The Documentation Process
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1. Start the project During this stage you obtain copies of the program and familiarize yourself with it. This stage also allows you to meet the development team (the programmers and technical persons associated with the project) and to review any development documents that come with the software. 2. Perform the user analysis During this stage of the process you identify and make contact with potential users of the software and you plan your analysis of their workplace activities using interview materials, questionnaires, and other forms. You meet with users and perform user interviews, observations, focus groups and whatever other methods are appropriate for learning how the software will be put to work. At this stage, you list the users activities that the software will support and possibly write scenarios describing how users will adapt the software to their needs. This stage of the process should yield a preliminary table of contents based on user activities. 3. Design the documents During the design phase of the manual or help system, you identify the content of the documents and formalize the table of contents. At this stage you also identify suitable writing and graphics software for the project if these haven't already been specified. You review your design options suitable for the users and create mockups and descriptions of all your documents. As you go you set up a style sheet to guide the composition and editing of the documents and you summarize all your design information in a design plan. At this time you might do some informal reviewing of the design plan with users. 4. Write the project plan At the project plan stage you set the documentation goals (in terms of the nature of work supported by the software and the manual) and you identify and assemble the writing team (if there is one.) As you do so you identify and negotiate project resources (people, management, equipment, testing facilities, printing and production resources and so on) and you make preliminary arrangements for testing and review. You set up a project schedule and a budget and then you write all the plans up in a project plan and schedule a meeting to communicate all this information to your writing team, programmers, and clients. 5. Write the alpha draft In the alpha draft stage you carry out writing tasks identified in the project plan. The alpha draft represents your first complete document, including all the front matter, text, graphics, appendices, and associated documentation set materials. As a written document, the alpha draft gets tested, reviewed and edited, all according to the specifications laid out in the documentation plan. As you proceed you test prototype designs and drafts with users and maintain project records, archives and style sheet for the project. 6. Conduct reviews and tests At the review and test stage you get user reviews for suitability, accuracy, and completeness. In the role of project manager you arrange for technical reviews and review meetings and contact users for usability tests. You make arrangements for the use of a usability facility and conduct usability tests, perhaps writing a usability report for the client or other members of the development team. You also maintain project records and archives. Usually reviews occur before testing so that the results of the reviews can help inform the test design. 7. Revise and edit While the reviews and tests provide feedback from external sources--managers, users, clients, etc.--revising and editing allow you to work on your own document, applying writer's skills in re-organizing and checking for accuracy on many levels. During this stage you incorporate review information into drafts and reconfirm changes with users and writing team members. As the lead writer or manager you have to schedule document edits and review meetings and assemble and manage all the graphics, reviewing the graphics and tables for accuracy. At this stage, you also maintain project records and archives. 8. Write a final draft The final draft revision contains information gathered from the activities in the two previous stages. If you do them thoroughly, you will find that your document improves greatly at this stage. This stage, of incorporating feedback into your document efforts, will result in a camera-ready copy that you can hand to the printer. At this stage you also confirm vocabulary decisions with users and write the index if necessary. You also maintain project records and archives. 9. Conduct a field evaluation After the user has installed and operated the program, the last stage of the development process happens: the field evaluation. This special kind of test enables you to gauge how well your manual met the task needs of the intended user. Information from this evaluation usually ends up in an evaluation report, and provides input for your next project. You need to design a form to survey actual users for reactions, needed improvements, and contact customer support for records of user questions. Write an evaluation report on the project, and maintain project records and archives.
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