1. Add Value to your Information Every Organization has Information How you manage that information is the key to success Information is an Asset Treat it like one…
As an introduction to the thinking behind AuthorIT, here’s a representation of a typical organisation . . .what we call a disconnected enterprise, with various departments all with documentation requirements - and creating documentation content as they need it . . . often using different tools seldom with any means of collaborating, or of having knowledge of what’s produced elsewhere
As an introduction to the thinking behind AuthorIT, here’s a representation of a typical organisation . . .what we call a disconnected enterprise, with various departments all with documentation requirements - and creating documentation content as they need it . . . often using different tools seldom with any means of collaborating, or of having knowledge of what’s produced elsewhere
Unfortunately, this gives rise to development of what are often referred to as ‘information silos’ - totally isolated bodies of information in different parts of the organisation this situation can lead to a number of serious problems: high degree of duplication - people in each department reproducing what has already been done elsewhere - wasting time, resources and money with no central control - lack of common standards - document structure, style, presentation, level of detail can vary widely perhaps worst - inconsistencies in what should be identical information - with potentially serious legal, commercial or other implications very common situation - partly due to working practice, but very largely due to the lack of facilities in conventional documentation tools.
As an introduction to the thinking behind AuthorIT, here’s a representation of a typical organisation . . .what we call a disconnected enterprise, with various departments all with documentation requirements - and creating documentation content as they need it . . . often using different tools seldom with any means of collaborating, or of having knowledge of what’s produced elsewhere
Can see from this that AuthorIT takes the concept of single-source documentation much further than just publishing documents to different outputs See slide . . . So much for creating, using and re-using content, what about the enterprise-wide management . . .
may have noticed that I emphasised ‘true’ single-sourcing just now - anybody come across this term before? relatively new concept - for documentation anyway - arising from the growing need to deliver documents via multiple channels - via paper documents on-line help internet and intranet web pages Previously, use different tools to create separate versions of the documents for each - terribly wasteful and a maintenance nightmare!
Many documentation tools now claim to be ‘single-source’ systems, just because they address this problem: they create documents in one format can then publish those documents to a number of different outputs Very useful, big advance on the separate tools approach, but essentially a conversion process for whole documents - not much scope for re-using or sharing individual pieces of information between documents
Stems largely from the fact that most tools - like Word, FrameMaker - are file-based and work with long documents Long documents are inherently inflexible They are essentially great big files that lump all content together and bind it up with document structure and format if you want to re-use any part for another purpose, usually means cutting and pasting, and quite probably removal and replacement of inbuilt formatting Then you end up with multiple copies of info that have to be maintained separately
In AuthorIT, you create information in small, re-usable chunks small content ‘components’ - can be used and re-used - many documents at same time without any copying each object:- single source of that content exists only in one place simply referenced whenever and wherever needed goes not only for items of text, but also graphics, index entries, hyperlinks, everything! every item you create automatically becomes a single-source, re-usable item - available through AuthorIT’s library to all users - again, subject to security permissions.
and to ensure total re-usability, the stored content is effectively format neutral, by which we mean that the information in the database is separated from its context, structure and format. only when you use component in a document - represented by the book icon here - and generate an output:- become part of a structure and acquire format. means:- any component can be used in different places at the same, and also that any collection can be assembled into a document and published to multiple outputs without having to think about the format hugely simplifies re-use of content is also a major reason why it is so easy for people to use AuthorIT - they are just not concerned with formatting - concentrate 100% on content. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Put another way, it shields users from the whole process of formatting, which in conventional documentation tools such as Word: accounts for a great deal of a user’s working time makes the programs difficult to learn and, gives rise to inconsistencies from one user, and one document, to another In AuthorIT, users concentrate 100% on writing content. Formatting is controlled entirely by styles and templates which can be defined and locked down. Ad-hoc formatting is simply not possible, so your standards can be set and rigidly enforced. Separating content from format allows content to
Can see from this that AuthorIT takes the concept of single-source documentation much further than just publishing documents to different outputs See slide . . . So much for creating, using and re-using content, what about the enterprise-wide management . . .
truth is, AuthorIT’s ‘library’ is, in fact, a full-blown relational database AuthorIT is unique in storing content this way, and is at the heart of it’s content management capability Quite simply, there are things you can do when information is stored as components in a database environment that you simply cannot easily do in a file-based system. You can :- quickly find content make widely available for multiple re-use. and, can control exactly who does what with each piece of content ensure the integrity of your documents obtain information about the relationship between any given item of content and any other item can also do things controlling release states and maintaining a full edit history - remember. at the level of individual items of content, not just whole doc’s In short:- the shared database is the key to AuthorIT’s ability to manage content rather than just create documents.
The ability to share and re-use information, as well as manage to its use and the standards applied to it reduced work - clearly, you are not duplicating effort reduced time expenditure - assemble new documents quickly using existing content, where applicable. easier maintenance - change content only in one place, no matter how many times it’s been used. All relevant documents will update simultaneously. higher quality and consistency - from centrally defined and enforced standards follows from these that you can get more value from every bit of content you produce, and make major savings in costs. Any questions?
