Documentation projects for
Spirax-Sarco Ltd

When Spirax-Sarco Ltd built IT support packages for their sales and field engineers, they asked Isabel Evans of IE Testing Consultancy Ltd to provide documentation expertise.

Spirax-Sarco Ltd is a world leader in steam and process control technology, with hundreds of sales and field engineers across the globe. Laptop-based IT support packages were developed to help them conduct a wide range of sales and engineering operations more effectively:

• SIZE-IT for sizing and selecting flow control products

• CASSIO LT for providing drawings of products and system layout diagrams for customers

• STMS for steam trap site survey and tracking

The users for the IT systems are all engineers and expert in steam and process control systems, but did not necessarily have any IT experience. To accommodate the differences in skill level, a series of guides was devised for each system, ranging from a Beginner's Tutorial explaining the laptop PC and its keyboard, through Step by Step guides for each major system function, to reference material such as Advanced User Guides. All the documentation provided with each package had to be:

• Easy to use

• Brief

• Correct and complete

• Accurate and unambiguous
  

Isabel helped Spirax-Sarco Ltd design the documentation design and layout. She then wrote the text for the guides and designed process diagrams, system diagrams and documentation navigation aids. Each documentation set included explanation of IT terminology and the system, while examples and tutorials were firmly tied to the engineer's day to day work.

Mark Crompton, the Spirax-Sarco Ltd project manager
for the CASSIO LT and SIZE-IT projects says:

"Isabel proved a valuable member of the team, able to take early versions of the software and produce user guides and tutorials with the minimum of additional support. The finished manuals were always well constructed and easy to follow. She fulfilled a vital role in the production of quality software. I would recommend her skills without reservation to anyone needing high quality literature suitable for use by customers or staff."

Isabel Evans of IE Testing Consultancy Ltd says:

"It is always a pleasure to work with the teams at Spirax-Sarco Ltd. The projects were fun as well as interesting. I enjoyed finding out about the engineering practice at Spirax-Sarco Ltd. This type of engineering was new to me - it was great to find out about flow control, pumps and valves by talking to these experts! "

To find out more about Spirax-Sarco Ltd and its products world wide visit their web sites:

www.spirax-sarco.co.uk and www.spirax-sarco.com

Where to find us:

Our offices are in the west of England. We regularly provide our courses and services throughout the UK. We have worked in Europe and the USA.

For further information about any of our services or training courses, please contact:

sales@ietesting.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1905 726727
Fax: +44 (0) 1905 726766

or write to

Isabel Evans
IE Testing Consultancy Ltd
Restdale House
32/33 Foregate Street
Worcester WR1 1EE
United Kingdom