A straw man document can be written by simply putting ideas onto a piece of paper and expanding them as more ideas come to mind. A straw man document can be considered the early version of a rough draft.
A straw man gets its name from the type of structure that has a similar name. When a person or structure is built out of straw, it is often expected to crumble, be blown away or be replaced with something that is better. A straw man document is similar to this because it is not solid and does not have a good foundation. It is simply a disorganized version of a rough draft. A straw man document is usually replaced by better versions and will become completely obsolete.
The straw man document is a way to get the basis for an idea or for a more sophisticated document. People writing a straw man document should have a good idea of what it is intended for and should not expect it to carry through the process of final drafting. The straw man can deal with many different ideas and can often be the beginning process of coming up with the solution to a specific problem.
