Real World Instrumentation with Python

User Documentation

At some point, your project will (hopefully) be done. All the requirements have been defined, the SDD is complete, the code is written and the testing is finished, and it all seems to work as intended. If everything has gone according to plan, you should have working software as the end result of your hard work and diligent attention to detail. But there is one last step that needs to be completed before it is really done: the user documentation.

Even if you’ve created something primarily for your own use, you still should have some kind of documentation that describes how to use your creation. For projects with a limited distribution, I often use a three-ring binder and clear sheet protectors. I print out key procedures, parameter values, error codes, and other essential information on single sheets and slip them into the protectors. In essence, this is a highly condensed version of what a full-on user manual might contain. The advantage to this approach is that I can create each page as it’s needed, put them into the notebook as they become available, and easily replace them if things change (as they almost always will). The binder then lives in the lab with the system so that anyone, including myself, who might need a quick refresher on how to use it can grab the binder and look it up.

If the system is intended for broad distribution, though, you’ll need to consider creating an actual user manual for it. This may seem daunting, but a good place to start is to ...