1. Stacy Fileccia
Software Technical Documentation Samples
Print
Originals
Available
Table of Contents
Paydirt® TrenchWork 1.0 Tutorial/User’s Guide......................................................................................................................................................................2
Table of Contents................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2
Footnoted Instructions in a Tutorial for an Add-On Product..............................................................................................................2
Sitework 3.4 Users Guide..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
Feature Descriptions & Instructions.................................................................................................................................................................................3
Troubleshooting Solutions.........................................................................................................................................................................................................5
Paydirt® QuickPointTM User’s Guide....................................................................................................................................................................................................6
Glossary..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
Index..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................7
Additional Details.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................8
About Stacy
Stacy Fileccia has twenty-five-plus years of writing and editing experience, including eight years of
technical and business writing and editing. Having previous technical writing experience explaining the use
of complex technologies to target users and having tutored students through doctoral candidates, she is at
ease with writing for any audience. She is a thorough editor familiar with levels of edit/revision and readily
adapts to in-house rules. She learns new material through hands-on product investigation, existing
literature, and interviews with subject matter experts.
Previous projects include:
▪ User’s Manuals (Software & Hardware)
▪ Tutorials
▪ Calibration & Installation Manuals
▪ Curriculum
▪ Help for Software Products
▪ Newsletters
▪ And More!
: The following samples are excerpts from documentation written by Stacy Fileccia, copyright
Spectra-Physics Laserplane, Inc., 1997-1998.
”
–Maura Taafe, (previous employer)

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Stacy Fileccia, Page 2
Sample 1: Paydirt TrenchWork 1.0 Tutorial
This 32-page tutorial was designed for Paydirt TrenchWork, an add-on product for Sitework. It stepped users through
preparing their SiteWork projects; starting TrenchWork; importing, saving, and locating their project; constructing a
digital pipeline or trench; working with pipe properties, and using reports. It includes 16 figures.
Excerpt (Contents, Page 5):
About TrenchWork Tutorial #1.............................................................................................................................................................................................7
How to Use Online Help.................................................................................................................................................................................................8
Basic Terminology....................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
Step 1: Prepare the Sitework Project..............................................................................................................................................................................10
Step 2: Start TrenchWork...........................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Step 3: Import the Sitework Project...............................................................................................................................................................................12
Step 4: Save the Project..............................................................................................................................................................................................................14
Step 5: Locate the Project Plan...........................................................................................................................................................................................14
Step 6: Construct the First Part of the Pipeline..................................................................................................................................................16
Step 7: Construct a Branch of the Pipeline...........................................................................................................................................................19
Step 8: View and Edit the Pipeline Properties.....................................................................................................................................................21
Use the Segments and Structures Tree...........................................................................................................................................................22
Edit Your Pipe Segments................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Deselect the Pipeline..........................................................................................................................................................................................................24
Assign Structure Properties.........................................................................................................................................................................................24
A Tour Through the Reports................................................................................................................................................................................................25
The Average Depth Report..........................................................................................................................................................................................26
The Excavation Report.....................................................................................................................................................................................................27
The Backfill Report...............................................................................................................................................................................................................30
Tips and Hints......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Digitizer Settings.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Excerpt (Page 26):
Now we can construct the branch pipeline, which connects to the pipeline we just created. While we are
creating this branch without closing the other part of the pipeline, we could have created this branch by
clicking on Construct and Pipeline just as we did before. However, we are going to do this step completely
from the digitizer cursor.
:
1. Digitize the S3 structure again.1 The Pipeline dialog box becomes active, and the cursor goes
to the In Invert Box.
2. Type 454.8, which is the North incoming invert into the In Invert box.2
3. Digitize the S5 structure. Press Tab.3 If you are using the default digitizer settings, it should be
the + key on your digitizer puck.
4. Type 456 into the Out Invert box.
5. Press the Toggle key, and click on Done. The pipelines are now merged (Figure 9).
6. Click on Shift, and click on .
1 If the Pipe Creation dialog box appears, you have not digitized the S3 structure. Press Esc, and repeat this procedure from step 1.
2 You do not need to press the Toggle button or click anywhere to type numbers in TrenchWork from the digitizer puck. It is set up for ease of use. The
only time you need to toggle is when you want to point and click.
3 TrenchWork lets you assign up to 32 functions to your 16-button digitizer puck using two modes: Normal and Shift. You can access all of your Normal
mode functions just as you have always accessed your digitizer functions. However, one of the keys in Normal mode must be assigned to the shift key, so
you can access the Shift mode functions. To access any Shift mode function, press the Shift key in the Normal mode, then press the button for the shift
mode function. Do not press these buttons at the same time.

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Stacy Fileccia, Page 3
Sample 2: Sitework 3.4 User’s Guide
This 414-page book completely detailed how to use Sitework 3.4. It included a table of contents for all eighteen
chapters, a full glossary, an extensive index, and more than 260 figures. The project further entailed extensive help
files, which Stacy also wrote.
The documentation was designed to be used alone, in the Sitework Users Class, and in assisting Technical Support. It
was especially important documentation, because the product significantly changed from DOS-based to Windows-
based and added a tremendous amount of new user capabilities. It was the leading dirt-volume estimation software
package of its time, but the users were not necessarily computer savvy.
Excerpt (Page 17):
: Congratulations on your purchase of Sitework 3.4, and
welcome to the Paydirt family. Sitework for Windows is a highly-accurate,
earthwork-calculation tool that lets you analyze and estimate a job site quickly
and effectively. It is useful for contractors doing utility, excavation, highway,
heavy, and general construction work. It eliminates the need for doing tedious
hand calculations when you calculate volumes of dirt that need to be moved.
: Sitework bases its calculations for a drawing’s volumes
on a grid overlaid on the data you have inputted for an area of interest. Each
surface you create has its own grid. Each grid forms a model of the surface.
Sitework compares the models of the two surfaces at each grid cell to
determine how much cut or fill (if any) each grid cell needs. You can set the
grid cells (grid spacing) to be as large or small as needed (.01-1000
feet/meters from grid line to grid line) when you set up the drawing or by
using the Drawing Information dialog box.
You can input data via a digitizer board and cursor and/or by importing a file
from a CAD system or from a total station. Different entities included as part
of your data for a surface affect the grid differently. See Chapter 6 for an in-
depth look at how each data type affects the grid and when to use what data
type.
Excerpt (Chapter 4: , Page 81):
: Digitizing data offers two advantages over importing
data: you have more freedom over what you put in your surface and you
don’t have to worry about having someone sort out the data for you if you
are not familiar with CAD systems. When you digitize data, you decide what
should influence the surface model and what should just stay on the plan
sheet for reference. You can speed up calculation time by digitizing only the
necessary contours rather than importing all the contours if they are
redundant for an area.
You do not need to do any special preparations when you plan to digitize
your data. All you need is your digitizer board, digitizer cursor, your plan, your
computer, and Sitework.
Excerpt (Chapter 4: , Page 91):
: Line data is a line of connected points designed to
influence the shape of the grid on either side of itself while not letting data
from one side influence the shape of the grid on the other side.
: A contour line is a line of data with a constant elevation,
representing the natural contour of the site. Contour lines are connected data.
Contour lines can be used interchangeably with sloping lines that are
restricted to one elevation.
˜
Written Entirely from Scratch
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Original Page Layouts
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Descriptive Headers
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Space for Class Notes
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Audience-Aware Language
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Chapters for Power Users
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Thorough Instructions
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Consistent Terminology
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Captioned Screen Shots
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Spiral Bound for Ease of
Use in the Field
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Stacy Fileccia, Page 4
Sample 2 (Continued): Sitework 3.4 User’s Guide
˜
Professional Glossary
˜
Graphics/Figures
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Defines All
Product-Specific
Terminology
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Well-Thought-Out
References
to Eliminate Duplicate
Information
While Easing Customer
Frustration
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Defines
Common Computer
Terminology
for People Unfamiliar
with Using Computers
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Cross-Referenced
To Increase Information
Finding
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Thorough Indexing
in Print Manuals
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Excerpt (Continued, Chapter 4: , Page 91):
If you make a mistake as you digitize a contour line, you can press backspace
on your keyboard or cursor to delete the mistake right away, or you can wait
until you are done digitizing and change or delete the contour line(s).
:
1. If Sitework is not in digitize mode, set up to digitize. (See Setting up
to Digitize at the beginning of this chapter.)
2. If some of the information you are digitizing is on other surfaces,
you can use the Daylight feature, and digitize the information only
once. Turn the Daylight feature on or off as necessary.
3. Click on [ ]. The Digitize Contours dialog box
appears (Figure 4-7).
Click on Data Types. (It’s on the menu bar in the Surface Data
screen.) Click on Contour Lines. The Digitize Contours dialog box
appears (Figure 4-7).
4. Type in the elevation of the contour.
5. Look at your plans and determine if your Contour Lines were drawn
using a consistent interval. Double click in the Interval edit box, and
type in the interval.
6. Click on Start. You are now ready to start digitizing.
7. Place your cursor at one end of the contour line, and begin digitizing
the line. The contour can and should begin outside the area of
interest to create the best surface model possible, even if the contour
does not even reach the AOI boundary.
8. At the end of the contour line, press “+”, “-”, “.”, or Enter on your
cursor or keyboard.
