Lesson 8: The Tools of the Trade
Class Summary - What should you take away from this class?
This has been a densely packed class filled with a lot of information. This summary will reinforce the most important points to take away from the experience.
Software documentation has a lot of elements. You can't just sit down and start randomly writing about the product you're documenting then stop when you think you're done.
You need to analyze your readership and keep their needs, background, and experience in mind as you plan and write your documentation. You need to carefully choose wording and always write as clearly as possible. You need to understand when to include a figure or table and when it's best to present information strictly textually. You also need to understand your book and your audience well enough to effectively index the subject matter.
You need to respect style guides and formatting decisions made by others you work with even if you don't agree with all of those decisions. You need to forge a good working relationship with developers, testers, and other software professionals. You need to accept feedback and accept that the product you're documenting will change. Most of all, you need to enjoy using software and teaching how to use it to others.
