I used JDarling's document and found it to be just the job. There were some parts which I deleted as overkill, but the rest of it was great.

I didn't find anything "American" about it, I thought it was very professional.

At my company, we have documentation standards which would make JDarling's document look like a postage stamp or childrens' bedtime story in comparison. Some of the are overkill IMHO, but there're all there for a reason, whether I understand this or not.

When you're dealing with other parties, it doesn't hurt to explain yourself very clearly indeed from as many different points of view as possible because if there's a misunderstanding and the other party makes a mistake, it can be very costly.

At first glance, it may appear that Games don't fall into this expensive corporate scenario, but that would be a very inaccurate assumption. Games require a lot more co-ordination and sharing of ideas than a lot of commercial projects.. If these ideas aren't communicated properly then mistakes are make which costs time, money and in some cases, the deadline and ultimately, the company.