9. If you pressed “+”, “-”, “.”, you are ready to digitize the next contour.
Repeat steps 7 & 8.
10. If you pressed Enter, you can:
Set up to digitize another contour by repeating steps 4 - 9.
Click on Cancel to close the Digitize Contours dialog box.
Excerpt (Chapter 7: , Page 170-172):
: The Drawing Scale tells Sitework how to
interpret the information you input. The drawing scale affects data
calculations and printing, so you must set the scale before you can begin
digitizing or importing data. You set up the scale when you set up the
drawing . If you set the wrong scale when you first set up the drawing and
you digitized in your data, you can change the scale to get correct volumes.
: Do not change the scale if you get a different plan sheet of
the same project drawn to a different scale. Sitework will
automatically adjust the scale for you based on your reference
points.
: If you set the wrong scale on a drawing before you
imported it, your volumes will still be correct. However, your printouts may be
smaller or larger than you expect. Do not change the drawing scale. If you
want to adjust the print size, simply use the Page Setup dialog box.

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Stacy Fileccia, Page 5
Excerpt (Chapter 7: , Page 170-172):
If you set the wrong scale on a drawing before you digitized it, your volumes will be
wrong, but your printouts will look just like your plan. You can change the scale to correct the problem using
the Drawing Scale dialog box.
1. Click on Drawing. (It’s on the menu bar on the Project screen.)
2. Click on Information. The Drawing Information dialog box appears (Figure 7-8).
3. Click on Scale. A message box appears telling you your data will change if you continue.
4. Click on Yes. The Drawing Scale dialog box appears (Figure 7-9).
5. To use Scale Value to change the drawing scale:
A. From the Set Drawing Scale dialog box, type in the new scale value number.
B. If scale value is not selected, click on the Scale Value option button.
To use Known Distance to change the drawing scale:
A. Click on Known Distance.
B. Carefully digitize the first point of the known distance.
C. Carefully digitize the second point of the known distance. The new scale value will be listed at
the bottom of the dialog box.
D. From the Drawing Scale dialog box, type in the distance between the two known points. The
two points should be reasonably far apart to increase accuracy.
E. Click on OK. You will be back in the Drawing Information dialog box.
6. Click on OK. A message box appears telling you your data will now be rescaled.
7. Click on OK.
Excerpt (Chapter 18: , Page 380):
: Sometimes engineers use a
data type as a benchmark. In most cases, this point has a coordinate value assigned to it that is miles away
from the actual site. Unfortunately, Sitework does not and can not display this point on the screen.
:
1. Delete the surface you imported the file into.
2. Use or have someone use a CAD program to remove the point from the file.
Use QuickPoint to remove the point from the file. (If you own QuickPoint, see Chapter 5 and the
documentation that came with your Quickpoint to learn how to use QuickPoint and Sitework
together.)
3. Import the edited file.
Excerpt (Chapter 18: , Page 386):
: Normally, Sitework automatically
double-checks your files to make sure the minimum and maximum X and Y values reflect the data that is on
your current drawing. However, if you notice your volumes do not update correctly to changes you have
made, you can force Sitework to do this check using Check Files.
:
1. Click on Drawing. (It’s on the menu bar in the Project screen.)
2. Click on Check Files.
3. Click on Quick.
Sample 2 (Continued): Sitework 3.4 User’s Guide

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Stacy Fileccia, Page 6
This 90-page user’s guide completely details how to use QuickPoint. It explains everything from installation to basic
use to in-depth work with QuickPoint drawings to exporting the data and technical support. It includes constructing a
digital pipeline or trench, working with pipe properties, and using reports. It included 42 figures.
Excerpt (Glossary, Page 82-83):
An active cell is a place in the spreadsheet where you can make changes. The cell that has a highlighted
outline is the active cell. To make a cell active, click on it.
The name of the anchor point is listed here.
The anchor point is a point in the grid template that exactly matches the coordinates of a point in your
current drawing. The anchor point tells QuickPoint where to place the grid template and how to create
coordinates for the other locations. You tell QuickPoint where the anchor point is by typing in a north (or X
or Y) coordinate and an east or Y or X coordinate.
The cell with the NE, XY, or YX in brackets ([XY] for example) is the anchor point for the grid template.
Append adds the points to the point list.
An area is a group of set-out points or collected data. QuickPoint can hold as many areas as you need.
To select an area to work with, click on the down arrow of the Area list box on the status bar, and click on
the area.
Collected Data is information you have taken from the field and imported or received into your drawing.
Display Units are the basic standard of measure in which your drawing will be displayed. Any time you are
asked to input a number, QuickPoint will assume the number is in the display units you have selected. Also,
the coordinates (X-Y-Z, N-E-ELEV, OR Y-X-Z) listed on the status bar will be displayed in the units you have
selected in Preferences.
