INTEGRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR TOOL-BASED GENERATION OF INFORMATION-SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION

The information system development process is usually studied up to the stage where an application software specification is laid down. One obvious deliverable of the process as a whole is the actual software itself, but three more deliverables are required: (a) a full description of the system, capable of serving as a basis for future customization and evolution, (b) a comprehensive user guide, and (c) a complete technical operating manual. These three are related to what is expressed in any functional (''user'') and software (''constructor'') specification produced and agreed during the design stages. The question is discussed to what extent automation of the design process might be extended to help generating a full ''documentation'' as a byproduct. Although applicable to any type of application software, the tool-integration requirements may be profitably considered against the background of an office system, because cooperative document generation and handling are typical ingredients of that category.