Understanding Content Component Management

Understanding Content Component Management Steve Manning Principal Consultant, The Rockley Group Inc. manning@rockley.com

Component Content Management Is the creation, management, and publication of content as individual chunks (components) that can be assembled into necessary outputs Not based on the outputs i.e., chapters Is part of the solution in most of the projects we (TRG) work on ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Create components, output ??? Whatever you want!!! Components can be configured and reconfigured for different outputs Topics are assembled/related to create outputs through: Virtual documents Maps (DITA) Directory hierarchies in CM systems Other linking mechanisms ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Reuse A definite “Best Practice” Reuse content rather than duplicate it Focuses revisions to a single instance Promotes consistency Reduces time to create and maintain content ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Translation costs Reduce costs by reusing translated components, just as you reuse the source language components Reduce timelines by sequencing components through the translation process, rather than larger (chapters?) chunks Save money and time by automating formatting and output ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Benefits Faster time to market Better use of resources Reduced creation, maintenance and production costs Consistent and accurate content Increased opportunity to innovate Decreased costs!! ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Software documentation solution CCM Topic-based approach Defined structures for consistency Using conditional text to output to user guides, help, and marketing from a single topic base ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Government policy and procedure All information published on the web and in PDF Different audiences require different subsets of content - content is copied and pasted to create these varients Too many different formats required Huge amount of boilerplate (like contact information) duplicated Translation time consuming ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Government policy and procedure solution CCM Topic based approach – DITA Each different audience gets a different DITA map Maps point to required topics from a library of topics Output to HTML and PDF automated ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Flight menus Menus are printed for food service (first class and executive – of course!!) for all flights (hundreds) There are 4 “cycles” repeated throughout the year (Jan, May, Sept) use the same cycle Menus comprise food, wine, and miscellaneous items Items can appear on any number of menus Menus are copied and pasted Changes are time consuming (gotta find where items are reused) Formatting is time consuming (gotta fix every time you change an item) Timelines are being squeezed (more decisions being made at the last minute) ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Flight menus solution CCM Each food item is maintained as a single component Recipes point to required food items Cycles point to related menus CM system helps manage the relationships between cycles and menus, as well as recipes and food items First pass at formatting is automated, required only fine adjustments for output ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

What you need to consider

Analyzing the content life cycle Content is developed in many different ways, by many different people, and by many different departments. Development may follow a predefined process or it may not, and if there is an established process, it may differ from department to department. You need to examine your content life cycle and any issues associated with it. ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Perform a content audit A content audit is an accounting of the information in your organization. The purpose of a content audit is to analyze how content is used, reused, and delivered to its various audiences. You need to understand how information—as well as the processes to create it—can be unified, eliminating the “cut and paste” method many authors employ in their attempt to unify content wherever possible. ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Create a content model Consistent structure is vital!!! Create a structural model of your content that clearly describes the components and structure E.g., Menu Flight Region Food Items Food Item Name Description … ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Create a metadata model You cannot reuse what you can’t find!!! Understand how authors will search for content to be reused Create a metadata/taxonomy strategy that ensure you will be able to find and reuse content ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

XML?? You can take a component-based approach without XML, but it might be more difficult XML give you: Structures Separation of content and format Can take some time to implement Has a learning curve!! ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Content Management Lots of CM systems to support CCM Both installed and hosted (SaaS) Key functionality Integration with editors Where used reporting Link management Graphics management Metadata management Search mechanisms Workflow Publishing integration ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Delivery/publishing Very important – your job is to deliver pdf, help, etc., not just components Key functionality Integration with editors/CM Output formats supported Generation of TOCs, Indexes, Xrefs, related topics Automation (hands off!!) Standards (open source) ©2007, The Rockley Group Inc.

Final questions? Steve Manning The Rockley Group Inc. www.rockley.com manning@rockley.com

Understanding Content Component Management

0 comments

Notes on slide 1

1 Favorite