managing documentation projects in a collaborative world

Managing Documentation Projectsin a Collaborative World

Technical Communication SummitMay 2010

Larry Kunzlkunz@sdicorp.comwww.sdicorp.comTwitter: larry_kunz

Outline

• The changing process for developing technical documentation

• Trends that are bringing changes– Web 2.0

– Agile

• Challenges and solutions

• Where do we go from here?

Let’s collaborate….

Twitter: #stc10 or #pmcollab

My blog: http://bit.ly/bsE2PH

The Traditional Process

• Long development cycles• Static “official” documentation

products• Gathering content• Writers sometimes isolated from

product developers• Write/Review/Edit/Repeat…

then Publish

The Doc Plan

It is the star to every wandering bark… Shakespeare – Sonnet 116

The Process: 30 Years Ago

The Process: 10 Years Ago

The Process: Today

The New Traditional Process

• Short long development cycles• Dynamic, community-sourced

Static “official” documentation products• Collaborative Gathering content• Writers must be in close touch with

sometimes isolated from product developers

• Write/Review/Publish/Edit/Repeat

Trends that are Changing the Process

• Web 2.0 (and beyond):New, varied sources for contentHow can I keep track of—much less control—the flow of content?

• Agile methodology:“Just in time” developmentHey, what does that do to my doc plan?

Web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0

• Web 1.0: One-way information flow– Static publishing– No interaction

• Web 2.0: From publishing to participation– Information sharing and collaboration– User-generated content– The community

• Web 3.0: Marketing buzzword, or unrealized vision?– “Intelligent Web 2.0”– Semantic Web, personalization, intelligent search, mobility

(Source: J. Leigh Brown and Peg Mulligan)

Web 2.0 and Publishing

• From publishing to participation–Doc sprints, FLOSS manuals–User-generated content augments

and even supplants the “official” documentation

• The concept of the community

Web 2.0 and Publishing

Example: Adobe Community Help

Web 2.0 and Publishing

• If you build it, they won’t just come

• You have to–Invite participation

–Make it easy

–Give prominence to UGC

Web 2.0 and Publishing

• You need a content strategy–Creating content

–Delivering content

–Governing content

The Content Strategist

• “Curator” – not “gatekeeper”

• Keeps the big picture in mind

• Manages content throughout the content lifecycle

• Enforces a strategy that’s repeatable

The Agile ManifestoWe value:• Individuals and interactions

over processes and tools • Working software

over comprehensive documentation • Customer collaboration

over contract negotiation • Responding to change

over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right…

….We value the items on the left more.

An Agile documentation project

• Small, tightly knit teams–Scrums

–Writers have to be fully involved

• Modular writing–Focused on major needs of the user

–Topic based

An Agile documentation project

• User stories–They drive the product and the docs

–Basis for your audience analysis

• Short development cycles–Sprints

–Geared to being flexible

–How quickly can you publish?

An Agile documentation project

The doc plan is subsumed bythe content strategy

Principles for Writing in AgileFrom Anne Gentle’s Just Write Click blog

• Only deliver things that an actual customer would find useful.

• List and prioritize all tasks that get you incrementally closer to your goals.

• Understand the business goals. Ask questions and seek details.

• Deliver something that the team considers to be done, shippable, and customer- ready.

An Agile documentation project

New wine into old wineskins?

No.

New wine into new wineskins.

(St. Mark 2:22)

Web 2.0 and Agile

Challengesand

Solutions

Web 2.0 and Agile: Challenges

• Reviews are often ad hoc and very limited in scope

• How to edit

• What to do with legacy information

• How to plan for localization/translation

Challenge: Reviews

• Very few SMEs involved

• Hard to squeeze into the iteration schedule

• Topic-based reviews don’t provide the big picture

Solutions: Reviews

• Make sure that Tech Pubs is a full member of the team

• Find a champion• Conduct targeted reviews• You might need a special “big

picture” review• Keep track

Challenge: Editing

• Editing can’t be a one-time event • A comprehensive edit isn’t possible• Writing teams might not know each

other – or the editors• Content comes from nontraditional

sources

Solutions: Editing

• Editing as an ongoing process• Topic-based editing• The editor is still part of the team –

working closely with PM and content strategist

• Style guides are vital

Challenge: Legacy Content

• Easy to overlook in sprint-based reviews

• Reviewers don’t see new and changed content in context

• Scrum team members don’t have time to review old content

Solutions: Legacy Content

• Don’t skip the content inventory!

• Content is best reviewed by an experienced SME

• Review can be done at any time

• Help the SME by laying out the ground rules

Challenge: Localization

• Scheduling translation

• Handling changes to the product content

Solutions: Localization

• Break the translation into pieces

• Align the translation schedule with your iterations

• Take advantage of the processes your software developers are following

Evolving a set of best practices

• We’re still learning

• Let’s share the things we learn

• What new trends are coming?

Resources

• Bailie, Rahel: “Rahel Bailie Provides A Content Strategy Primer,” Sept. 2009 (article at http://thecontentwrangler.com)

• Gentle, Anne: Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation

• Halvorson, Kristina: Content Strategy for the Web• Hamilton, Richard: Managing Writers: A Real World

Guide to Managing Technical Documentation• Sheffield, Richard: The Web Content Strategist's

Bible: The Complete Guide To a New and Lucrative Career for Writers of All Kinds

Your turn

Q & A