Application software documentation
Ronald A. Guillemette · ACM SIGMIS Database the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems · 1986
Documentation constitutes a significant, primary interface between the individual whose job tasks are impacted by computer-based applications, and the application system or software package. The MIS literature has identified documentation as a factor influencing project success, software maintenance, and application package usage. However, the professional literature has repeatedly noted the lack of adequate, meaningful documentation in practice. The development and validation of a psychological measure designed to investigate the meaning of documentation for its readers is a first step in a program of research involving the design and implementation of documentation as a factor in MIS utilization. The primary research question addressed by this study is: "What is the nature of dimensions which readers use when evaluating application software documentation?"