If user documentation was not required by users and clients, developers would probably prefer to skip this. After all, it remains one of the harder components of a project to estimate, and is typically one of the last priorities in a development project.

But in order to have projects signed off, enduser documentation is essential. Users and organizations insist on their systems being documented, so that their users will have references they can use, and will have a basis for any training they may go through.

Users depend on their documentation to familiarize themselves with how to use their systems: Their user manuals and references are their fallback to resolve questions on usage or to provide a checklist if what they are doing is correct and complete.