Using Dita To Provide Consistent Communications To The Public
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The document discusses the implementation of DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) by a federal agency to improve the consistency and efficiency of their publications. Key challenges include training for authors, integrating existing systems, and the iterative nature of defining publication styles. Plans for the future involve enhancing content management and increasing publishing efficiency through dynamic updates and content reuse.
Using Dita To Provide Consistent Communications To The Public
- 1. Using DITA to Provide Consistent Communications to the PublicLaurence HartWashington Consulting, Inc.
- 2. AgendaIntroductionThe Plan for the SystemThe Challenges and Lessons LearnedWrap-up
- 3. The ProblemThe goal of government is to serve the people…. …but paper seems to be a key output.LOTS OF PAPER!!!
- 4. Government Publication ChallengesEvolving formats over the yearsWordStar > Word Perfect > WordPhysical storage for paper recordsContent creation is process intensiveConsistency between publications is hard to maintain
- 5. Enter DITA
- 6. DITA at 10,000 FeetDITA: Darwin Information Typing ArchitectureXML publishing based on TopicsEach Topic is written as a standalone piece of contentThree Topic types: Task, Concept, and ReferenceOriginally created by IBMDonated to OASIShttp://dita.xml.orgReuse of content is a key driver for implementing DITA
- 7. Publication Project BackgroundFederal Agency publishes lots of contentManuals: Internal usersGuidelines: External usersHistorically authored in WordCut-and-paste into XML for print processingPublish as PDF and HTMLPublished on cycleManual and repetitive process
- 8. The Agency’s PlanMove all publications to DITAStandardize the structure of all publication contentEnable reuse of content between publicationsIncrease publication output channelsKeep PDF for printAdd Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals for large documentsIdentify supporting toolsEMC Documentum Content Server (including X-Hive, now XDB)Quark XML AuthorXyEnterprise XPP (already owned)
- 10. Challenges and Lessons Learned
- 11. Content Creation ChallengesAuthors liked their Word stylesSoftware is licensed per userAuthors and reviewers throughout entire agencyNot enough need to give license to everyone for once a year taskQuark Express needed to be configuredTraining required for those configuringDefining the styles and formats was an iterative process with AuthorsAuthors don’t trust automatic content reuseXML editor specific tags not handled consistently by editors
- 12. Content Publication ChallengesInterfacing Documentum to XPPUsed Web ServicesDevelopment required to automate the interface for usersAssembling DITA Topics for publicationManuals consist of multiple topicsNeed to be able to publish manuals as sections or completelySeparate reviews for publication content and formatted outputSection 508 compliance reviews are time consuming and require coordination
- 13. Key LessonsFocus on the Authors, their acceptance of the new processes and technologies is criticalInvest in tools, if things are too hard to use or don’t work right, people will switch back to WordTraining is criticalOne step at a time, don’t move everything to DITA at once
- 14. Future Plans for the SystemManage images natively in DocumentumNow “managed” on desktops and emailMore dynamic publishingRemove schedule and update the print PDF automaticallyIncrease reuseSwitch for notifications of change to shared content sources
- 15. Thank You