Successful Single-Source Content Development

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© 2011 Xyleme - All rights reserved Successful Single-source Content Development Structured Writing for Reusability Comtech ▪ Xyleme, Inc.

description

This presentation looks at why single-source content development is rapidly becoming a strategic initiative within organizations. Content management experts, Dawn Stevens of Comtech & Stuart Grossman of Xyleme, show you how to design granular content for reusability across products, functions & delivery modalities and assess your organization’s readiness for the move to single source. To view webinar please visit: http://www.xyleme.com/download-form?type_of_download=Webinar&nid=218

Transcript of Successful Single-Source Content Development

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© 2011 Xyleme - All rights reserved

Successful Single-source Content DevelopmentStructured Writing for Reusability

Comtech ▪ Xyleme, Inc.

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Our Presenters

Dawn StevensSenior ConsultantComtech Services

Stuart GrossmanVP of Client ServicesXyleme, Inc.

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During the Webinar

Use your Q&A pane to type any questions you may have for our speakers.

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Agenda

What is single-source content development?

Assessing management, personnel and process readiness.

Best practices for structured writing.

Delivery readiness for documentation and training

Selecting a pilot project and use case

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Poll

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Multiple Languages

Instructor/Student Guides, Slides,

Handouts, Exams

Web Courses, Assessments, Certifications

Job Aids, Help Files, Reference

Manuals

Tablets, Smartphones, eBook readers

Multiple Outputs

Word, PowerPoint, FrameMaker

Articulate, Captivate, Lectora

DreamWeaver, RoboHelp, Word

Objective C, HTML, Proprietary

ToolsMultiple Tools

Classroom eLearningPerformance

SupportMobileMultiple Teams

We currently create learning in output silos.

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Structured writing gives us...

Instructor’s Guides

Participant Guides

Handout Packs

Mobile

Slide Deck

Assessments

E-learning

Reference Guides

Performance Support

Before After

</xml>

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Reusable and single-source content

Source New Course

Repository

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Single-Source Publishing Process

Selection

Transformation

Formatting

Publishing

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A New Way to See Learning Content

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How to Know What is Reusable

Mfg Operators Quality Assurance Maintenance

Mfg floor layout x x x

Identify equipment x x x

Safety procedures x x x

Bioreactor Operation x ?

Sample access ports x x

Cleaning x x

Repair x

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Keep Shared Content Context Neutral

How to operate a bio-reactor

How does a bio-reactor work?

Where do you draw the sample for

testing?

How does a bio-reactor work?

Manufacturing Operator Quality Associate

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How Do I Make it Relevant?

Introduction

General Content

Example

Non-Example

General Content

Summary

1

2

Not Shared

Shared

Course 1

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Where Could the Object Appear?

Course 1 Course 2

1

2

2

3

Not Shared

Shared

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Why Go Through the Transition?

Increases speed to market/delivery Updated products

Customized modules to support verticals/audiences

Localized changes to meet global requirements

Lowers production costs Write once, use many times

Revise once, update everywhere

Reduce production activities

Enables new delivery channels XML future-proofs content

Ready for deployment to any new devices

Meet varying mobile requirements (tablets, performance support)

Improves content quality Write once, use many times

Revise once, update everywhere

Reduce production activities

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Poll

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Management Checklist

Questions focus on whether you have a strategic plan that defines where you are and where you want to be.

“any road will take you there.” “you might wind up someplace else.”{ }~ Lewis Carrol ~ Yogi Berra{ }If you don’t know where you are going…

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Management Checklist

Do you have a senior management champion?

Have you identified stakeholders, their needs and expectations?

Have you created a compelling business case?

Have you formed a project governance board?

Have you documented all risks and corresponding mitigation strategies?

Have you allowed adequate time for implementation and adoption?

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Personnel Checklist

Questions focus on whether you have set up appropriate motivations and support structures to encourage your staff to adapt.

