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Documentation — Who Needs It? |
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Many companies provide software, often large and complex applications, with no documentation at all. They always have, and so their customers do not expect to use a documented system.
Companies that work in this way obviously save time, effort and cost by not producing documentation. And they do not have the problem of keeping documentation up-to-date as the software changes. But is this really a saving or is it false economy?
Generally, when users try a new or unfamiliar feature they will look in the user guide or help text first to familiarise themselves with the procedure or facility. If they get stuck or have a problem they also have the manuals to which they can refer. But, if they have no documentation, what do they do? They telephone the supplier. So the saving in not producing documentation is in part at least offset by the extra cost of providing support for users.
Properly documented software:
makes a system appear more professional
saves support time and cost
makes users more confident
encourages greater use of the system.
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