Determining documentation requirements for user-developed applications

Adequate documentation of user-developed applications is important to insure that they are developed in accordance with appropriate quality assurance methods, that they can be properly used, and that they can be maintained. A study of opinions of information center personnel indicates that not all user-developed applications have the same level of documentation requirements. Thirteen factors affecting the documentation requirement level of an application are identified and ranked. The top-ranked factors are: maintenance requirements, the use of output by another system, financial impact, scope of application, and its complexity. Forms of documentation preferred for different application types — modelling, data analysis, simple query, report preparation, transaction processing, and graphics — are also identified and ranked for applications with low and high documentation requirements. Two forms of documentation, user's instructions and narrative descriptions, are recommended as appropriate for all applications, regardless of their type or documentation requirement level. The appropriateness of other forms of documentation such as output layouts, design documents, and hardware/software requirements depends on the level of documentation requirements, and the type of application.