Software Implementation Reporting – What to Include in a Report and How

librariesreporting

I am currently writing an extended report on a software library I have written. The reviewer will be a professor at my univeristy. He knows basically what I had to do, but the report will be evaluated. I have produced some samples results with the library which I already plan to include in the work. What I want to know know is :

  • What should I write about the library itself?
  • How should I structure it?
  • Which points need to be emphasized?

Also, the professor is as allergic to mundane implementation details as a business manager.

Best Answer

In my view there are two things important in software documentation/report:

  • Technical documentation, for each function/class you describe the input and output, and what it does. This could also include the class hierarchy if you are using object orientation.
  • User documentation: This includes stuff like:
    • What is the goal of the library, what are the requirements
    • How and why have you designed the library in a particular way. Which design patterns have you used (in case of OOP), or why have you ordered your procedures in a certain way. For your professor this is also important if he wants to see if you can think on a high abstraction level, and not only in the nitty gritty details.
    • Example uses (tutorials) which show a few good examples of how the library can be used. You can link back to design decisions and point out that this example shows why it was a good idea to design in a particular way.
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