Types of Technical Documents

For those of you just getting started as technical writers, here's a list of the types of technical documentation that you may come across in your career. Not every company produces all of these as some are from hardware (microprocessor) and some from software industries.

Donn Le Viea Consultant and author was nice enough to give me permission to print this list on my site. 

1. Addendum: a brief document that contains information that was omitted from a user or reference manual, or information that clarifies information in such manuals.

2. Application Notes/Briefs: Information that relates to direct use of a product in a system environment/customer application.

3. Architectural Overviews/specs: architectural information describing the conceptual and functional aspects of a component, including block diagrams, data flows, processing algorithms, etc.

4. Benchmark documents: information that demonstrates how processors/platforms perform against certain benchmarks

5. Datasheets: a product-specific document that contains the essential information about a component product, particularly the characterization information such as electrical specifications, thermal properties, mechanical specs, etc.

6. Data book: a collection of data sheets for a particular product family.

7. Design Guide: a document with information on a reference design, enabling customers to design their products around the reference product (used in microprocessor industry).

8. Design Spec: a document that details the design of a particular product.

9. Electronic Design Kit: a collection of information and tools to be used by customers that enable them to complete their designs more efficiently and effectively.

10. Engineering Bulletin: a short (4 to 10 pages) document that deals with a specific functional component of a device.

11. Errata: a document reporting on design defects or errors.

12. Functional spec: a document that details how a particular product will function (based on a requirements spec).

13. Installation Guide: the necessary information for installation of a particular product (including Quick Start Guides) for hardware or software.

14. Hardware Manual: functional descriptions of a component. Descriptions of the various logical or physical components of a product and explains their workings in detail. May contain some developer/programming information, but are usually devoid of any "user" information (procedural, task-oriented).

15. Packaging Guide (microprocessors): the component packaging options independent of specific component products.

16. Product Brief: a short (2 to 4 pages) document that highlights the functional and application properties of a device. Usually includes a block diagram and sometimes a proposed pin diagram. Often written with a marketing slant and distributed before the product is available.

17. Product specifications: a product-specific document that contains the essential information about a product, particularly the characterization information such

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