Documenting an OEM product

[Margaret Smith <msmith -at- aros -dot- net>]

Hey there:
I'm on my own and flying blind. My client develops telecom products that 
will be OEM'd to one or more resellers (who are likely to be very large 
companies). I'm producing "user" documentation that encompasses multiple 
audience levels and multiple task types. My question is this:

Given that my documents will probably not be distributed in their native 
state, what are the most useful formats and doc structures for you writers 
out there who will get to "productize" my documents?  In other words, 
should I lump Installer/Support level ops/End user ops in the same manual? 
Produce three separate manuals as I envision their usage? Produce fairly 
basic, Word-formatted source docs without a lot of fancy layout attempts? 
(It is Word, after all.) Produce basic, functional graphics?

Do companies still just slap their own covers on OEM manuals?  What are 
your various experiences, war stories, preferences when you get to deal 
with OEM documentation?
Thanks




Margaret Smith
Abet Information Design


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