Tips on Project Documentation

[RohanP]

I have made a Exports Management System in Visual Basic 6 And Sql Server 7 as Back End. The project is ready & already implimented. Now I have to document the project, i.e. making a user manual, Software Documentation. I have very less idea about making documentations (never made any) & there is no senior's support. Can Anybody provide me tips on making a documentaion for EMS? I just want info on what will be the topics in it? If u could send me a sample documentation of any other software, it will help me the most.

Help will be appriciated..

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- Regards Rohan (India,Mumbai)

 

[CajunCenturion]

User Documentation should not be written by programmers. Programmers take too much for granted, and generally speaking, do not have the ability to write the documentation in such a way as to useful to an end-user. You may or may not have access to a Technical Writer --good ones are quite valuable. If you do, then use him/her, if not, then try to obtain the services of someone else in your orgranization - sometimes secretaries are excellent for this, if you can use them - someone who is not in IT, but is comfortable with computer applications. Work with that person, with you explaining how the app works, what concepts and ideas that you want to get accross, but let your associate do the wording. Also, make absolutely sure, that whatever questions your associate asks about the application during this process, are completely and adequately answered in the documentation. Those questions are usually a fair representation of the questions that will come from the user-community.

If you have to do this on your own, then forget everything you know about the application, and write down the instructions (make no assumptions about prior knowledge) on how to teach yourself how to use it.
Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein