This document outlines a methodology for planning content success that begins with understanding the business issue rather than focusing on technology. It involves identifying symptoms, defining success metrics, developing a change strategy with buy-in, and improving information architecture, technology, and processes to better support business goals. The methodology advocates understanding user needs, enabling content reuse, establishing governance, and implementing long-term resource plans.

1. Planning for Content Success
(Hint: It Doesn't Start with Technology)

2. Welcome!
• Over 20 years industry experience
• Consulting and implementation of
best practices
• Information architecture, content
reuse with DITA
• Masters in Professional and
Technical Writing
• Conference speaker, co-author of the
DITA Maturity Model, author of
numerous articles and whitepapers,
webinar presenter
©2018 DITA Strategies, Inc. 2
Amber Swope
President & DITA Specialist, DITA Strategies, Inc.

3. Clients
©2018 DITA Strategies, Inc. 3

4. Scenario
Executive calls a meeting because your
customers gave your company a
Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 6 and asks:
“How do we fix this?”
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5. Methodology
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6. Business
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What is
business
issue?
Identify
symptoms
Know
success
when you
see it
Know what
you need to
measure
Develop
change
strategy
Determine
if it is a
content
challenge

7. Identify Symptoms
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• Check data
• Talk to the right
people
• Determine what aspect
of content could be
the issue

8. Known Success When You See It
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• Define your goals
• Craft success
statement
• Prepare for change

9. Known What You Need To Measure
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• Review current
measurements
• Discover what you
need to measure
• Determine what
customers need
• Pinpoint what you will
address
• Set improvement &
success dates

10. Develop Change Strategy
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• Understand roles for
IA, technology &
process
• Make sure content
strategy serves
business needs
• Secure long-term
funding
• Get organizational
buy-in

11. Information Architecture
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How can
information
architecture
help?
Know content
requirements
Decide how
to share &
reuse content
Design
content
structure
Define
metadata
Update
information
architecture

12. Know Content Requirements
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• Know your audience
• Prioritize content
• Determine what
content users need
• Determine which
deliverables users
need

13. Determine How to Share & Reuse content
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• Learn who creates
content
• Prevent redundant
content
• Help teams
collaborate
• Use same technology

14. Design Content Structure
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• Design flexible
structure
• Provide necessary
structure
• Create content by type
• Design appropriate
deliverables

15. Define Metadata
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• Leverage metadata for
user experience
• Improve content
retrieval
• Capture workflow
stages
• Use consistently across
organization

16. Technology
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How can
technology
help?
Identify
technology
issues
Define
requirements
Validate
current
support
Identify
improvement
areas
Improve
technology
support

17. Activities to Support
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18. Diagnose Technology Issues
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• Identify technology
sets in current use
• Ask users how effective
the tools are
• Determine if
technology is out-of-
date
• Discover pain points

19. Define Requirements
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• Identify technology
sets in current use
• Determine if tools
meet users needs
• Integrate to automate
• Use consistently across
organization

20. Validate Current Support
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• Determine if tools
meet users’ needs
• Verify tools provide
necessary metrics and
reports
• Confirm tools meet
security requirements
• Verify tools can deliver
what customers want

21. Identify Improvement Areas
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• Integrate systems
• Standardize
technology across
organization
• Automate content
transitions
• Invest in new delivery
systems

22. Process
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How can
process
help?
Develop IA
& content
guidance
Develop
technology
instructions
Establish
governance
forum
Implement
resource
plan
Improve
process
support

23. Develop IA & Content Guidance
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• Identify who creates
what content
• Define quality
requirements
• Provide great sample

24. Develop Technology Instructions
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• Document how to use
the tools
• Keep instructions up-to-
date
• Optimize processes
• Communicate with
users

25. Establish Governance Forum
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• Identify appropriate
stakeholders
• Define roles, including
decision makers
• Define process for
addressing new
requirements

26. Implement Resource Plan
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• Develop long-term
staffing plan
• Determine which
organizations to fund
ongoing projects
• Assign long-term
owner

27. Summary
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28. ©2018 DITA Strategies, Inc. 28
Amber Swope
President and DITA Specialist
DITA Strategies, Inc.
www.ditastrategies.com
amber@ditastrategies.com