Recognizing the content life cycle helps identify business requirement for how content must be treated, handled and processed. Applying the content life cycle presents opportunities for workflow improvement, automation and ways to measure cost. It is also makes a tacit technical publication process explicit. When preparing for a content management system, a clear understanding of the current content life cycle helps team members understand the coming changes in process and technology. It also provides a basis for identifying future hardware, software, workflow and human requirements. With clear requirements and a focus on the re-engineered content life cycle, a content management solution will be geared to the users and not driven by vendors and product software capabilities.

Since the scope of the content life cycle focuses on every content state and the tasks associated with that state, the content life cycle requires interaction with the technical publications team. The primary focus is on identifying core tasks and the order in which they occur. The secondary focus is on identifying who performs tasks and the tools used.

Working with technical publication groups to develop their own CLC is both revealing and great fun. Here are two versions of the same model: authoring only and authoring with translation.

For the past few months, I’ve worked with a “get it done” management team and their takes on the purpose of their COE are:

• Support the participating lines of business lines with Oracle ERP. This includes providing services needed and subject matter experts.
• Guide software development and implementaions with standards, best practice methodologies, tools and knowledge repositories.
• Shares learning that includes training, skill assessments, team building and formalized roles.
• Develop metrics to measure the results and value Oracle Financial ERP delivers.
• Governance that ensures the organization invests in the most valuable projects and creates economies of scale for their service offering. Also coordinates across other corporate interests to deliver value. This requres allocating limited resources (money, people, etc.) across all possible use.

content lifecycle poster inset

One outcome was a user-centered poster.  So, I’m working on an article about the workshop, the concepts discussed in the session and gather comments from participants on how the group reached consensus. Meanwhile, my illustrator is ready to convert the rough sketch into a polished poster.