This article emphasizes the growing need for good technical communication in application program development, and relates the usability of program documentation to the productivity of computer systems. It describes in detail the process involved and the human thinking that must accompany the generation of high quality computer user documentation. The methodology described in this paper has been exercised by the author on two major interactive IBM application programs. However, the methodology should not be interpreted as an IBM discipline, and views expressed in this paper are those of the author.
The United States Army, Berlin and its Berlin Brigade have an urgent requirement for a training system that can provide a realistic, stress-filled, simulated combat training environment for an urban battlefield. The simulation system will support the training of division/brigade/battalion commanders and their staffs to exercise procedures and decision making which will be essential to win on a modern urban battlefield. The current manual simulation used by the Berlin Brigade requires an excessive amount of time for pre-exercise set up and training of players and controllers. The manual simulation requires a large training support staff consisting of 40 to 60 personnel per shift. In addition, the current simulation has numerous modeling deficiencies reducing the quality of the combat representation to the extent that realistic training is not feasible in many circumstances. The computer assisted simulation system UCCATS will provide a means to more efficiently support realistic training for combat in the urban environment. UCCATS will support the training of a division/brigade/battalion commander and his staff. It will exercise commanders and staff in the command and control of combined arms operations in an urban terrain environment.
