Developmental Edits: A Quick Reference
http://www.stc.org/confproceed/1998/PDFs/00058.PDF

Arakelian, Caroline
STC Proceedings
1998

Abstract:

Performing a developmental edit early in the writing process ensures that the larger issues of organization and usability will be addressed while there is still time to make changes. The writing manager, lead writer, or technical editor should do the developmental edit. This edit consists of reviewing an early (in many cases partial) draft of the document and (1) making sure it adheres to the document plan, (2) studying the table of contents to verify that the organization is effective, and (3) doing a copy edit spot check. Although many of the issues turned up in a developmental edit are similar to those found during a copy edit, finding them early on saves the writer time and effort as the rest of the book is written.