NDLI: Use of format models and generic outlines to develop source material

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Use of format models and generic outlines to develop source material

Content Provider	ACM Digital Library
Author	Grice, Roger A.
Abstract	This paper describes how format models and generic outlines were used to produce macro and system logic descriptions for the first release of IBM's Distributed Processing Programming Executive (DPPX) during the system's development. Because models and outlines were created and adopted early in the system's development cycle and because project control of both the information and information-developing process were enforced, initial documentation available to system developers was in the same format and of the same quality as the descriptions made available to users after the system was released. The process resulted in higher quality descriptions and less last-minute rework. Format models and generic outlines provide a standard description of how the system should be described. In the case of macros, the format model tells the developer how the macro will be described in customer publications and identifies the required information and information formats to be used in the macro's initial description. Following the format ensures that all required information will be included in the initial descriptions of all system macros and that the descriptions of all the system macros will be in the form needed to produce the final descriptions. In the case of system logic descriptions, the generic outline helps ensure that all areas of the system are described in a complete, consistent manner and that there is as little overlap as possible in the system's descriptions. Generic outlines and format models help ensure that: • Source material will adhere to a specified format. • Developers can produce better source material with less effort. • Less rewriting is required to convert the source material to final copy. • Less review is required to ensure accuracy of the final copy. • Developers have final-quality information for their own use. • Drafts for review can be produced more quickly and more easily. When a new macro or system component is approved for inclusion in the system, its description is added to the project's internal information data base. The description is modified, if necessary, to fit the required format and is placed in the data base and an entry for it is placed in the data base's table of contents. The description is then available for review, use, and update by all members of the project.
Starting Page	41
Ending Page	46
Page Count	6
File Format	PDF
ISBN	0897911296
DOI	10.1145/800060.801176
Language	English
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Publisher Date	1983-04-28
Publisher Place	New York
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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