Requirements from Development?

[Colleen Adams <colleen_adams -at- MEDISPAN -dot- COM>]

Database, API, GUI, COM, inter/intranet app writers:  I have a question for
you...

What do you "require" from your development/programming staff in order
to really begin putting your documentation together from scratch; I mean,
when you have NO other previous docs to begin with...and for GUI apps,
you have no interface yet to see, because it's not yet been developed.

Before my company was purchased, we had a very good product
development model which included IS/IT creating a technical design
document that was the backbone of our external product doc--it made
putting the manuals together, a snap.  Of course, these designs are only
fitting for database products.

Now, post-acquisition, our doc team has inherited the doc from the other
company and much of it is stand alone software for the end-user,
(usually Windows-based and/or browser-based).  And of course this
company has a hodge-podge way of creating products--no model here!

Back to my question:  I need to be able to go to development and say,
"we must have x,y,z, in order to even begin putting doc together."
Ideally, for the GUI apps, I'd like to at least have a functional spec with
screen shots and minimal text explaining some of the features--is this too
much to ask of development? (Besides the fact that we'd like to talk to
some users, which I'm getting closer to doing...)

Otherwise, a requirements spec may also suffice (containing some info
on the tasks the user will perform)?

How much time do you spend interviewing SMEs in the very beginning?

Currently, we rely too heavily on our SMEs to initially author (especially
when the audience for the doc is not end-users, but programmers).

I'd like to hear what some of you real veterans out there require.  You
can reply offlist; I'll summarize if there's interest.

Thank you!!
Colleen Adams
External Documentation Manager
First DataBank Medi-Span, Inc.
Indianapolis, IN
colleen_adams -at- medispan -dot- com