“Even those who fancy themselves the most progressive will fight against other kinds of progress, for each of us is

convinced that our way is the best way.”

~ Louis L’Amour{ }

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Personnel Checklist

Do you have 1-2 content reuse champions to oversee and coordinate?

Have you educated personnel about the importance of these strategies both to themselves and to the business?

Is there adequate time for training staff on new technology & processes?

Is there a team dedicated to the project implementation?

Is acceptance and adoption tied to employee performance?

Have you established a collaborative working environment?

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Collaborative Work Environment

Mutual trust and respect in

interactions

Rapid and complete sharing of

information

Move from “me and mine” to “us

and ours”

Commitment to the

success of all

Shared Leadership

Cross-functional mix of expertise

Active Learning

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Poll

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Process Checklist

“If you need a new process and don’t install it, you pay for it without getting it.”

~ Ken Stork, Citibank{ }

Questions focus on whether you have considered how your operations must and will change.

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Process Checklist

Have you identified areas for streamlining and improvement?

Have you considered the new/changed processes that will be required to implement these new strategies?

Have you researched best practices?

Have you captured pre-conversion metrics to help document your improvements?

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Example Process Changes

Who owns the content?

How do you determine if/when a change can be made to an object used in multiple places?

At what level will you reuse (paragraph, topic, lesson, figures, lists, tables, etc.)?

How is reused content reviewed in context?

How will you name folders and files?

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Content Checklist

Questions focus on ways to ensure that your content pieces are compatible.

Do not put statements in the negative form. And don't start sentences with a conjunction. If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do. Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all. De-accession euphemisms. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. Last, but not least, avoid clichés like the plague. ~ William Safire, “Great Rules or Writing”{ }

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Content Checklist

Have you determined common structures, content types, and elements?

Have you identified areas for potential reuse within your own department?

Have you identified content shared among documentation, training, marketing, customer support, and other groups?

Do you have a standard style guide and authoring guidelines in place?

Do you perform editorial reviews on the use of templates and conformance to style guides?

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Unstructured Writing

Difficult, if not impossible to reuse

Idiosyncratic

Developed top-down

Driven by an internal logic

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Structured Writing

Unified underlying design

Interchangeable parts

The Lego Model All the pieces fit together

from multiple sets

Standard sizes and standard connectors

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Poll

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Common Structures

Metadata Dimensions

The categories that you use to organize and label the content that you will manage in a content management system

The standard categories of content that you use to provide the structure and content guidelines needed to author individual topics

An information type is generally supported by an authoring template

The building blocks of your Information Types

Content units, required and optional, guide the authors in writing topics that can be easily reused in a variety of contexts

Information Types Content Units

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Metadata Dimensions

Customers need information to Install, design, configure, select Operate, control, maintain Troubleshoot, repair, replace

Customers differ Languages, geographies, experience,

expertise Products, workflow, job tasks Money, time

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Metadata Dimensions

Author/OwnerRoleDepartmentEditor/ReviewerSchedule datesSourceWorkflow

Authoring Dimensions

User Dimensions

Publishing Dimensions

GoalsTasksConceptsStages of useLearning styleRolesWorkflowLanguageCulture

ProductReleaseSubject areaProcess areaCustomer(s)Information type

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Information Types

Users need information about:

Why?What?Who?

When?How?Where?

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Information Types

Typical information types Objectives Concepts Policies Processes Procedures Tasks References Assessments

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Content Units

Information types consist of content units: Text and media Strictly or loosely defined Required or optional In sequence or freeform

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Content Units

Some of the content units may be the same.

Tutorial Lesson Procedure

Tutorial titlePurpose statementWarnings and CautionsTutorial stepsFeedback statementsOptions

Procedure titlePurpose statementPre-requisitesWarnings and CautionsAction stepsFeedback statementsOptions

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Authoring Guidelines and Style Guides

Define information types, content types, metadata dimensions How and when each are used Usable examples

Define writing conventions and standards

Avoid look and feel discussions

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Delivery Checklist

Questions focus on your delivery modalities and output types

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Delivery Checklist

Have you determined all output types you will support?

