But, they also manufacture turnkey h/w s/w solutions...
In this case, they have a prototype of the system put together, and a
stringent set of requirements from the customer about the docs. Install,
calibration, and maintenance procedures are required. Trouble is, they've
been working with this prototype for more than 6 months without documenting
ANYTHING. So, the system is all put together and lovely, and my job is to
figure out how you would put together the thing from scratch. Of course, the
engineers are all busy busy, and I've been limited to 2 hours per week for
brain-picking. My first meeting with them is next Wednesday. At this point I
have no specs, nothing except a few high-level design drawings of the
system.
Help...
So, what I'm looking for is any tips from the h/w pros that I can use in my
Wednesday meeting. What is the most expeditious method, in your experience,
of creating an install procedure for a system that is all put together (and
it's huge, so it can't just be stripped down and put back together) with
nary a thought to recreating it? I realize I need to get my hands on any
requirements docs (assuming they have them) and any design drawings. Other
than that, how do I make the best use of my 2 hours?
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
---
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.
