by Søren Weimann | May 23, 2017 | Blog
Getting started with structured content management can be daunting: you’ve been tasked with completely overhauling your organization’s content strategy. There are so many things to consider that deciding where to begin can seem like one of your biggest challenges. There are plenty of clichés appropriate to this situation: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, don’t try to boil the ocean, and so on. By thinking about the project as a whole, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. In this article, I’ll give you some ideas for getting started in small, manageable steps, without ever losing sight of your vision. Step 1: Articulate your vision Always be ready with an “elevator pitch” for exactly why structured authoring is important for your organization. Is your goal to drive down localization costs? Promote consistency in your content and increase speed to market? Single sourcing? Most DITA projects start with goals like that – ROI driven examples of “doing more with less.” There are, however, some loftier goals you can set for yourself. Maybe you want to deliver a knowledge base with faceted search to empower your customers (and, by the way, take pressure off your call center). If you’re really looking to the future, you might start thinking about how artificial intelligence can drive new experiences for your customers with chatbots that learn on the fly. Write this vision down in a nice bold font, and talk about it whenever you can. It’s what should be driving every decision you make from now on. Step 2: Pick the right pilot project It is impossible to stress enough the importance of picking...
