A hypertext system to manage software life-cycle documents

The Documents Integration Facility, an environment based on objects and relationships between objects that was constructed for the development, use, and maintenance of large-scale systems and their life-cycle documents, is presented. DIF helps integrate and manage the documents produced and used throughout the life cycle: requirements specifications, functional specifications, architectural designs (structural specifications), detailed designs, source code, testing information, and user and maintenance manuals. DIF supports information management in large systems where there is much natural-language text. The documentation method used by DIF and DIF's structure are described. How DIF is used is discussed, and the DIF environment is examined. Issues that were encountered in the design of DIF are considered.>