Joe Gollner | @joegollnerManaging Director

Gnostyx Research Inc.info@gnostyx.com

Three Projects –One Important

Lesson

Three Projects - One Important Lesson

Two Case StudiesSoftware Documentation under pressure

Breaking the mold for construction learning content

Key Lesson Learned

Third Case StudyDigital Humanities project reinforces key lesson

Review Key LessonCompare with Recent Research Findings

Conclusion: A lesson too important to forget

@joegollner 2

CMS or DieSoftware Documentation under Pressure

@joegollner 3

Software Docs under Pressure

Global Leader in specialized, integrated real-time environments

Enjoying escalating success as the field becomes HOT

Moving quickly into new markets

Expanding rapidly to address new integration opportunities

Software DocumentationNeeded to be localized into many languages (20+)

Needed to keep up with rapid changes in the software

@joegollner 4

CMS or Die

Starting Assumption was that a CMS was needed

DITA was also needed

Accelerated projectDITA design

DITA authoring

DITA processing

DITA CMS Pilot

Quick & Dirty StrategyDynamic delivery portal

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Trouble comes knocking

Trouble in paradiseComplexity of the integration environmentscatches up with engineering

Competitors up their game

Sales take a hit

Everything is scrutinized

CMS does not fit inAuthors find it an obstacle

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A Ray of HopeTwo things go very well

Team dives into DITA• Established good practices

• New DITA processesimprove productivity

• Localization costs controlled

• Leveraged a source control system & Kanban methodsjust like the Engineering teams

Dynamic Delivery Portal• Deemed vital to improving

service to partner integrators

• Docs receive more resources

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Breaking the Publishing MoldBreaking the mold for construction learning content

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Construction Education & Certification

Global Leader in ConstructionEducation curricula & resources

Assessment & certification

Delivers content through a long-standing partnership

Major publisher

Publisher-specified processes• One size fits all approach

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Charting their own Path

Partner-focus was getting in the wayDistracted from customers & sponsors

Introduced cost & complexity

Restricted what they could do- with their own content!

New PlanDITA embraced as basis of their owncontent specification

CMS piloted as basis of new processes

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Trouble on the Construction Site

Parallel Project runs into trouble Becomes a money sinkhole

Places pressure on content project

Demands on team skyrocket

Publishing partner changes the standard used for submissions

CMS does not fit inAuthors find it an obstacleas they adapt to new demands

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Ottawa Downtown Sinkhole 2016

Teamwork Prevails in the End

A Focus on Quality OutcomesTeam dives into DITA

Sidelines the CMS• Deploys content management practices

Realizes significant productivity gains• Automating as many tasks as possible

• Production team reported that they were

producing three times the number of publications and doing it on a significantly reduced budget[Note: this drives revenues]

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Important Lesson LearnedPrecision beats Power & Timing Beats Speed

Investing in what gets noticed is key

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The Wisdom of the Ring

Precision beats powerand Timing beats speed

- Conor McGregorUFC Lightweight Champion

Finding exactly the right way to be noticed & dedicating yourself to doing it

Delivering something of value to customers / stakeholders

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The Important Takeaway

Nothing beats jumping in with both feetFocus on the team

Focus on the content

Focus on doing something new & valuable

The price is high – asks a lot of the team

But the benefits are greatthe knowledge gained is invaluable• The team becomes a very savvy buyer of tools & services

the points gained with powerful stakeholders is gold

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Athena holding Nike

Bringing Research Data OnlineDigital Humanities project showcases an important lesson

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Digital Miscellanies Index

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Project to capture the publishing history of 18th Century English Poetry Miscellanies (anthologies) & to make the data openly accessible

A Familiar Pattern

Project started with an energetic investment in a database system

Consumed the technology budget

Struggled to handle the real data

Quickly became unusable

Student ResearchersFound ways to keep working

Captured mountains of data

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A Bridge was Needed

The project still had to make the data accessible

A central commitment to the funding sponsors

XML to the rescueA short-term expedient solution

Data would be migrated to XML then cleaned & organized

A dynamic delivery portal would make the data accessible

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Smooth Punting Thereafter

On the strength of hitting its release deadlines

DMI received a second round of funding

Were able to design a new database & delivery interface based on the experience with, and feedback on, the initial solution

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Recent Research InquiriesHow does this lesson line up with recent research findings?

