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Every day technical communication teams are being asked to do something new. Given the rate of change that is apparent in the marketplace, and the expanding array of new devices and venues that will need to be supported, this trend will only accelerate. One question that comes up is how do teams explore the new publishing pathways so that they can determine what changes they will need to their overall content creation and publishing process. Join Intelligent Content thought leader Joe Gollner as he guides us through some proven steps in exploring new information products and refining content processes. In particular, this session will introduce the concept of a content scenario, a technique he has used for years to help organizations adapt their information product portfolios efficiently and effectively. As part of this session, Joe will introduce a public domain content scenario for helping projects to explore how DITA might be used to address certain types of new information product. Join Joe Gollner and Adobe product evangelist Maxwell Hoffmann for this practical session on how technical communication teams can handle the demands being sent their way.
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© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Content Scenarios for exploring New Information Products
Joe Gollner | Director - Gnostyx Research |Twitter @joegollner | www.gnostyx.com | jag@gnostyx.comMaxwell Hoffmann | Adobe Product Evangelist | Twitter @maxwellhoffmann |
mhoffman@adobe.com
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
About Adobe
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74 Offices in 43 Countries
Corporate Headquarters inSan Jose, California
Founded in December 1982
$4.2 billion in revenue in FY2011
More than 10,000 employees
Adobe donates a minimum of 1%of net income to philanthropy
We simplify complicated, inefficient, and expensive workflows.We enable more engaging, compelling content.We drive greater return from digital media and marketing investments.
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
About Maxwell Hoffmann
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Maxwell Hoffmann Product Evangelist, Tech Comm Suite
Former Product Manager and Sales Training Directorfor Frame Technology
15 years in translation industry, working on “whatever documents walked through the door”
Trained over 1,200 people in hands-on, scalable publishing solutions
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
About Joe Gollner
Joe Gollner is the Director of Gnostyx Research. He has been implementing large-scale standards-based content management systems for over twenty years. His role has typically been that of the enterprise content strategist and senior project manager. He now provides objective support to organizations as they venture into projects that will modernize how they create, manage, publish and evolve their content assets.
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Gnostyx Research is an independent consultancy that helps organizations to make good choices early in their content management projects. To support this mandate, Gnostyx Research is developing resources that can be used to accelerate projects and improve investment success rates. These resources include training materials, implementation methodologies, test suites and design tools.
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Content Scenarios for exploring New Information Products
Topics
Confronting a Core CM Challenge
Introducing Content Scenarios
What are Content Scenarios?
What makes up a Content Scenario?
What can Content Scenarios be used for?
What are the benefits of Content Scenarios?
A Recent Case Study
A Public Domain Content Scenario for DITA
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© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
The Stark Reality of Most CM Projects
Productivity
Cost
Tim
e
Productivity Hit
Typical Content Management Investment Curve
Productivity Gains & other benefits begin to offset aggregate costs
between 18 and 24 months after project initiation (in better cases)
Typical CM project requires modernization re-investment between 48 and 60 months
after project initiation – meaning the overall investment is never offset
Aggregate Cost
ExpendituresGain
Offset
One Key Challenge: New CM technology & information products introduce numerous changes in the requirements baseline – technology is not neutral & this is why scope management is such a challenge. If it always seems like your requirements are changing – it’s because they are!
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
The Promised Land of Content Management
Productivity
Cost
Tim
e
Productivity Hit
Preferred Content Management Investment Curve
Reduced expenditures & productivity hit plus accelerated gains begin to offset
aggregate costs in less than 12 months (or sooner)
Flexible architecture supports continuous evolution instead of cyclic
re-investment in modernization – with each evolutionary step being self-funded
Gain
Offset
Aggregate Cost
Expenditures
There are a number of improvement strategies. See Adobe webinar on Just Enough Content Management. One key strategy is to explore new requirements as soon in the project as possible. This will reduce the cost of addressing those needs & increase downstream benefits realization.
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Random Question: Why do Demos blow up so often?
