Chapter 32 -- Check Your Help System and Documentation

Chapter 32

The Help system and documentation are part of the user interface, and they should definitely be reviewed during the QA process. As a programmer, you probably are not responsible for writing Help or documentation since a technical writer will perform that work, but you're likely to be responsible for providing the information upon which Help and documentation will be based. You might also be responsible for reviewing them for completeness and accuracy and for integrating Help into the program.

In this chapter, I'll give you suggestions for working with a technical writer, integrating Help into your program, and specific items to check to make sure that Help is done correctly. I'll focus primarily on online Help since that is what you're most likely to be working on directly as a programmer. With a few exceptions, most of the information I present in this chapter also applies to printed documentation.

While in theory it might be possible to obtain the services of a technical writer, explain everything you want, and have the tech writer go off and create excellent and accurate documentation with no further interaction, I have never seen this happen. You shouldn't expect it to happen. Delivering quality Help and documentation requires significant programmer input and review. Tech writers and QA testers play a significant role in this process, but they can't do it all without your assistance. Remember that at this point in the development process you are the only one who really knows how the program works.