This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2008) |
Technical documentationis a generic term for the classes ofinformationcreated to describe (intechnical language) the use, functionality or architecture of a product, system or service.
Classes of technical documentation
editClasses of technical documentation may include:
- patents
- specificationsof item or of components/materials
- data sheetsof item or of components/materials
- test methods
- manufacturingstandards
- system requirements
- system architecture
- system designdocuments and data including those necessary for the system development, testing, manufacturing, operation and maintenance
Standardizing technical documentation
editHistorically, most classes of technical documentation lacked universal conformity(standards)for format, content and structure. Standards are being developed to redress this through bodies such as theInternational Organization for Standardization(ISO), which has publishedstandardsrelating to rules for preparation of user guides, manuals, product specifications, etc. for technical product documentation. These standards are covered by ICS 01.110.[1]Technical product documentation not covered by ICS 01.110 are listed in the subsection below.
Discipline-specific
editEU Medical Device Regulation
editA technical documentation is also required for medical devices followingEU medical device regulation. Annex II, Technical documentation, and Annex III, Technical documentation on post-market surveillance, of the regulation describe the content of a technical documentation for amedical device. This includes e.g. information on the device specification, labelling and instructions, design and manufacture, safety and performance requirements, risk management, and the validatain and verfification of the device, including the clinical evaluation; and also information frompostmarketing surveillance.
Formats for source data
editDocumentation architecture and typing
editSome documentation systems are concerned with the overalltypesorformsof documentation that constitute a documentation set, as well as (or rather than) how the documentation is produced, published or formatted.
For example, the Diátaxis framework (which is mostly used in the field of software documentation[8]) posits four distinct documentation forms, corresponding to four different user needs:tutorials,how-to guides,referenceandexplanation.[9]By contrast, DITA asserts five different "topic types":Task,Concept,Reference,Glossary Entry,andTroubleshooting,whileRedHat's Modular Documentation system uses three "modules":Concept,ProcedureandReference.[10]
See also
editCitations
edit- ^"01.110: Technical product documentation".International Organization for Standardization.Retrieved10 June2009.
- ^"ISO 15787:2001 Technical product documentation -- Heat-treated ferrous parts -- Presentation and indications".International Organization for Standardization.Retrieved10 June2009.
- ^"ISO 3098-0:1997 Technical product documentation -- Lettering -- Part 0: General requirements".International Organization for Standardization.Retrieved10 June2009.
- ^"ISO 10209-1:1992 Technical product documentation -- Vocabulary -- Part 1: Terms relating to technical drawings: general and types of drawings".International Organization for Standardization.Retrieved10 June2009.
- ^"ISO 2162-1:1993 Technical product documentation -- Springs -- Part 1: Simplified representation".International Organization for Standardization.Retrieved10 June2009.
- ^"ISO 5457:1999 Technical product documentation -- Sizes and layout of drawing sheets".International Organization for Standardization.Retrieved10 June2009.
- ^ISO6433Technical product documentation. Part references,BSI British Standards,doi:10.3403/30203812,retrieved2020-12-16
- ^"Partial list of Diátaxis documentation sets".Retrieved10 April2021.
- ^"Outline of Diátaxis documentation forms".Retrieved10 April2021.
- ^"RedHat Modular Documentation terms and definitions".Retrieved11 April2021.