Winston Churchill and DITA
The greatest enemy of a great technical writer solution is the dream of a perfect solution.
Is DITA perfect? No. Is it as easy as just writing without thinking about structure, just as we might in Word or FrameMaker or an HTML editor? No. Do writers need to learn how to think in topics and use a DITA editor? Of course. Is there friction in the move to DITA? Absolutely.
This being said, we should paraphrase Winston Churchill: “It has been said that DITA is the worst approach to technical documentation except all the others that have been tried.” Go for it - we technical communicators have nothing to fear but inaction!
Katriel
July 9th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Once and for all: is DITA a methodology or a specific tool? Can I write DITA using RHX5? Word?
July 9th, 2007 at 9:01 am
DITA is a standard — and is implemented using topic-centered and minimalism (methodology). DITA is NOT a tool! DITA can be edited by any XML edtior (althouhg a “DITA aware” editor will be helpful — especially since it well help you visualize the relationships between DITA topics.
You could write DITA using Word or RoboHelp — but you could also dig a foundation for your home using a spoon. (Or, to use an analogy closer to home, you could edit the files in notepad.)
Katriel
July 9th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Thanks, Katriel.
Further question:
Given that I deliver CHM, and already have a suitable tool (RHX5), what could I possibly benefit from replacing a tool?
July 9th, 2007 at 9:53 am
If Robo Help works for you… then remember the first rule from Engineering 101: “If it works don’t fix it”.
But if you need to deliver content in multiple channels (PDF), if you need to tailor content for specific audiences, if you want to reuse content for different needs (implementation, training, user guide, troubleshooting, support, etc.), if you need to cut down on translation costs… then IMHO you should be thinking seriously about DITA.
Katriel
July 9th, 2007 at 10:35 am
A question regarding content reuse.
I assume/guess that eventually all of the content I deliver will be available on the web, on a single site. That is, when readers of mine will be looking for something, they won’t mind whether it is under “Installation Guide”, “Support how-to”, “User Guide”, etc.
So, actually, there won’t be a need for content reuse. If this is true, content reuse - and reformat - considerations will become irrelevant. Hence, the aspects of DITA that will remain relevant would be topic-centered writing and minimalism. This aspects will serve not as tools for easier reuse, but for easier readability.
July 9th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Hi Avi,
You’re right — if there really is no reuse, DITA still makes sense because topic-centered writing and minimalism make for more effective documents.
However, even if all your content was delivered on a single site, I would bet that there is still a need for “reuse”. Some of your topics, possbily most, will be contatined in how-to tasks, but what happens when a single task can be reused in multiple topics? Or when a reference topic is incorporated in a troubleshooting procedure and a how-to task? Bingo, you have reuse. Or you want to provide different information based on the operating system or the configuration of a particular installation? Bingo, you have reuse.
Katriel