1. Managing documentation in a shared ownership environment
DevOps Documentation
Managing documentation in a shared ownership environment
This afternoon I’d like to share with you how doc-department have been able to achieve this by developing a complete product information solution using information that we learned from forums such as this conference, from the ISTC’s communicator magazine and from the wider technical communication community.
With the additional capabilities that such a solution provides, we have been able to break out of the traditional tech comm boundaries and become an integral part of our client’s processes.
In the first part of the talk I’ll share with you some of the information that helped doc-department lay the foundations of the solution.
In the second part I’ll share some of the lessons we learned while deploying the solution.
And to wrap up, I’d like to highlight some areas that doc-department can now support because we have a process that can consistently deliver quality content within our client’s 2 weekly agile cycle.
Through the course of the talk I’ll also lay some common tech-comm myths to rest.

2. No one works any longer, they collaborate.
“Not long ago, people in Chrysler’s headquarters joked that four strangers in an elevator qualify as a team.
No one works any longer, they collaborate.
Collaboration leads to (of course!) innovation, engagement, creativity, and fulfilment.
Good managers don’t direct, they facilitate collaboration.”
HBR

3. increase in revenue from product collaborations
15%
increase in revenue from product collaborations
Marketing communications   
We have all been told that Marketing departments are challenged to produce enough content.
2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
- Content Marketing Institute -

4. collaboration Marketing communications   
We have all been told that Marketing departments are challenged to produce enough content.
2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
- Content Marketing Institute -

5. find teammates who do something you can’t
Marketing communications   
We have all been told that Marketing departments are challenged to produce enough content.
2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
- Content Marketing Institute -

7. “social” business uses social technology to foster collaboration
74%
“social” business uses social technology to foster collaboration
IBMSocialStudy, 2014

8. strategy first technology follows Marketing communications   
We have all been told that Marketing departments are challenged to produce enough content.
2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
- Content Marketing Institute -

9. “I couldn't do what I did with Linux for Windows, even if I had the source code. The architecture just wouldn't support it."
Linus Torvalds,1998
And that content produced by technical communications is good for marketing
So doc-department are currently working with Resilient’s Marketing team to provide them with content.
We have refined our content model to ensure topics are aligned with marketing requirements so that marketing can reuse or refer to content in their campaigns
For example, on-boarding or major releases.
We are also looking and using the embedded content capability to deliver marketing messages directly in the UI.
- IBM Technical Communications Body of Knowledge

10. “Is Collaborative Authoring Over-Hyped?“
“A Book Sprint starts with an outline for a book idea, and ends with the production of a printed book “
Anne Gentle, 2009
“Is Collaborative Authoring Over-Hyped?“
And that content produced by technical communications is good for marketing
So doc-department are currently working with Resilient’s Marketing team to provide them with content.
We have refined our content model to ensure topics are aligned with marketing requirements so that marketing can reuse or refer to content in their campaigns
For example, on-boarding or major releases.
We are also looking and using the embedded content capability to deliver marketing messages directly in the UI.
- IBM Technical Communications Body of Knowledge
Tom Johnson, 2012

11. create and maintain documentation required by product or service produced as result of collaboration
Marketing communications   
We have all been told that Marketing departments are challenged to produce enough content.
2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
- Content Marketing Institute -

12. material that provides official information or evidence,
or material that serves as a record

13. tech comms framework
is content strategy

14. content strategy content design process standards
Information / content model
style guide | DITA | DocBook
CSS | template
agile | waterfall | kanban
PDF | xliff | SCORM
content
design
process
standards

15. waterfall spiral v-shaped iterative open source Serial (>)
Develop > Document > Translate
Parallel ( )
Develop  Document  Translate
Collective ()
Develop 
Document 
Translate
Virtual Collaborative Writing in the Workplace, Hewett & Robidoux

16. monarchy hierarchy democracy consensus anarchy scale pace qual.
Virtual Collaborative Writing in the Workplace, Hewett & Robidoux

17.  > >  content strategy content design process standards > 
In. Ar  TC
SME
>  
content
design UX UI
>
process TC
>
standards TC 

18. collaboration between development and operations to create, deliver and operate
a product or service
Anne Gentle, 2009

19. x 2 weeks 2 weeks 2 weeks Docs NOC Development Operations DevOps
NOC
Development
Operations
DevOps x
2 weeks
Service Desk
2 weeks
2 weeks …
The challenge
Why did we need to create such a product information solution in the first place?
Our client Resilient plc provides a hosted telephony services call smartnumbers
The services are accessed through a mobile app and desktop browsers.
They have a 2 week development cycle
Their application platform is deployed, monitored and supported by their operations team.
Their customers are supported by Help Desk agents
Customers have administrators who control the services for users in their organisation.
As the services matures, it will be resold by channel partners, who will also provision and support their own customers.
In addition, for compliance reasons, each release requires a set of PDF documentation to be achieved

20. documentation as a conversation
Anne Gentle, 2009

21. framework
synchronous comms
transparent & open
collaborative

22.   >   content strategy design process standards tools TC PO TC
TC Dev Ops 
tools

23.    content product system arch. system design troubleshootingTC 
DevOps
system arch.
Dev 
Ops 
system design
troubleshooting
Ops
3rd party
Dev Ops

24. documentation as a conversation
K’ Base
NOC
Development
Operations
Service Desk
DevOps
2 weeks …
The challenge
Why did we need to create such a product information solution in the first place?
Our client Resilient plc provides a hosted telephony services call smartnumbers
The services are accessed through a mobile app and desktop browsers.
They have a 2 week development cycle
Their application platform is deployed, monitored and supported by their operations team.
Their customers are supported by Help Desk agents
Customers have administrators who control the services for users in their organisation.
As the services matures, it will be resold by channel partners, who will also provision and support their own customers.
In addition, for compliance reasons, each release requires a set of PDF documentation to be achieved

25. deconstruct documentation
create framework
manage each piece appropriately