User Manual / Documentation for my program.

Hi there,

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this message, but, well, I hope it's alrigjt.

Anyway, I am working on a project (on-line booking system), and I'd like to write a good documentation for my users to use it (both admin and normal users).

I have seached zillions of webpages, but I still can't find a good website which explains how to write good documentation.

Any help willl be appriciated,

Thanks,
Alianto

in my opinion, documentation shouldn't be written according to strict rules. it should address the needs of the expected users.

for the admin manual, just sit down and think about questions like:

how do i install this system?
what's the db structure like?
where do i edit the list of <whatever>?
how do i do an effective backup/migration etc?

for the user manual, make it task based:

how do i add a user?
how do i get a report?

find someone who is unfamiliar with the system (and not a tech freak!), give them your draft manual and tell them to play... and see where they get lost... those will be the bits you need to clarify in your writing.

it all depends on what the system is trying to achieve. don't end up with a manual that is so detailed and precise that no-one will read it!

Thanks my friend.

Cheers,
Ali