Drawing File Units are the units in which the drawing file was drafted. For example, if the draft person created
the drawing in centimeters, click on “Centimeters.”
DXF stands for Drawing Interchange File. This file format is widely accepted by many graphics-based
programs. Most popular CAD programs have an option to export a drawing in DXF format.
Freeze lets you hide a layer in your drawing.
A grid cell is a place on the spreadsheet that tells you whether or not a ponit will be generated for the
position. When you generate a point list, QuickPoint will create a point for every grid cell that has text in it
(XY, NE, or YX).
Sample 3: Paydirt QuickPoint User’s Guide

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Stacy Fileccia, Page 7
Excerpt (Index, Page 88-89):
Active Cell..............................................................................57
Anchor Point, Setting..................................................59
Area
Adding...........................................................................30
Renaming.....................................................................31
Setting Up...................................................................30
Working With...........................................................30
Breaking.....................................................................................68
Button
Cancel.............................................................................16
Command...................................................................16
Control Menu.........................................................16
Help...................................................................................16
OK......................................................................................16
Option............................................................................16
Check Box..............................................................................16
Checking the Layout...................................................74
Col: Row+Desc..................................................................62
Collected Data...................................................................71
Color Settings.....................................................................23
Comparing.............................................................................74
Connecting Points..........................................................67
Contents...................................................................................10
Coordinate Systems......................................................23
Defined Grids......................................................................56
Delete
Area...................................................................................58
Grid Template.........................................................31
Points...............................................................................56
Desc + Col: Row..............................................................73
Desc + Row: Col..............................................................62
Description Only.............................................................62
Deselecting Points..........................................................66
Dialog Box..............................................................................16
Disconnecting Points...................................................68
Display
IDs For.............................................................................24
No Labels on the Points..............................62
Display Units........................................................................24
Drawing, File Units.........................................................24
Drawing, Saving..................................................................19
Duplicate Points, Removing..................................53
Duplicates................................................................................53
Edit Box.....................................................................................16
Editing an Object................................................66, 67
Editing Set-Out Points...............................................66
Eliminate Duplicates.....................................................53
End-User License Agreement.............................10
Entity Info................................................................................32
Export
Points to a Field Instrument.....................75
Points to a File.......................................................78
Sending to Sitework..........................................75
Field Book...............................................................................24
Generate a Point..............................................................57
Getting Ready..............................................................9, 10
Graphics.......................................................................................9
Grid, Showing.....................................................................34
Grid Cell..................................................................................57
Grid Rotation......................................................................57
Grid Size...................................................................................26
Grid Template
Adding...........................................................................56
Generating Points...............................................61
Overview.......................................................................54
Renaming.....................................................................56
Show.................................................................................35
Using................................................................................54
Working With...........................................................56
Headers
Column and Row................................................58
In the Data Dialog Boxes............................72
Relettering...................................................................60
Renaming.....................................................................61
Renumbering............................................................61
Help, Online.............................................................................9
Import
A File................................................................................49
From an Instrument..........................................46
Insert.............................................................................................58
Joining Points......................................................................67
Sample 3 (Continued): Paydirt QuickPoint User’s Guide

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Stacy Fileccia, Page 8
: Trimble Navigation (the current owner of Spectra-Precision, Plus3, and Paydirt) is a global leader
in GNSS products for use in Heavy Construction, Mining, Highway Building, Surveying, and Agriculture. Stacy worked
under the Paydirt software division at Spectra-Precision/Spectra-Physics-Laserplane and Plus3 before they were
acquired by Trimble.
As the only technical documentation specialist for the company, Stacy managed
multiple major and minor projects and controlled all aspects of the documentation for all versions of BladePro 3D,
GeoStar Multiplane, Sitework, Quicktime, and MathTools software suites and specific documentation for add-on
hardware for products such as hydraulic calibration for motor graders and Screed Pro. She developed and maintained
a technical writing process., redesigned documentation layouts, and was an integral part of engineering version control
system for technical documentation. She wrote, laid out, and edited technical documentation and online help for all
software and machine-control products. Documents included User, Tutorial, Service, Calibration, and Installation
manuals.
In addition to documenting engineering products, Stacy assisted in quality assurance by checking
software in development from a user's standpoint. She worked with engineers to produce a more consistent,
professional-looking graphical user interface. She obtained user input and performed other research as well as cold-
documenting products. She earned certification from Spectra-Precision's Motor Grader School and attended and
passed Sitework training classes before beginning work on Sitework's technical documentation.
Full-Length Print Samples Available:
References Available on Request
See Stacy’s Resume for Additional Details about Previous Work
˜˜
Additional Details