Developing a Content Management Team for Your Intranet    

What is the overall process? Who are the players? What are their best uses?

Boiko, Bob. SLA (2002). Presentations>Content Management>Collaboration

Developing a Content-Management Strategy: Implications in a Multi-Language Environment  

Why we went to a single-source CMS and how we went about it.

Douma, Barbara. ComTech Services (2001). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Case Studies

Developing a Database Publishing System: A Demonstration  

We developed a database publishing system that uses raw data from a database and produces camera ready copy using Microsoft Access, FrameMaker, and Brio Publish. This type of project requires a project plan that defines the scope of the project, a complete understanding of the various relationships in the database, selection of the right tools for the task, and a sensitivity to the needs of the users who face dramatic change in their environment. This demonstration focuses on all aspects of this effort.

Cantoni, Georgina C. and Judith L. 'Judy' Glick-Smith. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Microsoft Access

Developing a Project Life Cycle for Technical Publications  

Having a technical publications project life cycle (pLC) that parallels an organization's product life cycle (PLC) greatly facilitates its adoption by engineering or development organizations. A technical publications project life cycle relates major documentation project management strategies, tasks, and deliverables to the same model used by technical organizations to control product development in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Some technical organizations perceive the documentation development process as being “intrusive” into the product development process, particularly during the Implementation Phase of the PLC. Communicating a technical publications pLC to these organizations early in the PLC eliminates this misperception.

Le Vie, Donald S., Jr. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Documentation>Project Management

Developing a Web Site Prototype

A prototype, both paper and online (and I suggest you build both) is a 'mini' Web site, including content (or content ideas), graphics, multi-media etc., on a smaller scale than the final site. I have found that developing a prototype is a great way to present your ideas to upper management for approval to go 'live.' Also, and more important, an online prototype is an ideal application for user testing to ensure your site's success.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. W-edge Design (1999). Design>Web Design>Project Management

Developing an Effective Online Marketing Plan  

A business plan is a basic strategic guide showing where your business should be going over the next one to five years. A marketing plan is a subset of the business plan. It lays out the goals and quantifiable objectives for all of your company’s marketing activities, such as TV, radio, print, or online. An online marketing plan is a subset of the marketing plan for all online activities. The center of the plan is the Web site, but the overall plan could include more than just the site. It could include e-mail, mail subscriptions or lists, newsgroups, online advertising, and even chat room participation. This paper discusses the elements of an online marketing plan, the strategy, tactics, and offers. It also briefly discusses an example project.

Caldanaro, Regina M. and Jodie Pait. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Management>Marketing

Developing and Maintaining a Large Document for Publication in Multiple Media  

This paper outlines the development of the Software Technology Reference Guide—a 500-page directory of software technologies— from the planning phase to its publication in both hard copy and HTML. It explores the problems of coordinating multiple, remotely located authors; producing frequent drafts when material is changing rapidly; managing a large documentation project; maintaining a source document for publication in multiple media; and handling the conversion of a complex hard-copy document to a usable online document.

Brune, Kimberly. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Developing High-Performing Teams  

Social psychology and organization development suggest that virtually all people, and all teams, must deal with conflicting impulses toward effective and ineffective behaviour. Research shows that it is a basic human trait to want to succeed, to be in control, and to avoid embarrassment. Group dynamics research also suggests that teams operate on two dimensions: the task or work dimension, and the social or relationship dimension. High-performing teams pay attention to both the task and social environments. They create an environment that minimizes the occurrence of face-saving and defensive behaviour. This environment is usually characterized by honesty and authenticity, by the use of relevant and verifiable information, and by a willingness to own up to mistakes.

Conklin, John James. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Collaboration>Management>Workplace

Developing Information for Multiple Formats: You Can Get There from Here  

This paper describes the experiences of SAS Institute Inc. in developing single-source software documentation for presentation in multiple formats. The project is an ongoing team effort from all areas of the Publications Division. Our main goal is to develop online and hardcopy reference documentation. Toward this end, we set goals of using single-source files, reusing information, and tracking all information chunks and the relationships among them. To accomplish these goals we had to make decisions about the tools we are going to use, what information we are going to include, how we will design and present the modular information, linking and indexing strategies, and testing. This paper discusses the choices we made in light of our goals.

Moell, Patricia G. and Helen F. Weeks. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Developing the Political Perspective on Technological Change Through Rhetorical Analysis    

Rhetorical analysis provides a means through which a political perspective on technological change can be developed at a micro-discursive level. Through the analysis of managers' arguments and counterarguments, this article identifies three rhetorical strategies that negotiate the relationship between the technical and the social: attributing the effects of technology; claiming convergent and divergent interests; and constructing identities for self, groups, and the technology. It argues that a rhetorical approach maintains space for agency on the behalf of employees (through the witcraft of argument) and analytical skepticism concerning the reality of technology properties and effects (through counterargument). In addition, it proposes the concept of the argumentative context as a means of bridging the gap between individual and organizational rhetoric.

Symon, Gillian. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Management>Technology>Rhetoric

Developing the Specification for a Document

Between 25-30 percent of the overall writing time is typically devoted to developing the document specification, meaning how the document will be formatted and actually present the information. This is true even when the organization has a style guide with a prescribed format, but no “standard” for documentation overall. Although this may seem an inordinate amount of time and effort on the front end, before getting any information onto the paper, it is far more cost-effective than spending unplanned time rewriting and reformatting the document late in the production process.

