Living Multiple Lives: The New Technical Communicator Noz Urbina Business Development Manager

Agenda The world today Do more with less, faster and better Reuse, reuse, reuse! Methodologies for change Organisational and process review Componentisation / DITA / XML CCMS

The world today

Do more with less, faster and better

Reuse, reuse, reuse!

Methodologies for change

Organisational and process review

Componentisation / DITA / XML

CCMS

“ Customers are demanding more concise communication on how to produce, service, maintain and use products that are only increasing in complexity . Despite this fact, executives are shortening schedules and tightening budgets.” The Market Today - Aberdeen Research

“ Customers are demanding more concise communication on how to produce, service, maintain and use products that are only increasing in complexity .

Despite this fact, executives are shortening schedules and tightening budgets.”

Customer Overview ~2000 Biz-to-Consumer Luxury Cars Automotive ~1000 Biz-to-Consumer Multifunction Nav for leisure boats Consumer Electronics ~300 Biz-to-Biz/Biz-to-Consumer Corporate and Security hw / sw Software ~3000 Biz-to-Biz Medical equipment and software Medical ~2000 Biz-to-Biz Modular precision control drive units High Tech Manufacturing ~55000 Biz-to-Biz Microchips for various markets applications Microelectronic2 ~200 Biz-to-Biz Microchips for Biz-to-Consumer market Microelectronic1 ~? Biz-to-Biz Custom fit aerospace and defense equipment Aero/Defense Staff Model Products Example

Situation Overview 8 Y Y Y Auto 10 Y Y Y Consumer Elec 5 Y Y Y Y Software 4 Y Y Y Y Y Medical 4 Y Y Y Y Y High Tech 0 Y Y Y Y Micro2 0 Y Y Y Y Micro1 0 Y A+D Langs Variants by Market Variants by Apps/ Platform HW / SW Configs Supply Chain Needs Customer

Everyone duplicates content… Product to related product Product to derivative product Across all products (global legal and boilerplate texts, images) Across product lifecycle and document types: Design Specs Testing Specs Public Documentation Across formats: Print / web / other Multiple live versions of the same content

Product to related product

Product to derivative product

Across all products (global legal and boilerplate texts, images)

Across product lifecycle and document types:

Design Specs

Testing Specs

Public Documentation

Across formats:

Print / web / other

Multiple live versions of the same content

Duplication in a Product’s LifeCycle Errors get reused downstream. Corrections don’t flow back upstream…

Duplication Across Products Extensive Reuse Product Specific Multiple Live Versions Errors get reused across products. Related products don’t get updated… especially across templates Reused content should sometimes be different versions. We need to know what’s applicable where Customer Specific Customer 1 Customer 2 Every problem described here is multiplied again in customer-specific documents Censored Censored Censored 1.0 1.1 1.2

Document Overload Customer-specific…

Common findings Often many more “customers” than management comprehends Most teams don’t have or don’t take time to assess what their audience really wants – internally and externally Reuse of development-time assets is funded and supported Information access and collaboration with people can be as, or more important than, creation or publishing Integration with their workflows is key Reuse (modularisation) isn’t easy

Often many more “customers” than management comprehends

Most teams don’t have or don’t take time to assess what their audience really wants – internally and externally

Reuse of development-time assets is funded and supported

Information access and collaboration with people can be as, or more important than, creation or publishing

Integration with their workflows is key

Reuse (modularisation) isn’t easy

What does it all mean? How do I deal with it?

Aberdeen Research

Technical Communicators “ Those that were once called authors are now called technical communicators , creating an entirely new profession .“ - Aberdeen Research

“ Those that were once called authors are now called technical communicators , creating an entirely new profession .“

Becoming a “Communicator” Handle overload by bridging the knowledge gap between teams Survey your different content consumers – profile their needs Re-build your workflows for new work-sharing methods (especially for modular content) Break out of the “manual” box Survey the new game-changing technologies “ Develop and design instructional and informational tools Combine multimedia knowledge and strong communication skills with technical expertise to educate entire spectrum across the of users’ abilities” (Aberdeen) WIKIs, Blogs, Forums, Bi-Directional Publishing Workflows, Code Comment Extraction, Agile Project Methodologies, etc. Establish a business-driven strategy

Handle overload by bridging the knowledge gap between teams

Survey your different content consumers – profile their needs

Re-build your workflows for new work-sharing methods (especially for modular content)

Break out of the “manual” box

Survey the new game-changing technologies

“ Develop and design instructional and informational tools

Combine multimedia knowledge and strong communication skills with technical expertise to educate entire spectrum across the of users’ abilities” (Aberdeen)

WIKIs, Blogs, Forums, Bi-Directional Publishing Workflows, Code Comment Extraction, Agile Project Methodologies, etc.

