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10 mistakes when you move to topic-based authoring
The document outlines ten common mistakes made when transitioning to topic-based authoring, emphasizing the importance of management buy-in, proper tool selection, effective training, and content planning. It explains that topic-based authoring enables content reuse and modular document creation but requires a modified approach to writing and structuring. The document provides insights on audience consideration, content lifecycle, and best practices for achieving a successful transition to this methodology.
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10 mistakes when you move to topic-based authoring
- 1. 10 mistakes when movingto topic-based authoring Sharon Burton E-mail: Sharon@sharonburton.com Twitter: Sharonburton We’ll start at 3 minutes after the hour Make sure your sound is working Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 2. 10 mistakes when movingto topic-based authoring Twitter: #10MistakesTBASharon Burton E-mail: Sharon@sharonburton.com Twitter: Sharonburton
- 3. Thank you forattending! ▪ Sharon Burton ▪ I solve post-sales customer experience problems ▪ Research how people feel about product instructions ▪ Support clients in creating better product instructions and improve the customer experience ▪ Teach communication at various universities Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 4. Supporting role today… ▪DCL is supporting us today ▪ If you have questions, they will help you in the questions window ▪ Let’s say “Thank you” to Data Conversion Laboratory for hosting this webinar Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 5. Experience the DCLDifference ▪ DCL blends years of conversion experience with cutting-edge technology and the infrastructure to make the conversion process easy and efficient. ▪ World-Class Services ▪ Leading-EdgeTechnology ▪ Unparalleled Infrastructure ▪ US-Based Management ▪ Complex-Content Expertise ▪ 24/7 Online ProjectTracking ▪ Automated Quality Control ▪ Global Capabilities
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- 9. What is topic-based authoring? Quickdefinition Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 10. Definition ▪ Topic-based authoringis a modular content creation approach (popular in the technical publications and documentation arenas) that supports XML content reuse, content management, and makes the dynamic assembly of personalized information possible. ▪ A topic is a discrete piece of content that is about a specific subject, has an identifiable purpose, and can stand alone (does not need to be presented in context for the end-user to make sense of the content). ▪ Topics are also reusable.They can, when constructed properly (without reliance on other content for its meaning), be reused in any context anywhere needed. ▪ The Darwin InformationTyping Architecture (DITA) is a standard designed to help authors create topic-based content.The standard is managed by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) DITATechnical Committee. FromWikipedia Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 11. What isTopic-basedAuthoring? ▪ Focuseseffort on the information your user needs to use the product ▪ Develop a body of information that’s helpful to the user ▪ Maximize content reuse ▪ Roughly similar to structuring an online help system ▪ People who’ve developed a lot of help “get” these concepts faster ▪ If you are moving to DITA, it’s part of the trip ▪ But you don’t have to move to DITA to make use of this information development method ▪ This can be a destination as well as a rest stop
- 12. What isTopic-basedAuthoring? ▪ Topicsare small, perhaps ½ to 4 printed pages ▪ Perhaps smaller ▪ Only include the information needed to ▪ Perform one procedure ▪ Understand one concept ▪ Topics can be (re)combined ▪ New products, deliverables, or other ways ▪ Topics are easier to update ▪ Easier and cheaper to get approval for updating topics from management ▪ Depending on deliverables, push updated topics to your users Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 13. Library What isTopic-basedAuthoring? Printing Reports Using Container Objects Saving reportsCreating Reports About Schedules Adding Users Setting Permissions Deleting Users Placing Objects About Objects About Users Exporting Objects About Containment Customizing Objects About Programming Objectsand Inheritance Editing Reports Containing Objects Relating Objects Importing Reports Setting SchedulesAbout Reports Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 14. Library What isTopic-basedAuthoring? Admin Guide •About Users • Adding Users • Deleting Users • Setting Permissions • About Reports • Creating Reports • Editing Reports • Saving Reports • Printing Reports • Importing Reports Programmers Guide • About Programming • About Objects • Placing Objects • About Containment • Objects and Inheritance • Using Container Objects • Customizing Objects • Relating Objects Getting Started • About Users • About Reports • About Programming • About Objects • About Containment • Exporting Objects • About Schedules Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 15. What are themistakes? How to mess this up Twitter: #10MistakesTBA
