A presentation delivered at DITA Europe 2011 in the beautiful city of Prague. It is primarily about the methodological role that can be played by "content scenarios".

1. Implementing DITA Solutions
using Content Scenarios
Joe Gollner | www.gollner.ca | joe@gollner.ca
Gnostyx Research | Gnostyx.com | jag@gnostyx.com
Copyright © Joe Gollner 2011

2. What is a Content Scenario? In a Nutshell
Example of a Content Scenario:
A series of individual user stories, interchange events & rendition processes
that combine into a meaningful business activity
1. Engineering provides material in MS Word
2. MS Word is transformed into XML
Engineering
Suppliers 3. XML is exchanged with Suppliers
4. XML input is returned from Suppliers
5. Authoring works with XML sources
6. Authoring produces publications modules
7. Modules exchanged with Translators
Authoring Translation
8. Some content provided to Marketing in MS Word
9. Marketing produces sales support tools
10. Sales support tools provided to Resellers
11. Sales support tools provided in MS Word
12. Publication content also provided as dynamic web
Marketing Reseller
13. Publications also provided as PDF Manuals

3. Content Scenarios for DITA Solutions: Topics
The Stark Reality
of CM Projects
The challenge of delayed benefits
Challenges Specific
to DITA Projects
Introducing Content Scenarios
Definition
Origins
A Case Study
Content Scenarios & DITA
Conclusions 1920

4. Franz Kafka – Technical Communicator
1883 – 1924
Prague native
One of the most unique
writers in any language
(he wrote in German)
Worked as a civil servant
for the Workers’
Accident Insurance
Institute
Wrote & illustrated works
on safety & other topics

5. The Stark Reality of Most CM Projects
Typical Content Management Investment Curve
Cost
Aggregate Cost Productivity Gains & other benefits
begin to offset aggregate costs
between 18 and 24 months after
project initiation (in better cases)
Expenditures
Gain
Time
Offset
Productivity Hit
Typical CM project requires modernization
re-investment between 48 and 60 months
Productivity after project initiation – meaning the overall
investment is never offset

6. The Trouble with Content Management
Content Management can be expensive
Licensing costs are often high
Customization costs are substantially greater (× 5)
Impacts on team members can be substantial
Infrastructure costs can be very significant
Content Management provides general benefits
Largely focused on “contingent benefits” in the background
• Risk reduction
• Improved information discovery & reuse
• Streamlined workflows (e.g., translation process facilitation)
New services must be deployed to deliver concrete benefits

7. The Challenges with DITA Solutions
The Attraction of DITA is its perceived Simplicity
Standardized markup practices led to better tool support
• DITA Open Toolkit
• Commercial products
The Reality of DITA is its Sophistication
Among the strengths of DITA is its extensibility
Leveraging sophisticated features always comes at a cost
Many DITA Projects get caught between these poles
Pursuing the simplicity of DITA to streamline deployment
Leveraging extensibility to address unique needs at a cost
Implementations begin to struggle under the tension

8. The Promised Land of Content Management
Preferred Content Management Investment Curve
Cost
Reduced expenditures & productivity hit
plus accelerated gains begin to offset
Aggregate Cost aggregate costs in less than 12 months
(or sooner)
Expenditures
Gain
Time
Productivity Hit Offset
Flexible architecture supports
Productivity continuous evolution instead of cyclic
re-investment in modernization – with each
evolutionary step being self-funded

9. How do we get there? Content Scenarios
Is it possible that there is a Magic Bullet?
No, not really. A successful solution still needs a lot of work
However, there are best practices that can help
Content Scenarios may be the most persistent best practice
Content Scenarios – A Definition
Content Scenarios are functionally realistic illustrations of
content resources and process steps that can be used
throughout the content solution lifecycle to maximize
investment effectiveness
Short form: End-to-end business demonstrations that
showcase how content solutions make things better

10. The Anatomy of a Content Scenario
What makes up a Content Scenario
Functionally realistic content examples
• Assembled from real documentation
• Sensitive details removed
• Support a coherent & compelling story
Content scenarios are
Content & process models content strategies
Background information about you can drive (or kick)
• Business context
• Key users & stakeholders
• Critical requirements
Demonstration scripts for key process steps
Reference implementations for key process steps

