Joe Gollner | @joegollnerManaging Director
Gnostyx Research [email protected]
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
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CMS or DieSoftware Documentation under Pressure
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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
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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
Rea
ctio
ns
toO
rgan
izat
ion
al C
han
geR
eact
ion
s to
Tech
no
logy
an
d P
roce
sses
An
tici
pat
edO
rgan
iza
tio
nal
Ch
ange
+5 +10
4 2
-2
-2 -2
+10 +3
6 5
-5
5
+4 +4
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 | [email protected]