Simple Question
Well known phenomenon
Software misbehaves as soonas someone important is inthe room
Possible Answer
Demos for senior stakeholders(aka important people)will seek to introduce a relevantbusiness scenario to demonstrate the value of the software
This transgresses the unspoken scope boundaries that were beingfollowed by the developers
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Key Lesson
Introduce meaningful business scenarios into the software development process as early as possible
Demo-based development
Content Scenarios
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
One Improvement Strategy: Content Scenarios
Content Scenario – A Definition
A Content Scenario isa functionally realistic demonstration of an end-to-end business activityfacilitated by exemplary content resources and process steps that can be used throughout the content solution lifecycle to maximize CM investment effectiveness
Short Form: End-to-end business demonstrations that showcase how content solutions will make things better
Key Point:Content Scenarios must be completely oriented towards the needs & interests of business stakeholders at the executive levelThis means they must be:
Based on real business activities
Use real business data9
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
What is a Content Scenario? A Simple Example
Engineering
Authoring
Suppliers
ResellerMarketing
Translation
1. Engineering provides material in MS Word
2. MS Word is transformed into XML
3. XML is exchanged with Suppliers
4. XML input is returned from Suppliers
5. Authoring works with XML sources
6. Authoring produces publications modules
7. Modules exchanged with Translators
8. Some content provided to Marketing in MS Word
9. Marketing produces sales support tools
10. Sales support tools provided to Resellers
11. Sales support tools provided in MS Word
12. Publication content also provided as dynamic web
13. Publications also provided as an ePub Manual
Example of a Content Scenario:A series of individual user stories, interchange events & rendition processes
that combine into a meaningful business activity
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
The Anatomy of a Content Scenario
What makes up a Content Scenario
Functionally realistic content examples
Assembled from real documentation
Sensitive details removed
Should be able to share it with technology providers & others
Support a coherent & compelling story
Content & process models
Background information about
Business context
Key users & stakeholders
Critical requirements
Demonstration scripts for key process steps
Reference implementations (components) for key process steps
Content scenarios arerequirementsyou can kick
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
The First Step towards a Content Scenario
The First Step is a Humble One: Content
Functionally realistic content instances
Demonstration content
Illustrating the most representative content and processes
Supported by web-friendly media resources
Business Demonstrations
Scripted scenarios for demonstrating business events
End-to-End demonstrations of new capabilities & benefits
Compelling to business executives & stakeholders
Need to bring forward new delivery capabilities (e.g., tablet)
Anything is better than
A garage, a snow shovel, or a bicycle
Important to emphasize new information
products to explore & validate some of the usage assumptions
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
The Uses of Content Scenarios
Content Analysis tool
One way to analyze content is to create sample instances
Content model validation & documentation
Prevent schemas from becoming divorced from reality
Initiative Sales Pitch & Proof of Concept
Helping executives to really understand what is being proposed
Reference instances
Supporting conversion processes, development tasks & authoring guidelines
Testing based on bona fide requirements
Tool evaluation, solution acceptance, regression testing
Interoperability & conformance validation
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Case Study: An Online Discovery Service
Project chartered to explore new territory
Provide integrated discovery services that combines resources from many jurisdictions
Present government information from the users’ perspective (not the government’s)
Content Scenarios
Used to prototype information experiences
Used to refine taxonomy & application behaviour
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Lightweight JavaScript-enabled prototype used for initial requirements solicitation & validation
Resulting solution was remarkably successful especially with user
community:Farmers
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
The Benefits of Content Scenarios
Leveraging Content Scenarios
A mechanism for engaging the whole team
Writers & illustrators as well as information architects & developers
Ensures the focus stays on end-to-end processes & outputs
Emphasizes investments that realize new products & services
Enables a learning process by engaging users & clients
Feedback mechanisms drive ongoing investments
Content Scenarios build bridges with Stakeholders
Engaging stakeholders, especially executives, is key
The importance of this is always under-estimated
Engaging tool providers is almost as important
Aligning practical technology capabilities with key business drivers
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
DITA Content Scenario: A Work in Progress
ComputerPlatform
MessagingSystem
130 Topics7 Maps
ControlSystem
ApplicationSoftware
EquipmentSystem
EquipmentSystem
SupportSystem
SupplierSystem
An Evolving & Expanding StoryShared Source Scenario
One hope is that it can provide a point of reference for the evolution of the DITA standard
© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Public Domain DITA Content Scenario: Hard Work!
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© 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Consider Deploying Content Scenarios on your Next Project
Content Scenarios
A very simple idea
Not entirely new
Worth considering when:
Your project is charting new territory
You will be delivering new types of information products to your customers
You would like enhanced support from your executives for your plans
See:www.gollner.ca/2011/11/introducing-content-scenarios.html
Watch for the release ofthe DITA Content Scenario…
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© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
Upcoming Adobe TechComm Webinars
Char James-Tanny
Part II: Creating an Accessible Layout – Tips to make documents more accessible (structure, colors, fonts, more) (17 July, 10-11 AM PST)
Part III: Developing Accessible Content – Tips on grammar, paragraph, and sentence length, alternate text, and more (31 July, 10-11 AM PST)
Find Out How to Write XSLT Statements for XML to XML Transformations in a 5-part eSeminars Series, 28 June to 19 July, Thomas Aldous
Expand Your Content Reuse Potential through Indirect Addressing: Using @keys-based Referencing in DITA 1.2, 11 July, Nancy Harrison
Are You Tempted to Use a Template to Expedite Policies & Procedure Development? 12 July, Raymond Urgo
Are you struggling to create long, complex documents with Microsoft Word? There is a much easier way! 13 July, Thomas Aldous
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© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
Questions and Answers
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© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Contact Information
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InformationJoe GollnerGnostyx Research IncDirector
Blog http://www.gollner.caTwitter http://twitter.com/joegollnerEmail jag@gnostyx.comWeb http://www.gnostyx.com
Maxwell HoffmannAdobe Systems, Inc.Product Evangelist
Blog blogs.adobe.com/techcomm Blog blogs.adobe.com/mbhoffmann Twitter twitter.com/maxwellhoffmann
Email mhoffman@adobe.com Web www.adobe.comLinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellhoffmannFacebook As Maxwell HoffmannFacebook As Adobe Technical Communication Professionals Group
Previously recorded eSeminars: http://adobe.ly/qo3pzc
Calendar of upcoming eSeminars: http://adobe.ly/xdzOYa
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
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