Keith Schengili-Roberts: Improve Your Chances for Documentation Success with DITA and CCMS
3 likes381 views
Keith Schengili-Roberts presented on how moving to DITA and a content management system (CCMS) can improve chances of documentation success. He outlined key features of DITA like content reuse and separation of form from content. Four chief reasons for wanting to move included needing more efficiency, outgrowing current tools, rising localization costs, and content verification needs. A CCMS allows for versioning, workflow, metrics on production and reuse, and improved localization. It was argued the benefits outweigh upfront costs over time through opportunities for process improvement.
Keith Schengili-Roberts: Improve Your Chances for Documentation Success with DITA and CCMS
- 1. Keith Schengili-Roberts DITA Evangelist, IXIASOFT + Improve Your Chances for Documentation Success with DITA and a CCMS
- 2. Agenda • Introduction • Overview of Key Features of DITA • Four Chief Reasons for Wanting to Move to DITA + CCMS • Four Things You Can Do with DITA and a CCMS • Q/A
- 3. Who’s This Guy? Keith Schengili-Roberts, IXIASOFT DITA Evangelist and Market Researcher What I do: • DITA evangelist • Liaison with OASIS; on DITA Adoption and Technical Committees • Industry researcher • Lecturer on Information Architecture, University of Toronto • 10+ Years of DITA XML experience
- 4. Also Known As “DITAWriter” • Industry blog started +5 years ago • Just over 220,000 hits • Regularly updated info on: DITA Conferences DITA Books Companies Using DITA DITA CMSes DITA Editors Other DITA Tools DITA Consulting Firms • News/views on DITA use • Features interviews with those making a difference in the world of DITA
- 5. Any STC Members Here? • Much of this presentation is based on my article published in last month’s STC magazine Intercom • I plan to expand upon its points and go into more detail than space allowed in the original article
- 6. What is this DITA Stuff? • It’s an open XML standard for creating structured content built primarily around the idea of content reuse • Has been around for just over 10 years, has gained significant traction in technical authoring community • DITA is used by ~5% of all technical writing groups in North America (and still growing!)
- 7. Reuse is Built-in to DITA • DITA was built around the idea of content reuse This has helped make DITA the fastest growing XML-based technical communications standard
- 8. DITA Content Reuse = Consistent Messaging • Benefit of consistent content and messaging • Consistent content means consistent user experience Along with being seamless, available and context- specific
- 9. Reduced Localization Costs with DITA • Content reuse in English = localization savings • If many target languages, ROI argument for move to DITA (+ CCMS) is easier More on this later…
- 10. Separation of Form from Content • In a study I did prior to moving to DITA at AMD, found that fully half of the time spent using DTP software was on formatting content • Suggests considerable time savings, making content creators more nimble and able to concentrate on making additional content
- 11. DITA Was Built with Multi-channel Publishing in Mind • This was a key design feature when DITA was still being devised at IBM; intent was to tame a multitude of output processes then in place with a single • DITA-OT by default supports 11 output types, including PDF, RTF, HTML5/XHTML • Other output types possible
- 12. Do You Need a CCMS? • This was a question asked by Eliot Kimber’s excellent presentation “DITA for Small Teams” • I like to think of this presentation as a look as to the benefits a CCMS provides when the answer this question is a definite “yes”
- 13. FOUR CHIEF REASONS FOR WANTING TO MOVE TO DITA + CCMS A look at the tools in DITA for creating reusable content
- 14. Pain Points that DITA + CCMS Can Solve • Need to be more efficient/do more with less • Have outgrown current toolset • Escalating localization costs • Requirement to verify content before it goes out the door • In addition you also get to be one of the “cool kids” ;)
- 15. Need to Be More Efficient/Do More with Less • For many documentation teams it is not possible to get more headcount • Need to reduce localization costs • DITA + CCMS has a proven track record for improving overall costs + efficiency Does not come for free however; there is a need to justify costs of moving to DITA + CCMS (stay tuned!)
- 16. Have Outgrown Current Toolset • Traditional Desktop Publishing tools cannot cope with growing need to produce content • Hard for writers to find existing material for reuse in file folders or existing repositories • Pressing need to automate existing processes • Seeking a more mature process
- 17. Escalating Localization Costs • Ongoing need to produce localized content, but costs (especially with desktop publishing-based processes) have become prohibitive • Additional costs are incurred for: Formatting content Fixing code-page errors (a glyph is transformed into a different character) Sending more content than necessary for localization
- 18. Requirement to Verify Content Before it Goes Out the Door • In regulated environments such as in the medical device sector, content must first be vetted by medical professionals • Similar requirements in other sectors, such as legal publishing, heavy manufacturing, etc.
