STC Toronto – March 11, 2003 Presented by the Toronto Single-sourcing Special Interest Group (SIG)

About this presentation Single-sourcing Deconstructed By Rob Hanna, Byron Hills, Michele Marques ©2003 – All rights reserved. No part of this presentation may be reproduced without the written consent of one of the authors. The authors assume no responsibility or liability for any errors on inaccuracies within this presentation. Please write to [email_address] . Adobe FrameMaker and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Microsoft Word and Windows are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Single-sourcing Deconstructed

By Rob Hanna, Byron Hills, Michele Marques

©2003 – All rights reserved. No part of this presentation may be reproduced without the written consent of one of the authors. The authors assume no responsibility or liability for any errors on inaccuracies within this presentation. Please write to [email_address] .

Adobe FrameMaker and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Microsoft Word and Windows are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Welcome Introductions: Single-sourcing and our panel Process and Planning Creating Single-source Content Delivering Multiple Outputs Questions and Answers

Introductions: Single-sourcing and our panel

Process and Planning

Creating Single-source Content

Delivering Multiple Outputs

Questions and Answers

Toronto Single-sourcing SIG Formed in September 2002 Meet third Thursday of each month For more information visit http://www.stctoronto.org

Formed in September 2002

Meet third Thursday of each month

For more information visit http://www.stctoronto.org

Your panellists Moderator: Andrew Brooke Planning: Rob Hanna FrameMaker: Michele Marques Word: Byron Hills Our Moderator: Andrew Brooke is a technical writer at InSystems. Andrew is the Job Bank Manager and Volunteer Manager for the Toronto STC chapter and writes “Career Corner” for the chapter newsletter. He is an active member of the Toronto Single-sourcing SIG.

Moderator: Andrew Brooke

Planning: Rob Hanna

FrameMaker: Michele Marques

Word: Byron Hills

Your panellists Rob Hanna is a Senior Technical Communicator and proprietor of ASCan Enterprises, a New Media development company. Rob has over 12 years of professional communications experience and 5 years in single-sourcing for IT documentation. He is manager of the Toronto Single-sourcing SIG. Michele Marques is a senior technical writer with Baxter Corporation and an expert FrameMaker user. She is membership manager and list coordinator for the STC’s Single-Sourcing Special Interest Group (SIG) and a co-founder of the Toronto Single-sourcing SIG. Byron Hills is a senior technical writer with Verex Technologies. For several years, Byron has been using various single-sourcing techniques to deliver product information in print and online in seven languages. He is a co-founder of the Toronto Single-sourcing SIG and an active member of the Toronto Online SIG.

Single-sourcing overview Defining single-sourcing About this presentation Planning your single-sourcing project Creating structure

Defining single-sourcing

About this presentation

Planning your single-sourcing project

Creating structure

Working definitions Single-sourcing is any process used to systematically create information products from a single defined source of information. or “ Writing information once and using it many times” - Ann Rockley, 2001

Single-sourcing is any process used to systematically create information products from a single defined source of information.

Single-sourcing technology Single-sourcing is a methodology, not a technology. Although the software tools associated with single-sourcing are complex, it is the modular writing, not technology, that ultimately determines the success of your single-sourcing project. Kurt Ament – Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation, 2003

Single-sourcing is a methodology, not a technology. Although the software tools associated with single-sourcing are complex, it is the modular writing, not technology, that ultimately determines the success of your single-sourcing project.

Kurt Ament – Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation, 2003

About this presentation Draw from Ann Rockley’s presentation Cover off three stages in delivering a single-source project Use the résumé as an example Planning Authoring Delivery

Draw from Ann Rockley’s presentation

Cover off three stages in delivering a single-source project

Use the résumé as an example

Planning and process Defining your objectives Analysing your audience Defining your source and structure

Defining your objectives

Analysing your audience

Defining your source and structure

What are our objectives? Key objectives include: Produce a résumé that is easy to update and tailor for each new job application. Maintain various versions: Short/Long; Technical Writer/Team Lead; Contractor/Employee. Maintain various formats including: Word, HTML, PDF, and ASCII text. Showcase help authoring skills by producing a Windows help version.

