ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the responsibilities and the operation of the technical publications group. There are six basic steps in the methodology that apply directly to the document development process. These are documentation planning, outline development, first draft development, second draft development, final editing and review, and release for publication. The input to the technical publications effort is not simply a formal specification or a functional system, but a closely coupled relationship with the design team on a day to day basis. The development of a documentation plan can take anywhere from a day to several weeks depending on the complexity of the project, and the experience of the writer. The first step in the preparation of a manual is to prepare a detailed outline. After the outline has been reviewed and approved by the review team, the writer prepares the first draft of the manual.
