Combining human-authored and machine-generated software product documentation

Abstract

With the growing complexity of software, especially object-oriented products, and the speed at which it is being brought to the market, technical communicators are challenged to create complete and accurate documentation with shortened schedules and fewer human resources. The dependence on automated tools is inevitable, but the use of these tools does not always provide a complete solution without the involvement of talented technical communicators. This paper considers in detail some of the issues with developing software product documentation that must include both human-authored content as well as automatically generated content. Settling on a compromise of performance and usability, the author details the benefits of a set of tools and methods that handle the mix of information types. It is the active role of the technical communicator in working with this combination - not a passive role of simply formatting content - that is the key to the successful development of software product documentation.