by
Naveedus Saqlain , Software Dev. Sr. Advisor , Dell International Services India Pvt Ltd
The answer is in respect to the IT/Software Development.
There are several documents; we can state them under “Technical Documentation”. It depends on the methodology used in Program / Project. If we take an example of SDLC, Technical Documentation can be categorized under the Deliverables.
There are five major phases we can look into for common programs / projects:1. Envisioning Phase
- Kick-off Presentation
- Business Requirements Document (BRD)
- Program Architecture Document (PAD)
- Program/Project Management Plan (PMP)
- Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)
- Phase Exit Review Presentation (PERP)
- Peer Review Form
- Status Report
- Program Schedule2. Planning Phase
- Infrastructure Requirements Documentation (IRD)
- System Requirements Specification (SRS)
- Test Specification Document (TSD)
- Release Plan (RP)
- Change Request Form / Change Request Log3. Developing Phase
- Technical Design Specification (TDS)
- Data Classification Document (DCD)
- Testing Criteria Assessment
- Test Cases / Use Cases
- Source Code Scripts (SCS)
- Test Cases & Results - Unit Test and Development Integration Test Cases
- Implementation and Back-out Instructions4. Stabilizing Phase
- Business Sign-Off Proofs
- Test Results Log
- User Training Guides5. Deploying Phase
- Lessons Learned Workbook
- Go No-Go for Production Release
- Project Closeout Document
Technical documentation is generic term covering different types of documents. Unlike user's guides and other end-user documentation, technical documents are more system-oriented. These include software documentation such as design/architecture documents, deployment guides, use cases, and so forth.