Using documentation as a life-cycle tool; integrating document, development tools improves quality throughout product's life - computer-aided software engineering

Software Magazine, Dec, 1992 by Mary Hanna

XSoft, a business division of Xerox Corp. located in Palo Alto, Calif., has announced its intention to establish an Open Document Environment. The environment's goal is to facilitate document access, no matter where the document resides. XSoft markets the GlobalView product line of document management software.

Another advantage of document management systems is the ability to create online documentation, which saves the cost of printing paper manuals. Online documents are also more accessible to users, and easier to change and update.

"The primary focus of most Frame customers is the online distribution of documents," said Mark Hamilton, Frame's technology marketing manager. Hamilton suggested several justifications for this:

Cost -- Conservative estimates place the cost of producing, printing and shipping between $100 and $500 per page. Storing and retrieving documentation at the user's site increases this amount, especially when compared to the low cost of using CD-ROM.

Time to market -- Publishing documentation typically requires a lead time of one month. Any changes that developers make to the software during that month cannot be included in the documentation. Developers can update online documentation in the same amount of time needed to change the software.

Flexibility -- Different audiences require different levels of documentation. Online documentation can accommodate the customer's needs, building value over the paper-based version.

At the Pacific First Bank of Seattle, updating the 1,500-page Retail Banking Guide was a labor-intensive and costly task. As a solution, the bank developed an online text retrieval system for use in its 135 branch offices. Charles Reamy, programmer analyst at the bank, developed the system with the help of the Guide Professional Publisher, a high-volume, electronic document publishing system from OWL International, Inc., in Bellevue, Wash.

"Educating the users and management on the viability of replacing hard-copy documents with an online version was the biggest challenge," said Reamy. He estimated that the bank saves $53,000 a year in distribution and duplication costs. "In the past, there was only one copy of the material in each branch, and that was kept in the administrator's office. Now everyone has access to the document on terminals," he said.

Another option for online documentation is CD-ROM, which the Allen-Bradley Co., located in Highland Heights, Ohio, is implementing. The firm manufactures factory automation controls, such as robotics or tools that control assembly lines. The company also produces post-sale material that includes programming and user reference manuals.

Tim Daunch, manager of information integration services at Allen-Bradley, has been using Interleaf's desktop version for more than two years and the Relational Document Manager, which Interleaf introduced this year, for the past six months. "The RDM allows a twofold entry of data: from the engineers' design specifications and from direct keying," said Daunch.