Aurélia Sarnowski - Technical Communication...Moving to DITA: Getting started • Collect...
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Aurélia Sarnowski
Transcript of Aurélia Sarnowski - Technical Communication...Moving to DITA: Getting started • Collect...
Aurélia Sarnowski
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About my company
CRM & BI
SME
176 employees
1000 customers 80 countries
French
sofware
company
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About me
I’m French….
But not exclusively!
Who am I?
Why am I here today?
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Agenda
• The Big Move
• Moving to DITA
• Documentation and process improvement
• Summarizing
• Room for improvements
• Tips for colleagues
• Business improvements
What are we going to talk about?
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The Big Move
Why did we need to move to DITA?
• Starting from:
o Unstructured FM
o Help & Manual
o PDF and Online help
o More than 50 documents (FR & EN)
o A total of about 4500 pages for each language
• Towards the Big Move…
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The Big Move
• The benefits of DITA:
o One tool for several formats
o Reuse and modularity
o Conditionality
o Documentation improvement
o Cost reduction
• A day in the life of a Coheris technical writer…
Why did we choose DITA, and how did we get approval?
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Moving to DITA: Getting started
• Collect information:
o Learn about best practices
o Search for help and advice to define a strategy
• Switch to Information Authoring:
o Structured writing
o Minimalism
• Select tools:
o XML editor: oXygen
o Storage and version-control system: SVN
Rethinking the documentation process
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Definition of a general action plan:
• Based on 6 main stages with general actions
• Resulting in tests and pilot projects
Step-by-step strategy
1 - ROADMAP
General
strategy Project
objectives Documentation
improvement Technology
watch Tests & Pilot
Project
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Step-by-step strategy
DITA
templates Content
review Content
strategy
Style guides Tests & Pilot
Project
2 – CONTENT REORGANIZATION
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Step-by-step strategy
Webinars
Method
analysis
Tests & Pilot
Project
3 – SPECIALIZATION
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Step-by-step strategy
Publication
formats Stylesheet
customization Publication
platform Tests & Pilot
Project
4 – PUBLICATION
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Step-by-step strategy
Storage
Automation
Customization Tests & Pilot
Project
5 – TOOLS
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Step-by-step strategy
6 – FINAL PILOT PROJECT
MIGRATION
Last but not least before…
Test
everything
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Definition of a detailed action plan (actions, authors, deadlines, etc.)
Definition of a pilot project:
o Why did we decide to have a pilot project?
o How did it work?
o How big it was?
o Etc.
Example of pilot projects
Tests (re-iteration, specific issues, etc.)
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
Tests:
• All along the project
• Again and again!
Example of tests
Importance of testing
Slow down! Slow down…!
Slowly but surely!
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Moving to DITA: Project stages
During the pilot stage:
• Show regular results to the management
• Receive feedback
During the project:
• Facilitate the technical writer’s daily work
• Produce visible changes for the end-user:
o No useless information, more tasks and examples
o Better accessibility
o Etc.
Need for improvement
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Documentation improvement (1)
Improving content, form and information access
Form:
• New publication formats
• New corporate visual identity
Content:
• Content review
• General content strategy
• Style guides and best practices
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Documentation improvement (2)
Tools
• Storage and version-control system
• Customized and developed according to needs
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Process improvement (3)
Processes for optimization
• Content lifecycle review
• Process automation
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Documentation improvement (4)
First step: Colleagues’ feedback
• Surveys:
o Quality documentation: 3,5 on a 0 to 5 scale
• Our strength: 92% consult it frequently or occasionally
• Shared outcomes: information access, customer’s expectations
• Demand for improvement: very few examples
o New publication formats:
• 62% are in favour of it
• 44% would like to keep PDF format
• More collaboration on content
• Etc.
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Documentation improvement (5)
Second step: Partners and customers’ feedback
• Surveys
• Consultative committees
• More interaction and involvement
• Etc.
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Summarizing
Team level
Management level
Customer level
DITA, a « one-fit-alls » solution at all levels…
Increase productivity
Answer issues
Tasks with more added-value
Improve processes linked to content
Save money
Reinforce the company’s image
Satisfy customers
Better quality documentation
More user-oriented content
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Room for improvements
At the very beginning of your project:
• Analyze what was wrong with your method vs. benefits of DITA
Find good arguments to convince your management
• Anticipate and ask for material and human resources
• Define a strategy
Do not throw yourselves into your project blindly
Start small and make it evolve
• Invest in testing (tests and pilot projects)
What we did wrong… and will do better next time!
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Tips for colleagues
During your project:
• Seek advice – feedback – help of:
o Colleagues
o Experts
o End-users (partners and customers)
• Do not hesitate to delegate some tasks
• Do regular technology watch:
o Webinars
o Blogs and professional networks
o Reference documents
o Events
What we encourage you to do…
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Business improvements
• Cost reduction (production, support, translation, etc.)
• Save time for content creation and maintenance
• Better overview of documentation
• Improved time-to-market
• Satisfied customers
Benefits for management
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Happy DITA implementation!
Special thanks…
Thank you all for your attention!
Feel free to contact me: [email protected]
Any questions?