- 19. Becoming One of the “Cool Kids” • I actually wasn’t kidding about this one… • DITA has been adopted by documentations teams at over 650 companies worldwide
- 20. This in Turn Adds to the Spread of DITA
- 21. On a More Personal Level… • Those who learn DITA often go on to work at other firms where they are sometimes hired specifically for this skill 48,000.00 50,000.00 52,000.00 54,000.00 56,000.00 58,000.00 60,000.00 62,000.00 64,000.00 66,000.00 Q1 2016 Q2 2016 Q3 2016 Avg. Starting Wage for Technical Writers on Indeed.com for 2016 Tech Writer Tech Writer + DITA Linear (Tech Writer) Linear (Tech Writer + DITA)
- 22. Some Other Possible Reasons for DITA + CCMS • Need to produce additional deliverable types (for additional products, additional platforms, etc.) • Need to produce filtered/custom deliverables • Need to interchange with other groups using DITA • Need to move from a custom XML tagset to DITA standard for greater scalability/maintainability/ outside support In so doing, also get to join a growing community of people working with DITA
- 23. FOUR THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH DITA AND A CCMS What a CCMS has to offer
- 24. #1: Versioning of Content • a feature common to most content management systems, though not to most file systems • Originally created for software development, versioning allows users to “check out” content for authoring and “check in” any changes
- 25. CCMS and the Versioning of Content • A typical CCMS will have versioning capabilities that ensures that only a single technical writer can work on a given topic at any one time, and will also register who made which edit and allow for a quick comparison between versions • Any documentation “bugs” that are discovered in a later version of a topic can be reverted to an earlier version without the problem
- 26. #2: Workflow • Once a writer has completed writing a topic, can then be routed automatically • Useful for when you need to have content edited/verified before it goes out the door • Introduces ways to improve content quality Information Architect Data collection Engineer editor Technical writer
- 27. Typical Workflow Examples • An example: a Subject Matter Expert (SME) may be assigned within the system to write content which is then “polished” by a technical writer, and then sent to another SME for approval • Or: technical writer creates content, is routed to another writer/editor who verifies quality Engineer (SME) Technical Writer Engineer Who Approves Content Accuracy
- 28. #3: Measurement • Having modular content opens up the possibility of measuring content production more accurately • Not every topic will be the same size, but there will be an average value +
- 29. DITA and Return on Investment (ROI) • This has been a primary focus of much work on DITA metrics • Topic-based nature of DITA lends itself to cost-based measures • The book DITA Metrics 101 (2013) looks at this aspect almost exclusively, focusing on justifying the cost of investing in DITA + CMS
- 30. DITA Metrics for Production Purposes • But not everything is about ROI: What if you have a mature DITA environment and have already established your ROI? Or, are simply looking for ways to use DITA + metrics to measure things that are not cost-related? • DITA metrics can be used to guide managers, information architects and writers on how to improve their content
- 31. DITA Production Metrics without a CMS • DITA metrics outside of a CMS are limited to information contained within the DITA files + file system Can search for text strings within the XML, and also use date/time info from filename… and that’s about it
- 32. DITA Production Metrics with a CMS • DITA metrics within a CMS can capture additional information, which depending on the CMS may include things like: Author information Workflow status How many times a topic has been modified/versioned Topic/map dependencies • In general, can also expect CMSes to have “canned” search routines that make the task of mining information from your DITA content easier
- 33. • At Scrum meetings doc manager can report on topics assigned to their group and report on how “done” they are • This is typically only feasible within a CMS containing workflow metadata “Our project managers could track progress of documentation deliverables within our DITA- based CMS on a daily basis.” - Jason Owen Agile and DITA Metrics
- 34. Content Types within All Documents Over a Year • This chart looks at the DITA topic breakdown for all documentation produced by IXIASOFT in 2015 • Documentation consists of User/Admin Guides for our DITA CMS and TEXTML software • Good ratio of concept to task topics • When I showed this to our Lead Tech Doc person, she immediately wanted to investigate the 3% of generic topic types Nice practical example of how DITA metrics can improve quality! Count: 1307
- 35. Can Easily Find Content that is Revised a Lot • A topic that is often revised might be a sign that it needs to be investigated; perhaps too much tweaking is happening, or there is SME disagreement, or it should be multiple topics instead of just one 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 System performance features and benefits Logging on to Image Warehouse About How is organized Image Warehouse Workspace environment Frequently Asked Questions Quick reference: System health indicators Query filters Troubleshooting cluster reporting problems Cluster capacity reports Messaging Overview System diagnostics Quick reference: data views Customize Views Query warning messages About this guide System notifications Generating data views Product Name Variables Number of Revisions per Topic in the Thunderbird User Guide !
