Strategies For Communicating The Value of Structured XML Authoring To Authors

About Me Writing the structured docs since 2001. Designing the structured docs since 2004. Implementing the structured docs since 2006.

Writing the structured docs since 2001.

Designing the structured docs since 2004.

Implementing the structured docs since 2006.

So You Want to Go to Structure You read up on the idea and visualize how it can work for your company. You determine how much your company is going to save in translation costs. You write a proposal and calculate the ROI to sell upper management. You're ready to roll the plan out to the entire company.

You read up on the idea and visualize how it can work for your company.

You determine how much your company is going to save in translation costs.

You write a proposal and calculate the ROI to sell upper management.

You're ready to roll the plan out to the entire company.

So You Want to Go to Structure But what about the writer?

But what about the writer?

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Include the writers in conversations of structure from the beginning Call out places where structure would reduce pain when those situations present themselves Call out places where saving time would provide opportunities for advancement Foster an environment that is supportive of innovative ideas and cutting-edge technologies

Include the writers in conversations of structure from the beginning

Call out places where structure would reduce pain when those situations present themselves

Call out places where saving time would provide opportunities for advancement

Foster an environment that is supportive of innovative ideas and cutting-edge technologies

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Consult someone who's done this before Encourage team members to attend STC or other professional society meetings Forward articles and links to blog entries

Consult someone who's done this before

Encourage team members to attend STC or other professional society meetings

Forward articles and links to blog entries

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Address their concerns Losing autonomy Losing creativity Being reduced to “filling in blanks” Learning new technologies

Address their concerns

Losing autonomy

Losing creativity

Being reduced to “filling in blanks”

Learning new technologies

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Scare them with bigger concerns Company's need to get more out of their documentation dollar Company's inclination to outsource documentation Need of the writer to keep themselves marketable

Scare them with bigger concerns

Company's need to get more out of their documentation dollar

Company's inclination to outsource documentation

Need of the writer to keep themselves marketable

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Give back some of what is lost Though case-by-case document treatment is no longer needed, someone still needs to design the structure Though page-by-page formatting is no longer needed, someone still needs to design the stylesheets

Give back some of what is lost

Though case-by-case document treatment is no longer needed, someone still needs to design the structure

Though page-by-page formatting is no longer needed, someone still needs to design the stylesheets

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Play up the parts that will stay the same Researching Participating in development teams Advocating for the user

Play up the parts that will stay the same

Researching

Participating in development teams

Advocating for the user

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Play up the parts that will get better Faster drafts More complete reviews Less annoying rewriting and opportunity for inconsistency More predictable docs

Play up the parts that will get better

Faster drafts

More complete reviews

Less annoying rewriting and opportunity for inconsistency

More predictable docs

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Play up their expanding role Structure helps you form intelligent questions early in the design Time saved from formatting can be used to take on new, influential responsibilities A structured document can change the way a team approaches a project

Play up their expanding role

Structure helps you form intelligent questions early in the design

Time saved from formatting can be used to take on new, influential responsibilities

A structured document can change the way a team approaches a project

Strategies for Convincing the Writer Appeal to their sense of pride in their work Predictable docs Flexibility in providing information to users Challenge in writing for multiple outputs Using cutting-edge technology

Appeal to their sense of pride in their work

Predictable docs

Flexibility in providing information to users

Challenge in writing for multiple outputs

Using cutting-edge technology

Thank You Amanda Cross Structured Writing Evangelist [email_address]

Amanda Cross

Structured Writing Evangelist

[email_address]