You had to write online help without knowing the complete functionality? Ouch! That would be very difficult because you wouldn't be able to easily create an overall picture of how the software would be used. I do not envy you that task! How did you organize the entries?

I like your engineer's point of view, although it really helps if the user's workflow is considered when designing the application, too. It's refreshing to hear docs being appreciated instead of instead of "Don't worry about how the user interface looks. The user manual will make up for that with explanations..."

Online help can be boring. It can also be a job-saving resource when late at night, an application isn't working the way it should intuitively, and the your project is due in the morning. Like manuals, it's only helpful if the user can find something. At least most online help files have a search function.

Designing a help file without knowing the greater picture would be incredibly difficult. Not an experience I've had to deal with (at least not yet). How in the world did you not tear people's heads off?

Working on technical support for a while really gave me a good appreciation for how well organized, easy to understand documentation can save the company money in the long run. Tech support personnel can say "This procedure is explained in the manual on page..." or "Open your user manual to ..."