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DEFINITION - In computer hardware and software product development, documentation is the information that describes the product to its users. It consists of the product technical manuals and online information (including online versions of the technical manuals and help facility descriptions). The term is also sometimes used to mean the source information about the product contained in design documents, detailed code comments, white papers, and blackboard session notes.

The term is derived from the idea that engineers and programmers "document" their products in formal writing. The earliest computer users were sometimes simply handed the engineers' or programmers' "documentation." As the product audience grew, it became necessary to add professional technical writers and editors to the process. Today, IBM and other companies look at developing product information based on what users actually need to do when using the product. In this task-oriented view, product information can be divided into and sometimes physically organized into these task categories: evaluating, planning for, setting up or installing, customizing, administering, using, and maintaining the product. Documentation is now often built directly into the product as part of the user interface and in help pages. Printed technical manuals are increasingly available at company Web sites in the form of Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files or in HTML pages. IBM and Microsoft are among the world's largest publishers.

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How to manage your development portfolio through Agile Focus Stories: Learn how using Focus Stories can steer development projects away from negative consequences, perverse effects and software deviations, while adding value to your product.
Scaling Agile development: Get your Focus Story together: Learn how to adapt to changing initiatives in an agile software project. Willingness to alter test driven and acceptance test driven development practices are key to success.
Aligning business goals with Focus Stories: The Focus Story serves to align the product backlog by providing guidelines for common goals and objectives, a tangible statement of DONE, and a timebox.

LAST UPDATED: 01 Mar 2007

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More resources from around the web:
- The Society for Technical Communication offers information about technical writing.





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