Planning Exchange Server 2003 Documentation

When planning Exchange Server 2003 documentation (whether for general purposes, specific aspects such as disaster recovery, or a particular project), several factors should be considered :

• The business requirements of the organization

• The technical requirements of the organization

• The audience that will be using the documents

• How and when the documents will be produced

The extent of the documentation depends on the business and technical requirements of the organization. Some organizations require that each step be documented, and other organizations require that only the configuration be recorded. Careful consideration should be given to any regulatory requirements or existing internal organization policies.

After the specific documentation requirements have been determined, it is important to consider who the audience for each document will be. Who will use each document, in what setting, and for what purpose? It would be impractical to develop a 300-page user guide when all the user wants to do is log on to the messaging system. In that case, all that would be required is a quick reference guide. Properly analyzing the purpose and goals of each document aids in the development of clear and useful documentation.

Planning the schedule for document production often requires a separate project timeline or plan. The plan should include checkpoints, sponsorship or management review, and a clear schedule. Tools such as Microsoft Project facilitate the creation of a documentation project plan (see "Design and Planning Documentation," later in this chapter). The project plan can also provide an initial estimate of the number of hours required and the associated costs. For instance, based on previous documentation projects, there is an estimate that 1 “2 pages per hour will be produced.