MSD's Case Histories

Case History: Developing a Documentation Plan 

MSD, Inc. was asked by a software development company to assist them in determining which types of technical documents would be best suited for their Internet Security (PKI) product. The DocuDr. spent approximately two weeks meeting with the company's technical managers and developers to analyze their requirements and determine which technical documents would be appropriate. MSD then presented the client with a list of recommended documents and justifications for each (Phase 1), from which the client selected five documents as the most essential. MSD then developed the five documents and delivered them to the client at the proposed costs and on schedule.

Case History: Complete Lifecycle Documentation Suite

MSD, Inc. developed a full set of life cycle documentation for a software development project initiated by the FBI's Computer Analysis Team. This program enhanced, upgraded, and automated CART's ability to perform forensic analyses of all types of computer media. The direct benefit offered by this program was to expedite the identification and extraction of data from computer media that may be used in any number of activities, including criminal prosecutions.

Case History: Data Mining Project Documentation

MSD, Inc. developed several documents for the Veterans Benefits Administration as part of the VA's modernization initiative. This project provided the VBA with enhanced and updated capabilities for processing and reviewing veteran's loans and for distributing payments made under those loans.

Case History: Developing Documentation Under Pressure

The DocuDr. was called in by a company that had spent the project's entire documentation budget in trying to assemble a requirement's specification - and the requirements had STILL not been documented. The DocuDr. accepted the challenge and was able to complete the requirements within two weeks. Several weeks later, the client called MSD again and asked if we would be interested in taking on the project's remaining documentation. MSD submitted a proposal that was then accepted by the client and the client's customer. MSD's team of technical writers then completed and delivered the documents to favorable reviews.

Case History: Refining and Improving Client's Existing Documentation

MSD was called by a company that inquired about our familiarity with highly complex systems and the associated documentation. The DocuDr. stated that documentation for complex systems was our specialty and provided some examples. During an initial meeting with this client, MSD was handed a large document of about 400 pages and was asked to state an opinion. After some quick page-flipping, The DocuDr. observed that there did not appear to be a logical presentation to the massive amount of information and that the Table of Contents was exceedingly long at 30 pages. The client agreed and stated that their current documentation staff had done a fine job of compiling the raw technical information, but they lacked the technical background to create logical and "readable" technical documents. It soon became apparent that the client's need was to supply their global staff with comprehensive documentation that would allow the readers to educate themselves on the system. The MSD team was brought in to supplement the client's documentation staff with the necessary technical expertise and documentation management experience. The final outcome was a set of useful (and user friendly) system- and product-level documents for the client's management, sales staff, and technical personnel. Also, some of the higher level "overview" documents developed by MSD were given to potential customers as a product reference to help salespeople close the sale.