A previous TechCom article introduced the Content Solution Equation and the primary variables:
SOLUTION = Content Types + Authoring Tools + Repository + Roles + Processes + People + Governance
This article is a more detailed discussion on Repositories for storing, managing, and collaborating on your content.
In a typical scenario, the new tech writer starts working on content with the authors and asks:
• Where are we storing the files?
• How are we ensuring version control?
• Where are the archives for previous releases?
Answer from the content creators may be:
• A few people over here use this repository
• These other people use a different repository
• Some people don’t use a repository at all – they just mail the files around!
• I’m not sure where the archives are located
Given that you are the one responsible for pulling all these various content pieces together into one coherent information set – such as a document, Wiki, HTML file set for web, etc.) – you realize quickly the need for a single repository solution and the risks created by not having one! For example, how do you and the other authors know that everyone is working on the latest file versions?
In an environment that does not have an explicitly-defined content management strategy, many times the latest files are lost, over-written, outdated files are being revised, and participants waste time trying to find the latest versions. This is an example of ‘low’ maturity level. The growing pains from low to high maturity can be costly and time consuming!
The ultimate goal is to have appropriate repositories for the content development, management, and publishing requirement tracking. As with any toolchain in any content development solution – be it machine-readable content such as software, or human-readable content such as information sets – this “tuning”, which is matching the content development tools and process requirements to the appropriate repository, becomes essential.
On a large scale, when hundreds of participants need access to the same content types, the company’s IT department recognizes the need for an enterprise content solution that is specific to human-readable content that works well with the authoring (and other) tools that are used within the enterprise. And often, once it is up and running efficiently, new requirements crop up, which starts the cycle to find the next-generation toolchain!
As a result, content developers are constantly finding ways to optimize the existing tools to satisfy their requirements. In many such environments, new people are involved, and end up “re-inventing the wheel” … if they do not have experience or history on how such challenges have been solved in the past, this can be a time-consuming and expensive exercise.
PTIGlobal consultants have years of experience with human-readable content and optimizing the toolchains required for content development, revision control, archival, and publishing. This is true for content localization, technical documentation, and marketing documentation.
If you are considering improvements to your methods for content plan, develop, reposit, reuse, localize, and publish goals, contact us!
