Post on 08-Feb-2017
transcript
Value Beyond WordsMaximizing Your Role In The Content Ecosystem
Charles L. Rygula II The LavaCon Conference, 2016 Las Vegas
A bit of background
The business’ idea
Improve efficiency and value by
creating a centralized,
shared serviceorganization!
Their recipe for successPreparation:
No planningNo data analysisNo defined benchmarks
Leadership org structure:
No experience running a shared serviceNo experience managing content development teams (upper management)
The consequence
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
7 monthsBudget reduction 1
Budget reduction 2 DecentralizeCentralize
Budget reduction 3
The failed experiment
The envisioned goal: Turned into:
http://theoutsourcing-guide.com/shared-services-vs-bpo-why-make-the-choice/http://www.theleonardo.org/dt_portfolios/rube-goldberg-machine-activity/
• We are part of a Content Ecosystem. • Value is not only what we deliver, but also what else we do in
our content ecosystem.
Different perspectives on value
In the most cost effective and efficient manner and within policy, deliver what our customers expect.
Your Business:
Receive what I want or need, cost effectively.
Customer/User:
What doesthis mean
for us?
Agenda• What the Content Ecosystem is• Factors for Content Ecosystem expansion and related risks• Identifying your Content Ecosystem• Maximizing your value in the Ecosystem
What is the Content Ecosystem?
Obligatory definition
Interesting…• Definition “1” seemingly refers to a natural construct while “2” refers to
something that is man-made.• Definition “2” draws an association with business but does not include
the use of the word community.
Ecosystem 1. a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.
2. any system or network of interconnecting and interacting parts, as in a business..."
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ecosystem?s=t
Ecosystems are about relationships
• Community involves relationships beyond interconnecting parts – it accounts for the organisms (us) involved and their impact on each other.
• Whether community or business, relationships bring mutual success or failure – they involve dependencies.
>
Content is also about relationshipsStructured Content development tools
Unstructured Content
development tools
Multimedia development tools
Content Management
SystemsPublishing Systems Delivery Systems Content
Consumption Tools
http://mythresults.com/adam-savage
“I reject your reality and substitute my own.”
…words …tools
…reality
Infromation
Document Online Help Website
Metadata, Attributes, Conditions
I. IntroductionA. Thesis statement.B. Example statements
a. Example statement 1.b. Example statement 2.
C. Conclusion.
II. Example statement 1 detail.A. Detail 1B. Detail 2
…information
…people
The People aspect of the Content Ecosystem
• Working within the different perceptions of value, we have the most opportunity here.
• To maximize our potential here, we must consider:
• What do we do that is different?
• What is it that makes us unique?
• What else can I do?
Content Ecosystem expansionFactors and risks
Information overload
http://www.internetlivestats.com/10/14/16, ~11:15 AM CST
By 2020:• Global Internet traffic = 2.3 Zettabytes (3x
increase over 2015)
• 52% of global population (~4.1B) will be Internet users
• > 26B global IP-connected devices
http://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/solutions/service-provider/vni-complete-forecast/infographic.html
On 10/14/16:
Average Attention Span (seconds)
2000 12
2015 8.25
Goldfish 9http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/
By comparison:
Content Ecosystem growth factors
Business size:
More people = more functions = more communication channels
Siloed work flows; Whose job is it?; What’s true?
Customer increase:
More customers = more unique content requirements
People/tool/strategy scaling; content management
Technology:
Simple and availabletools and apps enable more communication
Varying levels of skill;Varying levels of knowledge;Difficult to manage
Why
?R
isks
?
Content Ecosystem growth factors (cont’d)
Competition:
Establishes bar for content quality, quantity, types, and delivery
Development under pressure; distraction; difficult to sustain w/oa formal strategy
Product / Service Complexity:
More complexity = more to explain = more to support
Mismanagement and/or potential misuse of content
Compliance:
Specialized and regulated information required to do business
Strict need for content accuracy and process consistency
Why
?R
isks
?
Content Ecosystem growth factors (cont’d)
Urgency:
“I need, therefore I write.” – more people developing more
Duplication of effort; Lack of consistency; Unavailable; Unmanaged; Accuracy
Why
?R
isks
?
Identifying your Content Ecosystem
Who is developing content?
Project Manager
Documentation
Quality Assurance Customer Support
Bids & Proposals
Product Management
Legal
Sales & Sales Engineering
Service Partners
Customers
Marketing & MarComm
R&D / Engineering
Training
What are they developing?
• Project Plans• Schedules• Dashboards
• Install Guides• User Guides• Admin Guides• API Guides• Regulatory Compliance• Online Help• In-product info• Solution• Release Notes • White papers• Datasheets• Social Media
• Test Plans• Test Scripts• Validated Configurations
• Field notices• Support docs (e.g. FAQs)• Social Media
• I-L Product training
• Web-based Product training
• Requirements• Systems Integration
Docs• Test plans• Customer-specific docs• Project plans• Product Training• Social Media
• Requirements• Feedback• Social Media
• Product presentations• Deployment scenarios• Offers• Social Media
• White papers• Data sheets• Web content• Social media• Competitive intelligence• Market analysis/strategy
• RFIs• RFPs• RFQs
• Legal boilerplate (copy right, disclaimers, safe harbor, etc.)
