Work Product Descriptor (Artifact): User Support Specifications
The User Support Specifications are specifications of the content, structure, audience, media, and format, of the documentation of the system to be used by the users.
Purpose

The User Support Specifications are used to communicate, delegate and coordinate the development work of the authors involved in writing the user documentation. (The purpose of the user documentation being to document the new system from a user point of view, i.e., how the business processes are implemented in the system).   

This work product also serves the additional purpose of advising the designers/developers of the user training specifications what will be covered by the user documentation, so that it can be coordinated with the training material and addressed during the end user training classes.

Relationships
RolesResponsible: Modified By:
Main Description

The specifications are the work descriptions for the development of the various units of user documentation.

The User Support Specifications should cover:

  • The configuration of the standard package, including accessibility and package extensions that have been developed.
  • The reports and interfaces that have been developed.
  • How a combination of these will be used to support the client's business processes.

The specifications define the boundaries between the different units of user documentation, as well as:

  • Content
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Standards to be used, and the language(s)
Properties
Optional
Planned
Key Considerations

Coordinate the User Support Specifications with the end user training material specifications to avoid having to cover the same topics twice - unless it is on purpose.

In writing the User Support Specifications, re-use as much as possible of the:

  • Package Design Documentation
  • Package Extension Specifications
  • Report Specifications
  • Interface Specifications

In selecting the media for the user documentation take into the consideration the ease of maintenance, i.e., how will the documentation be updated, is the documentation accessible, and how will it be distributed.  Should the documentation be on-line on a server, and should some of it be kept in hard copy as a back up in case the server is inaccessible?

This must be done in conjunction with the development of user training materials.

Tailoring
Impact of not havingWithout the User Support Specifications it will be very difficult to coordinate the development work. Some areas/topics may be covered more than once and others may be unintentionally omitted. 
Reasons for not needingIf the number of enhancements/extensions, custom reports, and interfaces is small, it may be possible to minimize the user documentation or all together omit it, and opt for using the standard help supplied with the package.