Key objectives include:

Produce a résumé that is easy to update and tailor for each new job application.

Maintain various versions: Short/Long; Technical Writer/Team Lead; Contractor/Employee.

Maintain various formats including: Word, HTML, PDF, and ASCII text.

Showcase help authoring skills by producing a Windows help version.

Can single-sourcing help? Single-sourcing will… Improve the consistency of information Save on maintenance and customization efforts Improve the quality of the content Require significant upfront planning and investment

Single-sourcing will…

Improve the consistency of information

Save on maintenance and customization efforts

Improve the quality of the content

Require significant upfront planning and investment

Return on investment (ROI) Expect return on investment if… The document is deliverable to clients or is tied directly to a product or service The document has a long life expectancy Many updates can be expected over time Several variants may exist at any one time Parts of the document are reused elsewhere I can expect to recover my actual costs

Expect return on investment if…

The document is deliverable to clients or is tied directly to a product or service

The document has a long life expectancy

Many updates can be expected over time

Several variants may exist at any one time

Parts of the document are reused elsewhere

I can expect to recover my actual costs

Who is my audience HR Department Placement Agency Hiring Manager Automated systems

HR Department

Placement Agency

Hiring Manager

Automated systems

Selecting a source Does a source already exist? Do multiple sources exist? How will you resolve discrepancies between various sources? Create your definitive source of information

Does a source already exist?

Do multiple sources exist?

How will you resolve discrepancies between various sources?

Create your definitive source of information

Building a structure Does a structure already exist? Does it require modification for single-sourcing? Take a linear document and make it modular Break the document into its component parts

Does a structure already exist?

Does it require modification for single-sourcing?

Take a linear document and make it modular

Break the document into its component parts

Resume structure Resume title Objective Target 1 Target 2 Personal Profile Education School Location Date Degree Professional Experience Company Location Position Tasks Accomplishments Skills Skill name Experience level Last used Years used References Name Position Company Contact E-mail Telephone Description

Resume title

Objective

Target 1

Target 2

Personal Profile

Education

School

Location

Date

Degree

Professional Experience

Company

Location

Position

Tasks

Accomplishments

Skills

Skill name

Experience level

Last used

Years used

References

Name

Position

Company

Contact

E-mail

Telephone

Description

Creating single-source content Hiding and displaying single-source content Reorganising single-source content Special considerations What happens next

Hiding and displaying single-source content

Reorganising single-source content

Special considerations

What happens next

Hiding single-source content What to emphasize? Different jobs Different tasks Different education How? Applying conditional text

What to emphasize?

Different jobs

Different tasks

Different education

How?

Applying conditional text

Conditional text Set up & apply tags

Set up & apply tags

Conditional Text View all conditions

View all conditions

Conditional Text Show leadership condition

Show leadership condition

Conditional Text Show writing condition

Show writing condition

Considerations Consistency is required for good output Consistent style of writing Consistent mark-up of conditions FrameMaker limitations Conditions for multiple purposes Text tagged with multiple conditions Cannot use conditional text to rearrange your content

Consistency is required for good output

Consistent style of writing

Consistent mark-up of conditions

FrameMaker limitations

Conditions for multiple purposes

Text tagged with multiple conditions

Cannot use conditional text to rearrange your content

Reorganizing content What is presented first? Education at top vs. Education at bottom How? Inserting files as content objects

What is presented first?

Education at top vs. Education at bottom

How?

Inserting files as content objects

Inserted text objects Content objects can be: Education Experience Objective

Content objects can be:

Education

Experience

Objective

Inserted text objects Resume files contains content objects Résumé 1 Résumé 2 Education Work History Work History Education Objective Objective

Resume files contains content objects

Considerations Consistency is required for good output. Planning decisions on how small are content objects. Planning decisions on whether headings go within content object or within the document. Also influenced by desired outputs and those limitations.

Consistency is required for good output.

Planning decisions on how small are content objects.

Planning decisions on whether headings go within content object or within the document.

Also influenced by desired outputs and those limitations.

What Happens Now? Print different versions PDF different versions Use a tool to convert to Help, Web, etc.

Print different versions

PDF different versions

Use a tool to convert to Help, Web, etc.