- 16. 1: Not gettingbuy-in Management and other teams need to understand why this is better and you have to show that. Maybe a business case? ▪ This is not going to be an instant and dramatic improvement ▪ Except localization ▪ Costs may drop immediately ▪ Schedules may be impacted ▪ Less content can be scary
- 17. 2: Using thesame tools AskingTechwr-l what they use and buying that not the answer. What are your business problems and what are your pain points? ▪ The tools that got you into this mess are probably not the tools to get you out ▪ Evaluate what your content and business needs are, now and in the future ▪ Work with the vendors and a consultant to make sure what you need is what they can do
- 18. 3: Using thesame processes The processes for developing, editing, and publishing a 200 page manual won’t work. ▪ Developing topic-based content is different ▪ Topics “stand alone” on content and/or formatting ▪ Topics are reviewed as they are ready ▪ Review process must change ▪ Maybe use a special review product
- 19. 4: Not trainingpeople Not training sets up projects and people for failure. You can’t expect people to magically know. ▪ New tools + new process = training ▪ Training provides more than how to use the product ▪ Includes best practices for our workflow ▪ Identifies the changes for our workflow ▪ Instantiates how we do what we do in the new workflow
- 20. 5: Not planningthe move You can’t jump on your horse and ride off in all directions. Analyze what you have before you decide what you have ▪ Your legacy content is not going to fit neatly ▪ It’s at least not well written/structured/ organized ▪ Especially if you had a lot of contractors, the legacy content has been around a long time, and so on ▪ This can be very hard on the staff ▪ People want their content to be the exception ▪ It’s special content, not like other content and needs special attention
- 21. 6: Not usingwriting guidelines We must have good writing standards in place. ▪ Before we can start thinking about moving to topic-based authoring ▪ And gaining the benefits thereof ▪ Content reuse demands consistent writing standards ▪ The content can appear in many places ▪ In more than one deliverable ▪ Everyone cannot write in “their style”
- 22. 7: Slicing contentaccording to headings Because most tools allow you to import and slice your legacy content based on headings, it can feel like you’re done after you import. ▪ That’s step #1 of x and x is bigger than 2 ▪ Now you need to think about ▪ Content types ▪ Content reuse ▪ Smaller topics ▪ Embedded topics (snippets) ▪ Localization ▪ Outputs ▪ Devices ▪ More
- 23. 8: Not reusingcontent Writing content is expensive. Re-creating existing content is very expensive. Localizing similar but different is super expensive. ▪ You can’t reuse what you can’t find ▪ Opportunistic reuse ▪ People remember this content from before ▪ Maybe they can find it ▪ Big time sink ▪ Systematic reuse ▪ The system knows this content has been written previously ▪ Prompts the writer for reuse ▪ Tracks reuse and reports it
- 24. 9: Not consideringaudience Identify your audience and their schemas. Identify their domains of knowledge. 69% of your users are intermediate level. ▪ Your users are not stupid ▪ They know their jobs ▪ Most users are intermediate users
- 25. 10:Thinking this issimple Your legacy content is not going to fit neatly in content categories. ▪ It won’t take any time to figure this out ▪ We can do this as we need to ▪ We’ll hire an intern to do it ▪ We can meet deadlines while we completely restructure all our content ▪ We just need some templates
- 26. 11: (Bonus) Wedon’t need to worry about Localization Always act like you’re going to localize and nothing bad will happen to you. ▪ If you are not localizing now, you will be in the future ▪ If you are localizing now, you know how complicated it can be ▪ Someone will decide to add more languages ▪ Because that’s not a problem, right?
- 27. 12: (Additional Bonus)Buying a tool and then calling the consultant New tools always change the workflow.Choose the tool that supports the content and business workflow you need. ▪ All tools are not created equal ▪ Choosing the wrong tools wastes a lot of time and money ▪ It can also sink the initiative ▪ Don’t be afraid to spend the right amount of money to do this correctly
- 28. More information Resources formore information
- 29. Good resources ▪ Mywebsite: sharonburton.com ▪ Enterprise Content Strategy by Kevin Nichols. XML Press. (Just came out!) ▪ Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation by KurtAment ▪ ISBN-10: 0815514913 or ISBN- 13: 978-0815514916 ▪ Content Strategy 101: TransformTechnical Content into a Business Asset by Sarah S. O'Keefe andAlan S. Pringle ISBN-10: 0982811845 or ISBN- 13: 978-0982811849 ▪ Content Strategy: Connecting the dots between business, brand, and benefits by Rahel Anne Bailie and Noz Urbina ISBN-10: 1937434168 or ISBN- 13: 978-1937434168
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