Until now, you’ve been familiar with the SDLC-Software Development Life Cycle, the cyclical process in software engineering that establishes order for workflow, but today, another kid has been born on the block: DDLC. DDLC stands for Document Development Life Cycle, shocked! I’m sure you must have thought of Database instead of Document, but Document is absolutely here.
Today words have become everything and until something is communicated emphatically, no one has time to listen to what you have developed. So companies have finally risen up to elevate the most overlooked part of the software development life cycle, documentation as an important, indeed very important aspect. This has given way for technical writers not just a breather, but a respected job at work. Previously, most Tech-Writers used to work for contract or as freelancers. But now, the scene has changed and writers are not only paid very well, but are also given due importance. So, in this article, let’s see what are the phases that a technical writer goes through to create a document.
o Requirements Analysis
or Design
or Developing
or tests
or Publications
or Maintenance
Analisys of requirements -This is the initial stage where the technical writer gathers all the necessary material and then analyzes the actual requirement. The available matter must be properly mapped to the requirement so that from the very beginning the flow moves in the right direction and every hour that passes can be counted towards completing the task.
The writer meets multiple times with subject matter experts (SMEs) and application coders to understand the scope of the software and key features. Most writers believe that one meeting should be enough, but I believe that every time you meet with the experts, more application functionality is developed. Simply because, initially, only user-level features are reported, then slowly, in subsequent meetings, the developer reveals the way each component works. Thorough knowledge of the environment, end users, and related functionality helps the writer to understand the project well. And a well understood project can be documented in the best way.
Here just interviewing the experts is not enough, the writer must use the software to get the details of the functionality. All analysis should be noted in a readable format. This will be very useful later on and while it is being documented no further rounds from SMEs or developers will be needed.
design – This phase is very important since it creates the skeleton of the document. From cover page to abstract, table of contents (TOC), actual text, glossary, and index, a design is created here. For example, if you are using Microsoft Word 2007, you only need to place the TOC and Index skeletons. Later, as you continue typing, these tables are updated whenever you click the refresh option.
In the design phase, you have the entire structure ready and only the content is missing. Once you’re done with the layout, a rough view of the document shape will begin to emerge.
developing – This phase is the writing phase itself. If you were writing a preliminary document, you would have started from this phase and finished here only. The actual text is written here, and if the TOC and index are maintained, the titles, bookmarks, and references are set along with the writing. Writing also means placing tables, images, titles, notes, detailed elaboration, etc.
The development phase, while enjoying center stage, still shines when associated and mapped with the rest of the phases exactly as planned.
Testing – As the title indicates, this phase occurs after you have written the document and have updated all the tables, including TOC and index. Clicking on a particular header in the TOC should bring control to the connected page. Other links and hyperlinks must be well connected and controlled. In addition to these tests, grammar checking, punctuation checking, and the regular flow of sensible sentences and phrases are natural test items.
Remember, if a link doesn’t work properly you may be pardoned, but as a technical writer any grammatical errors or failures in sentence flow are by no means to be taken lightly.
The software document usually follows a style guide that indicates how a title should be written or how paragraphs should be framed. Therefore, the use of the style guide must be adhered to by heart.
Once tested for the aforementioned regulations, a document is sent to SMEs and software coders who then read the document between the lines to confirm that what is written is exactly what happens. Any reported problems are communicated to the writer, who then ensures the veracity of the words.
Publication – Once all the text is well framed, managed and corrected, it is ready for publication. If the document is going to be published outside the company, it is suggested to take a hard copy of the document and see how it will look after printing. As once the printing is done at a high level, any changes will cost too much and it will also affect your reputation as a technical writer because the writer is not only responsible for creating documents but also for proper formatting. The writer must ensure that the document is fit for reading and suits the eyes of the reader. The selection of fonts, the choice of size and the use of brightness in the images are some points that can turn an odd-looking document into a masterpiece.
Maintenance – As usual, this is the longest and perhaps endless phase. Includes adding, deleting, and updating the document. If more features are added to the software, they should be added prominently so that existing readers can directly pay attention to the recently added things.
In case the authoring tool has been updated, the writer has to learn new features and incorporate them into the existing document and so on.
The aforementioned phases have always been followed but unconsciously. Now that we have an idea, why not stick to the phases and make sure the result is absolutely gorgeous and professional?
Prashant Shrivastava
prashant@friendstime
http://www.friendstime.com