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@joegollnerA Study of the Usefulness of Deploying a Questionnaire to Identify Cultural Dynamics Potentially Affecting a Content-Management Project - IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7393886/

CMS Project Cultural Dynamics

Survey of CMS Project Team MembersFrom the First Two Project Case Studies• Generally positive outlook & openness to change

• Willingness to learn & expectations of positive outcomes

• Concerns about transition burden given workload

• Impacts on delivery schedules

• Possible constraints being introduced by new system

• See center square where negative codes spike

• Prescient given the challenges that arose

• Prescient given the teamwork that prevailed

The results align with key lesson• Transition concerns plus strong focus on positive impacts

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Work Group Worth Transition Challenges Expected Outcomes

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+5 +10

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6 5

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16 6 1

-9 -3

+1

10 8

-3

+10 +1

7 11

-4

TechnoCorp EduOrgPositive, Neutral, Negative codes applied to:

-12-11

+16 +12

@joegollnerPlaying your way to better content management and collaboration – Nolwenn Kerzreho & Joe Gollner, TCWorld Magazinehttp://www.tcworld.info/e-magazine/content-strategies/article/playing-your-way-to-better-content-management-and-collaboration/

CMS Project Risks & ResponsesStandard Set of Snakes Selected Emphasized Standard Set of Ladders Selected Emphasized

Collaborators too busy 14 3 Engage IT early 3

Collaborators competing 1 Align with policies 1

Collaborators too possessive 3 Emphasize customer benefits 6 2

Collaborators weak communicators 7 Conduct stakeholder briefings 5

Collaborators question value 4 Prototype collaboration tools 1

Collaborators reject tool 10 1 Pilot collaboration tools 5

Collaborators resist change 4 2 Demonstrate customer benefits 8 1

Management questions ROI 1 Engage collaborators early 9 1

Inadequate budget set 1 1 Engage executive champion 14 5

Unrealistic schedule set 3 Publicize project successes 3

Crisis changes priorities 10 5 Engage Management on issues 8 1

Weak PM Overwhelmed 2 Ensure Win-Win for Collaborators 11 1

Legacy practices overemphasized 6 Involve users in tool selection 8

IT blocks project 2 Train power users 9 1

Incomplete tool requirements 5 Provide user support 6

Deliver ongoing training 4

New Snakes Added & Emphasized New Ladders Added & Emphasized

No Executive Sponsorship 1 1 Incentivized participation 1 1

Loss of stakeholder engagement 1 1 Use Standards 1 1

Acquired by Different Company 1 1 Define clear stakeholder roles 1 1

Tool problems 1 1 Treat SMEs as Customers 2 1

SME Training Inadequate 1 1 Formalize new skills 1 1

Fail operational testing 1 1 Assign SME responsibilities 1 1

Losing Executive Champion 1 1 Build relationships 1 1

Expectations change 1 1

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Snakes & Ladders Workshop by Nolwenn Kerzreho (@NolwennIXIASOFT)

Workshop run at several conferences in 2015 including• CIDM Best Practices St Petersburg

Participants identified • risks to their content collaboration

projects (snakes)

• Possible responses (ladders)

Results aggregated• They align with key lesson

Workload / Tool Mismatch / Big Changes Engage & Energize Stakeholders

X

X

X

A lesson too important to forget

It’s the impact of investments that mattersContent Modernization projects need to be tactical about this

Emphasis falls ontoWorking as a team with the content in a new way• Being ready to adapt to whatever challenges emerge (and they will)

Prioritizing the delivery of new value• Something that customers & executive stakeholders will notice

N.B. This is not an anti-CMS position• It’s about choosing the right CMS at the right time & then using it well

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Joe Gollner | @joegollner | www.gollner.caManaging Director | Gnostyx Research Inc.@gnostyx | www.gnostyx.com | info@gnostyx.com