Author: Ugur Akinci

Specification (spec) sheets are like maps for the captain of a ship or the blueprints for an architect. No project can start without first putting the specs on paper.

Here are two spec sheets with which a technical writer should be familiar:

Design specs – This is a document that builds on and follows closely the “functional specs” document. It basically describes what a product should look like when it is manufactured. It takes all the functions and detailed features specified in the functional specs sheet and translates them into a visual language.

For example, if the functional specs describe a configuration function, the design specs describe the button or the navigational link that should launch the configuration interface; what it’s colors and fonts should be; where exactly the fields and buttons should be placed on the dialog boxes; etc. Design specs may also specify a product’s maintenance schedule and the service requirements, etc.

Testing specs – This document specifies the unit and system integration testing that needs to be performed on the product before it is released to the market. This document sometimes also includes the testing scenarios (or scripts) that the test engineers should follow step-by-step to reveal the weaknesses and discover the bugs before consumers can find them.

Technical writers sometimes contribute directly by writing such testing scripts and actually participating in the tests as well. Testing specs and the testing results are precious since they reveal for a technical writer all the vulnerable points of a product and become the input for the Release Notes that accompany every major release of a product, especially in the software industry.

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About the author

Dr. Ugur Akinci is a Fortune 500 Sr. Technical Communicator http://www.technicalcommunicationcenter.com/

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1. Why Should a Technical Writer Be Familiar With Design Specs and … « Technical Writing — July 25, 2009 @ 13:01