Post on 22-Nov-2014
description
Managing Documentation Projects
STC Carolina chapterJune 17, 2010
Larry Kunzlkunz@sdicorp.comwww.sdicorp.comTwitter: larry_kunz
Outline
• Overview of project management(and why it’s important to you)
• A look at the process
• Trends that are changing the process
• Challenges and solutions
Managing aDocumentation Project:
Overview
flickr: tpaddock
Managing a Documentation Project
• Make sure that requirements (expectations) are clear
• Assign people and resources
• Schedule the work
• Control the process:– Decide what to measure (earned value)– Measure and track– Respond to change– Analyze and report results
The Doc Plan
It is the star to every wandering bark… Shakespeare – Sonnet 116
A Typical Doc Plan
• Product description– What does it do? How do people use it?
• Audience analysis• Documentation deliverables
– Includes formats and page estimates
• Tasks– Who'll do the work
• Contingencies (what you’ll need from others) • Assumptions
– Tools, style guides
• Budget• Schedules
But I’m Not a Manager!
• Every writer should know what the Doc Plan says about:– Your own work assignment– The tools and processes you’ll use– Editorial and style guides– How much money you can spend
• It guides your day-to-day work
• It gives you a compass too
A Lot of People Are Managers
• Lone writers
• Independent contractors
The Documentation
Process
Tristan Savatier/Getty Images
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 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 AreChanging the Process
Two Trends for the Early 2010s
• 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 2.0
• 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
(Source: J. Leigh Brown and Peg Mulligan)
Web 2.0
Example: Adobe Community Help
Web 2.0
Building the Community:
• If you build it, they won’t just come
• You have to–Invite participation
–Make it easy
–Give prominence to UGC
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?
Web 2.0 and Agile
The doc plan is subordinate tothe content strategy
The Content Strategy
• Covers the whole content lifecycle:–Analyze
–Collect
–Manage
–Publish
• Strategic, not tactical
The Content Strategist• “Curator” – not “gatekeeper”
• Keeps the big picture in mind
• Develops and enacts a strategy that’s repeatable
• Works throughout the content lifecycle
So Let’s Review….
• Make sure that requirements (expectations) are clear
• Assign people and resources
• Schedule the work
• Control the process:– Decide what to measure (earned value)– Measure and track– Respond to change– Analyze and report results
Challengesand
Solutions
flickr: júlía ∆
Web 2.0 and Agile: Challenges
• Reviews are often ad hoc and very limited in scope
• Legacy information can be overlooked
• How to edit – User-generated content
– Short development cycles (as in Agile)
• How to plan for localization/translation
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
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
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
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 what we learn
• What new trends are coming?
Resources
• Sarah O’Keefe and Alan Pringle: Technical Writing 101 (Scriptorium)
• Richard Hamilton: Managing Writers:A Real World Guide to Managing Technical Documentation (XML Press)
• Anne Gentle: Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation(XML Press)
• Rahel Bailie: “Rahel Bailie Provides A Content Strategy Primer”(Content Wrangler, Sept. 2009)