Before You Touch The Tools: Strategies for Adopitng Structured Content

Strategies for Adopting Structured Content Rahel Anne Bailie, Intentional Design Inc.

Contact info:
Rahel Anne Bailie
[email_address]
Office:
Intentional Design Inc.
+1.604.837.0034
www.IntentionalDesign.ca
Social media:
rahelab
© 2008 Intentional Design Inc.

Dispelling myths about tools

Diagnose
Prescribe
Treat

Not: Does the product have workflow? Instead: Does your product’s workflow support how we need to work in our organization?
Not: Does the product have verisoning? Instead: How does your product do version control, and keep audit trails?

Smart client
Thin client
Component content management
Multi-user enabled client
Cross-media or multi-channel publishing
Integrates with popular translation and publishing tools
DITA-compatible
Feature-rich XML solution

No standard industry vocabulary
Features give competitive advantage:
Image resizing – Automatic? Batch? Choices of outputs? Included or custom work?
Authentication – What type does it refer to?
Friendly URLs – same as “URL rewrites”?

One example of why staff** avoided using their CMS at all cost
Content must be cut and pasted manually from one area of the CMS to the other.
Unable to change content in certain areas of the site, or add sections to or delete sections from the site.
Making certain [light] changes requires a change order (and $$,000) and must be carried out by the integrators.
Check content in/out is involuntary; using Save command auto-checks in a file.
Can’t “save as draft”; must “save to preview”; if missing info midway, user must abandon workflow or invoke workaround in order to save.
The character recognition does not work properly for things like accents; can’t spell check inside the CMS.
Unable to reliably paste and save HTML into the CMS.
That’s just for the content creation process (of a multipage report)!
**Used with the understanding that none of the parties would be identified.

Integrators customize systems (tools)
Need deep knowledge of the tool
Need to understand business operations
Vendors – professional services
Partners – tool-specific integration
Have an ongoing relationship as system changes are needed
Don’t want to be held hostage by integrators

Learning content management is like learning a new software language
“ Just read a book”

Multiple skill sets:
Content strategist
Content structure editor
Taxonomist
Template designer
Information architect
XML technologist
XSL developer
Multiple roles:
Project manager
Content strategist
Technical publisher
CMS Administrator
Multiple phases:
Requirements analysis
Content analysis
Technology analysis

COMPLEX CHAOTIC COMPLICATED SIMPLE From www.cognitive-edge.com Complex adaptive: Pattern management; correlation ≠ causation Analytical – reductionist: Scenario planning & systems thinking Crisis management: Intervene to stabilize Standard Operating Procedures: Best Practices & Process Re-engineering Computer systems Human systems Mechanical systems No system (Sudden change / innovation)

© 2008 Intentional Design Inc. Do you have enough in-house resources What kind of content processing power do you need Are your processes documented How much custom work is needed Can the software support your needs What is the TCO

Strategic goals

I.T. hears about a CMS.
The CMS gets installed.
Your group is told to use it.
You find it lacks the right functionality.
You don’t get the resources to customize it.
The project goes sideways.
You go back to manual processing, and IT brands your group “uncooperative.”

© 2008 Intentional Design Inc. Where will the content be stored Will our docs get restructured Will we change production processes What about our translations Does the project fit with our corporate strategy Do we have to tag everything

How usable do you expect your tool to be?
Better usability Better processes Higher rate of acceptance

Tactical implementations

Name the reasons we want structured content
Instructions:
Take 10 minutes
Work in groups
One person is recorder
Debrief

Re-use between docs
Re-use between different doc types
Automatically insert data
Improve accuracy
Improve findability
Improve translation processes
Work faster
Add value
Compliance
Efficiency (IRR)
Increase brand loyalty
Profitability (ROI)
Reduce time to market (existing or new)
Risk management

Name the strategic reasons for using structured content
Instructions:
Take 10 minutes
Match each tactical reason with a strategic reason
One person is recorder
Debrief

Product differentiation Cost impact Customer profitability Number of customers Number of suppliers Switchability Spare industry capacity Entry barriers Relative service Product performance Relative market share Overhead Variable cost Customer price sensitivity Capital intensity Level of service Relative perceived value Relative costs Market attractiveness Competitive position Current profitability

Matching structure to purpose

HTML
XHTML
Microformats
XML
DITA
DocBook
S1000D
Data
Wikis
Structured wikis
DITA wikis

HTML
http://www.w3schools.com/html/DEFAULT.asp
http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/
XHTML
http://www.w3schools.com/Xhtml/
http://www.xhtml.org/
Microformats
http://microformats.org/about/
http://www.xfront.com/microformats/

XML
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/
http://www.w3schools.com/ xml /default.asp
DITA
http://dita.xml.org/
http://dita.xml.org/5-minute-dita-tutorial
DocBook
http://www.docbook.org/
http://wiki.docbook.org/topic/DocBookTutorials
S1000D
http://www.s1000d.org/
And many other schemas:
http://www.w3schools.com/schema/schema_intro.asp

Wiki languages
http://www.it.uu.se/internt/web/wikihelp/wikilang
http://semanticweb.org/wiki/Structured_wiki
http://talk.bmc.com/blogs/blog-gentle/anne-gentle/dita-wiki
Specialty XML
http://www.stilo.com/
http://www.stylusstudio.com/xml_to_xml_mapper.html

Using structure to create value

Single-sourcing across documents
Facilitating localization
The “triumverate”: technical documents, training material, knowledge base items
Syndication
Integration
Convergence
Social media

Training instantiation TechComm instantiation Support instantiation

h30413.www3.hp.com/SupportServices/country/us/en/support/T1100.html.htm

www.tripit.com

www.salimismail.com

www.allmusic.com

Technical documentation Training material CS knowledge base User-generated content Corporate website/ extranet/intranet Marketing material Mobile workforce Site visitors

How strategic can you be?

Think big
Look up the chain
Look to provide value, value, and more value
Plan strategic, implement tactical
Don’t do it alone; get help
Don’t be the “odd man out”
Get an executive sponsor
Present to the executive level
Practice your defence techniques

Questions?
Feedback?

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Before You Touch The Tools: Strategies for Adopitng Structured Content

by Rahel Anne Bailie

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