TABLE OF CONTENTS How many times have you been asked to help solve a problem or troubleshoot an issue, only to discover minimal or no documentation? Or something less admirable, like the documentation is incorrect or misleading? Fighting a house on fire with a 3?4 -inch garden hose instead of a 3-inch fire hose can limit one s chances of winning. Someone once observed that the difference between craftsmanship and engineering is documentation. Generally, something can t be crafted very well unless it s documented. In complex, large-scale networks and systems, the craftsmanship-documentation cycle is an iterative and ongoing process. There s an initial or draft release used to build up the first working sample. Most times it doesn t work and one or more configuration or connection parameters must be added or changed. Then the document doesn t match reality, so the documentation has to be changed.
Basically, there are two classes of documentation. One class of document contains design reference information and the other is specific to an application or use of equipment, facilities, software, and services. Design reference documents include such things as standards, Product brochures, and specifications, sometimes called data sheets.
Another class of documents includes application specific installation, operation, and maintenance instructions supplied with equipment, software, and, occasionally, services. Computer operating systems and applications include some form of help. Interactive telephone services based on DTMF tones supporting voice mail, corporate voice network access, and other similar services may be supported with small pocket-sized user guides.
When carriers and...
