Documentation

Documentation is an integral part of software systems. The structure of user and system documentation is described and the importance of producing high-quality documentation is emphasized also the maintainability and document portability.

1. User documentation
2. System documentation
3. Document quality
4. Document maintenance
5. Document portability

There are two classes of documentation associated with a computer system. These classes are user documentation which describes how to use the system and system documentation which describes the system design and implementation.

The documentation provided with a system can be useful at any stage in the lifetime of the system.

All kinds of documentation need effective indexing. A good index, which allows the user to find the information he or she needs, is probably the most useful feature that can be provided but, sadly, is often the most neglected part of document production. A comprehensive index can make a badly written document usable but, without an index, even the best written prose is unlikely to convince the reader that the document is effective.