45. The Development Documentation System (DDS)
DDS is a documentation/methodology employed in system design. It can be used for both electrical and mechanical engineering disciplines, covering hardware, software, logic and functional dimensions. It has become a versatile tool for designers of any system, allowing detailed recording of progress as the project develops. It’s not a publications application, but more a methodology and information system for development purposes. Writers, however, may be involved in its implementation, and will refer to it during the writing of other project documentation. It is a good example of documentation and information organization systems, which is how we are using in here.
The Development Documentation System was begun in the Sixties by the Naval Applied Science Laboratory in America. Since then much work has been done on it in the UK, and it has been used effectively for some naval and military projects. A full account of the procedure can be found in the MoD’s Naval Weapons Specifications.
DDS uses a hierarchical approach to the recording of design information. The levels move from the general to the detailed: from the highest and broadest level (showing the system itself) through as many intermediate levels as are considered necessary, to the lowest (illustrating the smallest detail). The format used will depend on the engineering discipline involved, and whether the subject matter is software, hardware, function or logic orientated. Advantages of DDS include:
* Ease of update.
* Results of studies or analysis may be incorporated.
* Evolves with the project, allowing a dynamic approach to documentation.
* Provides a complete record of the design stages.
* Enables a testing philosophy to be formulated at an early phase of development.
* Allows a wide choice of record formats.
* Co-ordinates all design information without necessarily replacing standard publications’ procedures.
* Presents maximum information in minimum time.
* Excellent for monitoring progress.
* Encourages a systems approach to design which smoothes over any interface
problems.
DDS is an example of a systems approach to technical documentation which authors may not come across often unless working on military projects. Newer technology methods have developed and extended it to match the complexity of modern engineering design. But if a technical writer gets involved in a very large project, such as the development of an aircraft, he/she will be plunged into a documentation implementation arrangement very similar to DDS.
Next: 46. Diagnostic and Maintenance Documentation
