Building modular documentation 2003 william andrew publishing, new york, isbn 08155149. Analyzing the effects of singlesourcing methodologies. Pdf dita the mechanics of a single sourcing project semantic. Analyzing the effects of singlesourcing methodologies on the role of the technical communicator. Apr 29, 2008 resources for anyone getting started with a new single sourcing project. Single sourcing building modular documentation by kurt ament. A gradual approach to single sourcing stc washington, dc. Hundreds of fha handbooks, mortgagee letters, housing notices, and other policy documents have been consolidated into this single source. As such, this view sees single sourcing as lacking feasibility in the real world, at least to the point of providing all of the benefits that proponents of single sourcing claim for it. Creating multiple versions of an output singlesourcing.
Most books on single sourcing contain advice about planning, managing, and creating modular. With single sourcing, the parts of each document are written in one source file. The 5 principles of single sourcing in technical documentation. The editors role in creating modular documentation.
Resources for singlesourcing projects singlesourcing. Singlesourcing and small projects techscribe technical. The book is an easy read and is chock full of tips and guidelines. Single and multisourcing models chris ford, alistair maughan and scott stevenson. The modular documentation conversion workflow uses the customer product lifecycle to help you discover and develop. Single versus multiple supplier sourcing strategies. Modular documentation technical communication mark. Scott abel writes kurt ament has hit the nail on the head. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading single sourcing. Resources for anyone getting started with a new single sourcing project. This masters thesis open access is brought to you for free and open access by stars.
Successful single sourcing will, in the long run, free us from manually editing content. Successful single sourcing allows you to create and maintain one single set of information and yet produce a range of different outputs. Note that single sourcing means writing information once and using it many times. Mar 01, 2016 report sul libro di kurt ament, single sourcing. How to modularize using microsoft word as a single sourcing. In one of the few books addressing the topic of single sourcing, single sourcing. Introduction to the darwin information typing architecture article. A few years back, i was interviewed by an organisation with a specific task of creating developer documentation for a data warehouse project. Vakharia b a department of finance and quantitative analysis, college of business administration, georgia southern university.
Where source development meets documentation by liz fraley may 19, 2005 presentations with only a small amount of custom tools, juniper networks has managed to do convert documents to multiple formats from one initial set of xml source documents and a single publishing workflow using ptcs arbortext editor formerly epic editor and. Related terms dynamic list enhances navigation by showing a list of links to related information that is the result of a query on document properties. With singlesourcing, the parts of each document are written in one source file. The most wellknown articulation of this view can be found in the myth of single sourcing by michael hiatt. With this method, you develop modular content in one source document or database, then assemble the content into different document formats for different audiences and purposes. Although it is often confused with the process of converting paperbased documents into online formats, single sourcing is a writing strategy that enables technical writers to develop centralized information modules, then map them to distinct. Sole sourcing provides multiple benefits for an organization. Few tools you could use, in no particular order, and not necessarily complete. Single sourcing building modular documentation by kurt. Nov 11, 2004 sole sourcing provides multiple benefits for an organization. User stories are the basis of modular documentation. Flexible online documentation tool for mac, windows, linux. Deploying and maintaining a large singlesourcing solution.
Although it is often confused with the process of converting paperbased documents into online formats, single sourcing is a writing strategy that enables technical writers to develop centralized information modules, then map them to distinct audiences and media. Singlesource publishing, also known as singlesourcing publishing, is a content management. Clickhelp online documentation tool for mac, windows and. Production, manufacturing and logistics single versus multiple supplier sourcing strategies gerard j. We can export content from the wiki to produce documents in other formats such as docbook xml, pdf and chm. William andrew publishing technical writing series. Pdf the authors provide eight guidelines on best practices for editing.
Creating multiple versions of an output singlesourcing with doctohelp. Resources for anyone getting started with a new singlesourcing project. This paper describes how ditabased documentation was implemented at cedromsni, one of. It does not mean writing it and then copying and pasting it into another source, or. A method for determining the optimal size of the supply base article pdf available december 2012 with 402 reads how we measure reads. The templates included in this manual help ensure this.