Tech-Writer. Articles>Writing>Project Management>Technical Writing

Developing Tools to Manage Projects  

Coordinating the resources and tasks involved in a large documentation development effort requires the ability to gather meaningful project information at critical junctures so that appropriate decisions can be made. Project managers need the right tools to help them make sense out of the sometimes overwhelming and chaotic flow of project activities. When appropriate tools are not available, documentation project managers must adapt and invent to obtain what they need.

Harr, Robert G. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Project Management

Development of a Model For Managing Organizational Knowledge  

The proliferation of interest in “knowledge management” in the last few years is a reflection that information has finally gained visibility as a major corporate asset. Furthermore, sharing information across the organization to support greater learning and competitiveness has resulted in moving to the next level of information management (IM)—knowledge management. Those of us who have been in the information business for a while have to contain our amusement as we have seen a society preoccupied first with data (anything that is observed, measured, counted, or collected), then information (organized data), now knowledge (selected information), and, perhaps next, wisdom (integrated knowledge).y´ As Thomas Stewart defines it in Intellectual Capital: The New Wealth of Organizations, “Intelligence becomes an asset when some useful order is created out of free-floating brainpower—that is, when it is given coherent form (a mailing list, a database, an agenda for a meeting, a description of a process); when it is captured in a way that allows it to be described, shared, and exploited; and when it can be deployed to do something that could not be done if it remained scattered around like so many coins in a gutter. Intellectual capital is packaged, useful knowledge.”

Ashdown, Barbara and Kathy Smith. OSTI (1999). Articles>Knowledge Management>Workflow

Device Indepenence: Single Sourcing's Other Side  

Considers the possible ramifications for technical communicators of device-independent publishing.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2005). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

The Diary as a Professional Development Tool  

This progression session focuses on diaries as serious tools for professional development. We discuss attitudes toward keeping diaries; issues such as anonymity and confidentiality; and strategies for tapping the full potential of the diary as a source of creativity and guidance.

Janicko, Raymond P. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>Project Management

Digital Asset Management Resources

A collection of dozens of digital asset management resources available online.

IPA. Resources>Directories>Content Management

The Digital Debate: Should CEOs Blog?

A debate continues to rage about how important and influential media such as blogs, podcasts and social networking sites really are. At the heart of this debate is the question, Is the blogosphere really an appropriate place for executives and others in positions of power who have everything to lose?

Cody, Steve. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Management>Business Communication>Blogging

Digital Workflow: Managing the Process Electronically  

Between the invention of the printing press and that of the computer, developments in printing and publishing technology occurred in small increments over long periods of time. In those intervening centuries, the process of preparing manuscripts for publication remained fairly static. In the last half-century, however, the pace of change in printing and publishing technology has become dynamic. Now changes in technology come about in a matter of years, sometimes even months. And with those changes, the steps in the process of publication may now be controlled, tracked, and subsumed into one continuous electronic system often called digital workflow.

Beebe, Linda and Barbara Meyers. Journal of Electronic Publishing (2000). Design>Knowledge Management>Prepress>Printing

The Dilemma of Credibility vs. Speed  

CoRRs implicitly constrained but officially open acceptance policy for submitted papers raises concerns about both censorship and credibility. To avoid refereeing incoming papers yet still help readers assess their merits, CoRR could use coordinated public comments and ratings in the manner of some online auctions and booksellers.

Prekeges, James G. Journal of Computer Documentation (2002). Articles>Content Management>Online

Discursive Leadership: A Communication Alternative to Leadership Psychology    

Without question, the study of leadership has a long and rich history within the organizational sciences despite varying attitudes toward the topic. For example, leadership psychologists portray leadership as an inner motor of leader and increasingly follower traits, states, emotions, and cognitive processing styles that as independent variables cause messages and behavior to be produced.

Fairhurst, Gail T. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Management>Theory

Distributed Workgroups Employing Single-Sourcing Techniques Around the Globe  

Single sourcing, which is increasingly used at the technical writer's workplace, has now reached the classroom of Technical Communication programs. This paper examines the impact of working on an XML-based single-sourcing solution on a geographically diverse graduate student team whose partners were all singlesourcing novices. It shows that managing communication within the virtual team is superordinate to managing the publication process. The paper discusses best-practice strategies for transient start-up publication teams, which rely solely on online communication, pointing to the differences between teams in the classroom and in business organizations.

Kaempf, Charlotte. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

DITA Is Not the Answer

Single sourcing is good, I’m sure most of us can agree on that, but I’ve recently been wondering if perhaps DITA isn’t quite good enough?

McLean, Gordon. One Man Writes (2007). Articles>Content Management>XML>DITA

DITA Resources Online (Darwin Information Typing Architecture)

If you need to learn more about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), look no further. Links to a few of the most useful DITA resources available on the web today.

Rockley Group, The (2005). Resources>Content Management>Metadata>XML

Do Groups Know What They Don't Know? Dealing With Missing Information in Decision-Making Groups    

Although scholars have examined how individuals deal with information that is unavailable on decision-making tasks, little research has explored how groups deal with missing information. The present study proposes two ways groups can address information that is unavailable: by employing a diminished information set or by inferring the value of missing information. Both of these approaches are tested using an information sharing task. Groups are compared with information unavailable to any member, available but unshared among group members (i.e., hidden profile), and available and shared among all group members. Evidence indicates that group members may utilize both strategies to deal with missing information.

Henningsen, David Dryden and Mary Lynn Miller Henningsen. Visual Communication (2007). Articles>Knowledge Management>Collaboration

Do Staff Make Use of Personalisation Features?

Organisations around the world have already made their first forays into personalisation, however many more organisations are questioning what to personalise and how to go about it. So who is using personalisation and how effective is it?

Grenfell, Catherine. Step Two (2007). Articles>Content Management>Personalization>Usability