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I try to do minimal "document documentation" so that someone else could pick
>up on my work in case I died or quit or something, because I'm the lone
>writer for my company. Not only does this make their work easier, it also
>makes them feel more secure about the job you did--they trust you more if
>you've explained to them why you did what you did. They will almost
>certainly adjust working to their own style, but they don't have to start
>from scratch.
>
>Some of the things I've documented include:
>
>File management: how files are organized and where they are. Is there a
>backup systems (like source safe, etc.)
>
>Any audience/task/environment analysis information you have.
>
>Design decisions: offer some rationale behind why you made the design
>decisions you did (for example, use of secondary windows).
>
>Style guide, which includes not only text issues but also window
>colors/size, indexing format, etc.
>
>Developer/documentation interaction: is there a review process? If so,
how
>has it worked? What information does the writer need from the developer
and
>how do they get it? What does the developer need from the writer and how
do
>they get it? How are help files made available to the developer, how are
>application files made available to the writer?
>
>Usage information: how is the documentation provided to the clients (or to
>the developers)?
>
>Revision/maintenance procedures: Is there a process here? Monthly,
>annually, ongoing? Whenever the developer make a change?
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Sella Rush
>mailto:sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com
>Applied Technical Systems (ATS)
>Bremerton, Washington
>Developers of the CCM Database
>
>