Delivering multiple outputs Single-sourcing with Word Relevant features One example Single-sourced output

Single-sourcing with Word

Relevant features

One example

Single-sourced output

Single-sourcing with Word Word: Show of hands More useful than you may think What to expect What can we do with Word without VBA?

Word: Show of hands

More useful than you may think

What to expect

What can we do with Word without VBA?

Single-sourcing with MS Word Ball & Chain vs. single-sourcing Doc 1 .pdf Doc 2 .hlp Doc 3 .doc Object d Object a Object b Object c 1 ton Data Source Workflow

Ball & Chain vs. single-sourcing

Thinking about single-sourcing Word Features Master & sub documents Mail merge Links to a database Search & replace Auto-correct; AutoText Paragraph styles Templates (.dot) Bookmarks Fields for referencing information Macros and VBA (power, but with a learning curve)

Word Features

Master & sub documents

Mail merge

Links to a database

Search & replace

Auto-correct; AutoText

Paragraph styles

Templates (.dot)

Bookmarks

Fields for referencing information

Macros and VBA (power, but with a learning curve)

Simulating variables in Word Search and replace placeholders Doc properties (incl. custom) link w/ fields “ Ask" fields or a VBA form Real variables with VBA; link with fields

Search and replace placeholders

Doc properties (incl. custom) link w/ fields

“ Ask" fields or a VBA form

Real variables with VBA; link with fields

Simulating conditional text Search & hide (or delete) styles; or colours Hierarchical styles; set parent as hidden Sort tagged DB table, hide unused rows "IF" Fields

Search & hide (or delete) styles; or colours

Hierarchical styles; set parent as hidden

Sort tagged DB table, hide unused rows

"IF" Fields

Different versions Search and replace folder names for different source files Rename different source files (e.g., for different languages Search and replace bookmark names in inserted dummy fields 'IF' fields applying bookmarks per doc type

Search and replace folder names for different source files

Rename different source files (e.g., for different languages

Search and replace bookmark names in inserted dummy fields

'IF' fields applying bookmarks per doc type

Change order of objects Output fields in sortable table; AutoText/AutoCompleted fields on-the-fly; 'IF' fields applying bookmarks per doc type; Separate template w/fields for each doc;

Output fields in sortable table;

AutoText/AutoCompleted fields on-the-fly;

'IF' fields applying bookmarks per doc type;

Separate template w/fields for each doc;

Concept Sometimes using features together ends up being more than the sum of 'parts'

Sometimes using features together ends up being more than the sum of 'parts'

One example AutoText shortcuts on-the-fly, or Template for each version Source data changes -- reflected in output Styles tied to output documents Resume1.doc Contains AutoText: Include Text Fields { Bookmarked text } DB.doc Contains Bookmarked Text [ Objective : to write] Resume1.doc Contains AutoText: Include Text Fields { Objective : to write} Resume2.doc Contains AutoText: Include Text Fields { Objective : to write} [ Objective: to lead] { Objective: to lead} { Objective: to lead}

AutoText shortcuts on-the-fly, or

Template for each version

Source data changes -- reflected in output

Styles tied to output documents

Components in Some Detail DB.doc PDF.doc HLP.doc

DB.doc

PDF.doc

HLP.doc

HLP and PDF Samples HLP sample and PDF sample; Change some source data and rebuild outputs;

HLP sample and PDF sample;

Change some source data and rebuild outputs;

Single-sourcing with MS Word Thinking out of the box Doc 1 .pdf Doc 2 .hlp Doc 3 .doc Object d Object a Object b Object c 1 ton

Thinking out of the box

Questions Where do you see single-sourcing in 5 years? What is the difference between single-sourcing and enterprise content management? Will the role of technical communicator change as a result of single-sourcing? Questions from the floor?

Where do you see single-sourcing in 5 years?

What is the difference between single-sourcing and enterprise content management?

Will the role of technical communicator change as a result of single-sourcing?

Questions from the floor?

References For more information http://www.stctoronto.org http://www.stcsig.org/ss/index.htm http://www.managingenterprisecontent.com

For more information

http://www.stctoronto.org

http://www.stcsig.org/ss/index.htm

http://www.managingenterprisecontent.com