- 36. DITA Reuse Metrics • Arguably the most influential article on this topic is Bill Hackos’ “Reuse of DITA Topics? What is the Best Metric to Measure the Success of Your Reuse of DITA Topics?” (http://ow.ly/X7mzM)
- 37. DITA Reuse Metrics • Bill Hackos proposed “Percent Repository Words Reused in Context” (PRWRC) where: PRWRC = (Words in All Produced Content – Words in the Repository)/(Words in the Repository) From his example: Document1 – 25,413 words Document2 – 23,069 words Document3 – 26,366 words Total number of words in the produced documents – 74,848 words Total number of words in the repository – 40,060 words PRWRC = (74,848 – 40,060)/40,060 = 87%
- 38. Example Based on IXIASOFT DITA Documents • Flesh tool can count words in publications • Free tool called “Count Anything” can count total words in DITA files in your repository Based on 2015 numbers: • Total number of words in the repository: 268,663 • Words in All Produced Content: 623,078 • PRWRC = (623,078* – 268,663)/268,663 • PRWRC = 354,415 / 268,663 = 132% * Number based on available data
- 39. How is a 100%+ Value Possible? • Easy: DITAVAL • Though DITAVAL is not mentioned in original article, Bill Hackos does talk about 100%+ values being entirely possible • We have number of publications that are created based on a series of DITAVAL value, as much as 21 per bookmap • Percentage value is the lower bound on our content reuse; could be considerably more but is no less than 132%
- 40. Example of How CCMS Data Can Be Mixed with Outside Data: Cost-per-Topic • Idea came from a CIDM Best Practices article by Mike Eleder (“The Illusive, Writing Productivity Metric: Making Unit Cost a Competitive Advantage”) • Basically: cost per topic = monthly tech writer team cost topics produced monthly • This is a unit cost measure, and it produces the monthly average cost for producing topics Can estimate the cost of future work based on result
- 41. Example Chart Showing COST-Per-Topic • The trend line records the average cost-per-topic over the time measured • This shows an overall downward trend: ideally this is what you would expect over time • Same cost measures can be applied to published documents, localized content and more $
- 42. An Example of This Using Localization Spend • ROI for move to DITA + CMS justified in terms of unspent localization budget due to efficiencies
- 43. #4: Localization • Reduced localization costs come from DITA reuse Content reuse in English = content reuse in other languages • A CCMS provides additional benefits: Improved packaging options QA as part of localization workflow Automation Illustration of how DITA localization without a CCMS typically works
- 44. Improved Packaging Options • In addition to sending content in DITA, also possible for CCMS to transform content into XLIFF • Can also automate inclusion of PDF for context • Also possible to send individual topics/changes for translation
- 45. QA as Part of Localization Workflow • A good DITA CCMS will include localization QA as part of the workflow for content • Enables checking and verification of content prior to publication • Can easily route “bad” localized content back to localization service provider
- 46. Automation • A capable DITA CCMS will enable a firm to automate localization processes • Some of IXIASOFT’s customer send individual topics out for localization while rest of document being worked on New and changed content can be merged, enabling much faster turnaround times Writing: Complete Localization: Complete
- 47. Other Things a DITA CCMS Can Do for You • Provide a mechanism for SMEs to contribute directly to content • Looking to move away from PDF? Can use DITA + CCMS with dynamic publication engines to create HTML5-based publications • Metadata embedded in DITA maps and topics can aid with search engine optimization
- 48. Upfront Costs vs. Opportunity Costs • Yes, there are often significant costs associated with purchasing a DITA CCMS: Conversion costs of legacy content Change management Cost of CCMS software May involve separate purchase of repository software for content • But can your organization support ongoing costs of current toolchain? This is an opportunity for change and improvement…
- 49. DITA + CCMS = The Road Ahead • DITA + CCMS should be thought of as an opportunity to improve the quality of your content and your documentation processes • Think of where you need to take your documentation team and what your users will expect of you five years from now
- 50. QA • Blog: www.ixiasoft.com/en/news-and-events/blog • Twitter: @IXIASOFT (and @KeithIXIASOFT) • IXIASOFT DITA CMS Users LinkedIn group: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3820030 • OASIS DITA Adoption Committee articles • Member of OASIS DITA Technical Committee