Artifact:  Tool Guidelines

Tool Guidelines	Describes how to use one or several tools.
Role:	Tool Specialist
More information:	Concepts: Supporting Tools
Purpose Timing Responsibility Tailoring

Input to Activities: Implement Test Implement Test Suite Launch Development Case Develop Test Guidelines Verify Tool Configuration and Installation Set Up Tools Develop Tool Guidelines

Output from Activities: Set Up Tools Develop Tool Guidelines

Purpose

To describe how project members should use one or several tools. Tool guidelines typically cover:

• Installation information, such as version, configuration parameters
• Limitations in functionality, and functionality that the project decided to not use  
• Workarounds
• Integration with other tools including procedures to follow, software to use, and principles to apply 

Timing

The tool guidelines should preferably be ready before the use of the tools takes place. In reality, it is common that many problems cannot be foreseen and are encountered by the project members as they start using the tools. This means tool specialists must keep themselves informed about the use of the tools to keep the tool guidelines up-to-date. 

Responsibility

A tool specialist is responsible for creating each tool guideline and for keeping it up-to-date during the project. 

Tailoring

Normally there are several tool guidelines, whereby each covers one supporting tool or a group of related tools. You'll need to decide which tool guidelines you need to support the project. 

For each tool guideline, you need to decide how much information is required. Only include information that really helps the users. Keep in mind that there are other sources of information, such as the user's guide and any of the tool mentors in the Rational Unified Process, for a given tool.  

The scope and level of detail of the tool guidelines depend, to some extent, on how much knowledge the project members have about the tool. 

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