• Licenses
• Specifications • User stories• Compliance documentation • New Product Introduction• Release Notes• In-product info (e.g. CLI help)• Training
• Product Requirement Definitions (PRDs) • Feature Description Documents (FDDs)• Product Roadmaps• Product Presentations• Social Media
Project Manager
Documentation
Quality Assurance Customer Support Training
Service Partners
Customers
Sales & Sales Engineering
Marketing & MarCommBids & Proposals
Product Management
Legal
R&D / Engineering
Internal vs. external facing?
• Project Plans• Schedules• Dashboards
• Install Guides• User Guides• Admin Guides• API Guides• Regulatory Compliance• Online Help• In-product info• Solution• Release Notes • White papers• Datasheets• Social Media
• Test Plans• Test Scripts• Validated Configurations
• Field notices• Support docs (e.g. FAQs)• Social Media
• I-L Product training
• Web-based Product training
• Requirements• Systems Integration
Docs• Test plans• Customer-specific docs• Project plans• Product Training• Social Media
• Requirements• Feedback• Social Media
• Product presentations• Deployment scenarios• Offers• Social Media
• White papers• Data sheets• Web content• Social media• Competitive intelligence• Market analysis/strategy
• RFIs• RFPs• RFQs
• Legal boilerplate (copy right, disclaimers, safe harbor, etc.)
• Licenses
• Specifications • User stories• Compliance documentation • New Product Introduction• Release Notes• In-product info (e.g. CLI help)• Training
• Product Requirement Definitions (PRDs) • Feature Description Documents (FDDs)• Product Roadmaps• Product Presentations• Social Media
Project Manager
Documentation
Quality Assurance Customer Support Training
Service Partners
Customers
Sales & Sales Engineering
Marketing & MarCommBids & Proposals
Product Management
Legal
R&D / Engineering
What are the relationships / dependencies between the functions and their content?
Perspective point
Where content is coming from
Where content is going to
Project Manager
Documentation
Quality Assurance Customer Support Training
Bids & Proposals
Product Management
Legal
Sales & Sales Engineering
Service Partners
Customers
Marketing & MarComm
R&D / Engineering
Where does the output fit into the development cycle?
During Development Phase
At product/service release
Post release
Project Manager
Documentation
Quality Assurance Customer Support Training
Bids & Proposals
Product Management
Legal
R&D / Engineering
Sales & Sales Engineering
Service Partners
Customers
Marketing & MarComm
What is the proximity to revenue?
$ $$$$$
$$$$
$$$$
$$$
$$$ $$$
$$$
$$$
$
$$
$
$Project Manager
Documentation
Quality Assurance Customer Support Training
Bids & Proposals
Product Management
Legal
Sales & Sales Engineering
Service Partners
Customers
Marketing & MarComm
R&D / Engineering
Direct proximity to Revenue
Far Close
Other criteria for analysis• The nature of the content types (reference, workflow/task-
based, specs, regulatory, theoretical/conceptual)
• Content that can increase efficiency (i.e. sustain the business)
• Content that is most likely to be accurate
• Analytics – data that show things like development time, usage, re-use etc.
• Other metrics…
Maximizing your role
Accept reality• Many companies do not properly
value content.
• We may do it better, but we’re not the only ones doing it.
• Constraints are ever present.
• No one enjoys doing more with less.
Do more with more –use the resources of your Content Ecosystem!
Understand the big picture• Know your company’s goals and
challenges.
• Align what you do to the goals – your content strategy will fail otherwise.
• Get to know your customers.
• Understand the goals, workflows, and pain points of your peers.
Minimize the impact of organizational silos –think horizontally.
Be a leader• Build trust
• Do your job well and with passion.
• Communicate!!!
• Share knowledge and collaborate.
• Don’t avoid difficult situations.
• Come with solutions but be receptive to alternativesConnect the dots for those can’t –
don’t explain, inspire.
Be versatile• Think beyond the immediate
requirements.
• Actively develop yourself and your skills.
• Learn new things and challenge yourself and others to take risks.
Be willing and able to work at both the core and the edge.
http://www.themarkofaleader.com/diamond-shreddies-a-new-angle-on-a-familiar-product/
Promote simplicity• Collaboration and cooperation
require less resources – look at bees.
• Expensive tools with complicated work flows are not always the best solution.
• Complexity reduces value and aggravates people.
Base what you do on what is needed – the minimum viable product concept applies to content too.
“The value of any resource depends heavily on the political, legal and economic ecosystem around it.”
Alla Morrisonhttp://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/attention-governments-big-data-game-changer-businesses
Thank you!Charles L. Rygula IIwww.linkedin.com/in/CharlesRygula