Download Manuals Development Guide

Manuals Development Guide
June 2001
How long will it take to write?
There is no straightforward answer.
The time needed to write each page, again varies; between three hours and a day and a half per page.
This estimate is based on the time it takes you to go from almost no knowledge of the subject and its
users to gathering information and conducting interviews, writing and word processing, submitting drafts
for review, user testing, production and right through to the manual's final distribution.
The length of time needed will depend on many factors, including:
·
whether any previous, similar, documentation exists
·
availability and response time of users *
·
availability and response time of reviewers *
·
number of reviewers involved
·
type and number of graphics, charts and screen prints used
·
delays or changes in the application's development
* It is important that the writer, the other members of the project team, and people added to the project on
an ad hoc basis, are all aware of each others' time frames. Everyone must be aware of their deadlines in
order to meet them and to avoid holding up another member of the team.
Researching and Gathering Source Material
You need to be aware of:
·
the scope of your assignment
·
what deadlines are involved. This includes your own deadlines, and others that might affect you.
·
who the users of the manual will be
·
something about the users' business functions and needs
·
something about the application or program
·
whether or not there is existing user documentation
If you are unsure on any of these points, please refer back to the beginning of this chapter, or contact the
Project Manager.
Up to this point you have accumulated a small collection of information. This section will outline how
and where to get the rest of the material needed to write, or update, your manual. There are many
sources to draw from, each offering different types of information. These sources will assist you by
providing something tangible to work from.
Planning Documentation
This is documentation from the earliest stages of the program or system's development. It lays out
preliminary, high level information, such as why the project was started up, what it is for, and who it is
for. The planning documentation will give you an overview of the purpose and information about the:
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