Describe some of your experiences writing functional/technical specs?

To produce functional docs I use Word, Project, Visio, Graphics, RAID (product studio), and other product management applications. Sometimes a graphic showing flows can render needs much more clearly than tables can alone.

Generally I conduct research discussing the product with managers and developers who have already worked on the project (sometimes also networking and support staff). I use existing records in product studio (RAID) and read the existing documentation, case studies, and user interface and security audits. Traffic records and support totals can all be gleaned for information. In the future I hope to also have the opportunity to review child and personal safety documentation as it becomes available.

Microsoft's Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) has changed due to new regulation, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), which requires traceability through financial functions which will help to standarize development documentation.

Just recently working on launching MSN Spaces, I worked more on the end of a product lifecycle, I documented the support process for MSN worldwide, researched policies and procedures and re-wrote the policy (with the Microsoft Policy unit), wrote go to market (GTM) documentation and marketed Spaces to a local radio station going live with streaming media (107.7 The End - Entercom). That was fun!

When I assisted in creating the functional specification for Microsoft's Order Management 5.0 product, it was based in part on two reports I wrote, one a study on user interfaces and one recommending adding an admin / dashboard interface, and on discussions about how successful user interface design works, and the knowledge it is based upon.

In the beginning I drew wireframes and layouts on paper and eventually did full page layouts and integrated them with the functional specification, including Visio data flows.

While there I designed product logos for three product groups at Microsoft, in quick succession - one proposal had 25 varations on a theme (just for fun!)

Worked on building the first ever web application used at the 2 billion dollar a year medical insurance firm Premera, with a team of developers and development managers I supervised the entire software development lifecycle for RapidRate, including functional specifications. BlinkIA performed the usability testing, and a security firm from Kirkland did the security audit for me and the eBusiness teams.

Reviewed a number of end-to-end enterprise software lifecycle solutions covering requirements definition and management, code and content development, and change and configuration management, with a focus on administration tracking and functionality over the web. My pick for the winning application was Starbase, purchased shortly after by Borland.

Mapped business processes for larger firms, and developed complete end-to-end processes for the eCommerce ASP Pandesic, which we used to release all subsequent large ecommerce sites.

I studied writing effective use cases class while at Microsoft in 2003.

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