Opinion on outline numbering for chapters/sections?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Gina Jones wondered: <<I need some opinions on my numbering sequence  
in a User Guide. My client specifically requested that I embed the  
Quick Start into the manual and provide more details. I'm not a fan  
of outline numbering in user guides, but must follow their corporate  
style guide. Below is this particular numbering sequence.
2.2***    Software Quick Start
   2.2.1    Set Up Software Web Appliance
     2.2.1.1  A) Configure the Web Appliance
                  <Step/Action table here>
     2.2.1.2  B) Configure the Analyzers
                  <Step/Action table here>		>>

The first thing I'd note is that the first two headings serve little  
or no useful purpose, particularly if they are only headings and have  
no text between them and the next headings. Why not simplify collapse  
the hierarchy as follows:

2.2 Quickstart guide for the [name] software
2.2.1 Configuring the Web Appliance
2.2.2 Confguring the analyzers

And so on. Better still, if you can convince them to bundle the  
quickstart guide separately, move that information to the title page,  
and the structure then becomes:
Quickstart guide for the [name] software
1. Configuring the Web Appliance
2. Confguring the analyzers

Even if the client requires outline numbering, it should be possible  
to convince them to let section headings exist without numbers, as I  
proposed in my second example.


----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
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