Have you established common structures for each output type?

Do you have templates in place for each output type?

Do your templates and media plans reflect the capabilities and requirements of the delivery devices you will support?

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Documentation Output Types

Quick reference

User guide

Online help

Reference guide

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Learning Output Types

ILT eLearning mLearning

Moment of Need?

Learning for the first time

Learning for the first time,Learning more

Applying what was learned,When things go wrong or change

When?When scheduled

When learner has time While performing job

How Big? Textbook/Guide Course Nugget

What’s inside?Topics, Procedures, Workshops, Slides

Animation, Assessments, Simulations, Video

Video, Audio, Text, References, Assessments

Personalization?

By the instructor To a specific audience To an individual

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Poll

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Technology Checklist

Questions focus on your tool selection process

“If the axe is not sharp, it doesn’t matter how hard the wood is.”{ }~ Chinese Proverb

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Technology Checklist

Have you researched and evaluated your current tools?

Are technology requirements documented (authoring, production)?

Is your audience’s technology requirements documented (delivery, tracking)?

Have you created and send an RFI or RFP?

Have you created an evaluation tool to assist your selection process?

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Implementation Checklist

Questions focus on your strategies for rollout and adoption

“Why go into something to test the waters? Go into it to make waves.”{ }~ Unknown

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Implementation Checklist

Have you selected a pilot project for proof concept?

Have you audited your legacy systems?

Have you established translation and localization strategies for multiple language delivery?

Have you created a change management plan?

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Selecting a Pilot Project

A test of your design tools

Authoring ease of use

Database structure (components and elements)

Dynamic reassemble (metadata and variables)

Search, links, indexing

Give users time to adjust to new ways of doing things

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Selecting a Pilot Project

Visible and important enough that people care

Short time frame for quick turnaround

Address entire problem domain, but keep initial activities small:

Narrow and deep, exercising all aspects

Broad and shallow, running a single, simple project through the entire process

Minimize complexity

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Poll

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Case Study: Previous Situation

Product “family” (seven products) with slight variations in specs, feature set

Previously: published one manual containing content for all seven products

Translated to five languages

Approximately 90% of core content also used in manuals for other product families

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Case Study: Single-source Solution

Set up structure to support reuse – folders, reusable components (topics, maps)

Applied metadata to content

Conditionally processed a single bookmap which contains all possible conditions using attributes for conditions

Produced product specific documents

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Case Study: Results

Core manual contains approximately 60,000 words

From the core bookmap, 7 manuals (en) produced

Translations in 13 languages for all 7 manuals – 7 x 13 = 91 books

90% of text reused from previous translations

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Case Study: Results

Costs

Before with DTP: 60,000x13x.50 = $390,000

With XML and conditional processing = $30,000

Savings of $360K

Time

Translations returned in 3 weeks

PDF production (91 books) and review completed in 4 weeks

Customer output for each product = 6 new deliverables in each language

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To learn more…

http://www.cm-strategies.com/2011/index.htmMention the Xyleme Webinar and receive $100 off registration.

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To learn more…

Comtech workshops www.comtech-serv.com

Minimalism, Content Management Strategies, User and Task Analysis, Structured Writing, DITA for writers

DIAT bootcamp

Center for Information – Development Management www.infomanagementcenter.com

Content Management Strategies 2011, April 4-6, Baltimore, MD

Best Practices 2011, September 12-14, San Antonio, TX

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Learn more about Xyleme

Follow us on Twitter @xylemelearning

Listen to industry luminaries on our award-winning podcast library at www.xyleme.com/podcasts

Upcoming events Xyleme LCMS monthly product webcast: April 7, 10am MDT mLearnCon: iPad and Tablet Computing: A Game Changer for

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