11. The Origins of Content Scenarios
Roots extend back to the early 1990s
Defense use of standards for complex documentation
Normal approach to designing & deploying
standards-based applications was shown to be flawed
• Defining content models with inadequate contextual information
led to problems in prioritizing development & containing costs
• Investing heavily in technical platforms did not deliver many
benefits & this led to problems in maintaining project funding
• Impact of new technologies on business practices led to
unforeseen consequences & this led to expensive scope changes
Content Scenarios emerged because projects needed to:
• Accelerate the exploration of business impacts
• Validate needs & priorities before major investments were made

12. The First Step towards a Content Scenario
The First Step is a Humble One
Functionally realistic content instances
• Demonstration content
• Illustrating the most representative content and processes
• Supported by web-friendly media resources
Business Demonstrations
• Scripted scenarios for demonstrating business events
• End-to-End demonstrations of new capabilities & benefits
• Compelling to business executives & stakeholders
Let’s Take a Look
Anything is better than
• A garage, a snow shovel, or a bicycle 

13. The Uses of Content Scenarios
Content Analysis tool
One way to analyze content is to create sample instances
Content model validation & documentation
Prevent schemas from becoming divorced from reality
Initiative Sales Pitch & Proof of Concept
Helping executives understand what is being proposed
Reference instances
Supporting conversion, development & authoring
Testing based on bona fide requirements
Tool evaluation, solution acceptance, regression testing
Interoperability & conformance validation

14. Content Scenarios & the Project Lifecycle
Content Scenarios & Content Solution
the Project Lifecycle Implementation Lifecycle
Relative Level of Investment
Execution
Management
Strategy Acquisition Delivery Evolution
Relative Investment
in Content Scenarios
Early Investment in Content Scenarios
used to maintain focus on business goals

15. Content Scenarios in the Real World: A Case
Supremely challenging requirements
Integrating multiple sources
Supporting multiple standards
DITA adopted as master representation
Required extensive use of DITA specialization
Challenges arose around:
• Ensuring compatibility with product capabilities
• Controlling development costs
Content Scenarios used for
• Prioritizing specializations
• Establishing product test sets

16. Content Scenarios & DITA
DITA and Content Scenarios are naturally aligned
The real attraction of DITA is enabling systems that evolve
• Rapid project ramp up leveraging unspecialized DITA & DITA OT
• Specialize solution to address unique requirements
• Enables capabilities can be developed rapidly & iteratively refined
Content Scenarios offer benefits to DITA projects
Substantiate need for specializations with real examples
Ground specializations in validated requirements
Provide test library for refining specialized functionality
Used to document & exemplify specializations
Validate behaviour of DITA products in real circumstances

17. The Benefits of Content Scenarios
Leveraging Content Scenarios in DITA Projects
A mechanism for engaging the whole team
• Writers & illustrators as well as information architects & developers
Ensures the focus stays on end-to-end processes & outputs
• Emphasizes investments that realize new products & services
Enables a learning process by engaging users & clients
• Feedback mechanisms drive ongoing investments
Content Scenarios build bridges with Stakeholders
Engaging stakeholders, especially executives, is key
• The importance of this is always under-estimated
Engaging tool providers is almost as important
• Aligning product evolution with key business drivers

18. Content Scenarios & the DITA Standard
Standards are susceptible to numerous risks
A key one is runaway innovation
• Innovations driven by edge-case applications
• Innovations worked out initially in the standard
Runaway innovation poses challenges to:
• Customers managing solution investments
• Implementers supporting integrated solutions
• Technology vendors evolving product lines
Content Scenarios can help
Expand the stakeholder community in innovation process
Provide real-world substantiation for prioritizing innovations
Identify innovations that need time to mature…

19. Making Connections
Joe Gollner
joe@gollner.ca
Gnostyx Research
jag@gnostyx.com
www.gnostyx.com
Fractal Enterprise Blog
www.gollner.ca