You are right on the money merlinman. Screen shots would also be a major help. On anything that has an IP interface it would be a simple copy and paste to a word doc. Not old versions of software, but something at least close to being new.

Another problem is terminology. While it may be the same thing or feature say on a Nortel and Avaya, Nortel systems call it this and Avaya calls it something else. Thats where you are going to have to work with the different vendors and put their terminology in your programming instructions.

Mike Jones
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953