Establish a business-driven strategy

Survey Content Consumers Example

Establishing a Strategy

Early Decisions Needs first, tools last Develop use cases to determine if XML is the right answer for you Reuse of data Specialized outputs Device independence Paradigm shift Avoid migrating your old problems to XML Opportunity to streamline processes [slide by Jody Bookless, Annette Marx, Scott Davis, AutoDESK]

Needs first, tools last

Develop use cases to determine if XML is the right answer for you

Reuse of data

Specialized outputs

Device independence

Paradigm shift

Avoid migrating your old problems to XML

Opportunity to streamline processes

[slide by Jody Bookless, Annette Marx, Scott Davis, AutoDESK]

DITA Process Model - Courtesy of IBM Goal- Oriented Business Scenario - Michael Priestley, Lead DITA Architect, IBM Topics Build Maps Outputs Eclipse Help Java Help HTML Help Web pages Books & PDFs Learning Write Content Define ALL Topics Build Documents Multi-channel Publish

Think: “What’s in it for them? ” To Finance and R&D: Typically, Engineers spend 15-30% of time on: Req Docs, Specifications, Design Docs, and so on… If 100 Engineers cost 40k each, ~600k is spent on Engineering-internal Docs / (15% of 4 million) Saving 20% off develop-time docs would save 120k / year Localisation costs are a huge problem XML alone often reduces costs by 15-30%, and well over 50% can be achieved when combined with reuse To Tech Docs, Training, and Engineering Management: Search, reuse, automation and collaboration are all Engineering goals too With a shared platform and process, you could accelerate product time-to-market and quality of service To Tech Docs, Training, and Engineering Management: Engineers don’t want to spend time on documents. Use this as ammunition. More computer-aided reuse means less nagging and conference calls Industry figures show 30-50% savings in Docs is not unusual, meaning 6 authors can usually justify 100K solution

To Finance and R&D:

Typically, Engineers spend 15-30% of time on:

Req Docs, Specifications, Design Docs, and so on…

If 100 Engineers cost 40k each, ~600k is spent on Engineering-internal Docs / (15% of 4 million)

Saving 20% off develop-time docs would save 120k / year

Localisation costs are a huge problem

XML alone often reduces costs by 15-30%, and well over 50% can be achieved when combined with reuse

To Tech Docs, Training, and Engineering Management:

Search, reuse, automation and collaboration are all Engineering goals too

With a shared platform and process, you could accelerate product time-to-market and quality of service

To Tech Docs, Training, and Engineering Management:

Engineers don’t want to spend time on documents. Use this as ammunition.

More computer-aided reuse means less nagging and conference calls

Industry figures show 30-50% savings in Docs is not unusual, meaning 6 authors can usually justify 100K solution

Europe’s Largest XML event CCMS – DITA - S1000D 2008 - Delivering on the XML Promise: Customer-Centric Communication How does it all affect the customer ? Free workshops Information Architecture and Taxonomy (Mekon / Rockley Group) S1000D (PTC) Adobe Technical Communications Tools (Adobe) Building Dynamic Publications (EMC x-hive) Tracks Manufacturing and Software Aerospace Defence DITA and IA Gov and Professional Pubs Speakers JoAnn Hackos, ComTech John Hunt, IBM/DITA Learning and Training Chair Charles Cooper, Rockley Group Chris Wood, BAE Denny Raitz, Boeing Amber Swope, JustSystems, DITA Technical Committee many more… Learn from SAP/Business Objects Cambridge Silicon Radio Qimonda AG Salesforce.com UK National Archives Boeing more… www.x-pubs.com www.x-pubs.com

Europe’s Largest XML event

CCMS – DITA - S1000D

2008 - Delivering on the XML Promise: Customer-Centric Communication

How does it all affect the customer ?

Free workshops

Information Architecture and Taxonomy (Mekon / Rockley Group)

S1000D (PTC)

Adobe Technical Communications Tools (Adobe)

Building Dynamic Publications (EMC x-hive)

Tracks

Manufacturing and Software

Aerospace Defence

DITA and IA

Gov and Professional Pubs

Speakers

JoAnn Hackos, ComTech

John Hunt, IBM/DITA Learning and Training Chair

Charles Cooper, Rockley Group

Chris Wood, BAE

Denny Raitz, Boeing

Amber Swope, JustSystems, DITA Technical Committee

many more…

Learn from

SAP/Business Objects

Cambridge Silicon Radio

Qimonda AG

Salesforce.com

UK National Archives

Boeing

more…

Thank you! [email_address]