This paradigm shift is illustrated in the four levels of single sourcing. Editors play a critical role in creating readable and usable modular documentation. Bibliography ament, kurt single sourcing building modular documentation, william andrew publishing, 2003. Review the governance issues that arise in outsourced environments. It can make working with complex documentation much more efficient.
Single sourcing john hawkins systems documentation, inc. Consistency single sourcing content deduplication 7. Single sourcing an introduction by justin darley 12 january 2003 summary many documentation departments produce detailed and welldesigned paper documentation. Other topics explored are an overview of single sourcing for technical documentation, a. Tutorial summary addresses the changing face of technology. Building modular documentation, william andrew publishing technical writing series, usa, 2003. You dont need to buy this book as everything you need to know will be documented on the wiki, but if you are interested in knowing more about single sourcing and modular documentation then this is the book to read. Single sourcing by kurt ament overdrive rakuten overdrive.
Building modular documentation technical communication is pleased to announce a special issue on the organizational, economic, and human impacts of single sourcing to be published in august 2003. For a summary of the benefits and risks of single sourcing, see box, single sourcing. Building modular documentation is a valuable reference for those of us who seek to save time, effort, and money by implementing a productive method of creating information once and reusing it often. But, singlesourcing is not useful for most small documentation projects. Ford, for example, was able to tag its single owners manual files so that 12 model years could be.
When you use single sourcing, all topics can be assembled and published by using the files topics in a single repository. Ament covers the issuesstepbystepthat many others only discuss. Among these are reductions in product variation, training required, and cost of quality 1. Dec 27, 20 creating multiple versions of an output singlesourcing with doctohelp. Jan, 2016 single sourcing and reuse in technical documentation is getting more and more widespread these days. The introduction to a concept module is a single, concise paragraph that provides a short overview of the module. That is, each module is written as an independent, contextfree.
The insiders guide to technical writing by krista van. Singlesourcing article about singlesourcing by the. Building modular documentation, is a valuable reference for those of us who seek to save time, effort, and money by implementing a productive method of creating information once and reusing it often. Where source development meets documentation singlesourcing. Building expertise in single sourcing wsingle sourcing builds marketable skills. The process of building a modular document is cyclical. There is a way to singlesource using ms word 2007 and later. Whmis the ottawa hospital materials selection amazon web services edith cowan university student guide ebrochures single sourcing building modular documentation pdf telecopie pleine page free road book awsr monpermisdeconduire.
Modular documentation is documentation based on modules. The process of producing multiple outputs from one single source of information. Building modular documentation kindle edition by ament, kurt. If you are using your documents as a single source to publish different deliverables, or want to leave your options open to do so, you need to read this book. Documentation single sourcing is a method for systematically reusing information. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. I needed to modularize documents chunks, assemble modules in varying orders across multiple documents. Describe multi sourcing and single sourcing models, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each. The companies listed below highlight their reasoning for going with a single provider.
While there is a general definition of singlesource publishing, there is no single official delineation between singlesource publishing and multichannel publishing, nor are there any official governing bodies to provide such a delineation. Writing for single sourcing assumes nothing you build standalone content modules that. Increasingly, however, one paper manual is not enough. You dont need to buy this book as everything you need to know will be documented on the wiki, but if you are interested in knowing more about singlesourcing and modular documentation then this is the book to read. Single sourcing and reuse in technical documentation is getting more and more widespread these days. How to modularize using microsoft word as a single. Single sourcing is used satisfactorily for large documentation projects that have thousands of pages or help topics. Vakharia b a department of finance and quantitative analysis, college of business administration, georgia southern university, statesboro, ga 304608151, united states. Jun 17, 2003 kurt ament has hit the nail on the head. Single sourcing is more than mechanical document conversion. But, single sourcing is not useful for most small documentation projects. The federal housing administrations fha single family housing policy handbook 4000.
We rewrite content systematically, following the modular method we developed at major aerospace, hardware, and software companies. Building modular documentation by kurt ament published 2002 by noyes publications heres some good advice for all documentation. Building modular documentation, kurt ament asserts that the singlesourcing process does not differ from the traditional documentation process in the beginning of a project. Single sourcing article about single sourcing by the. Single sourcing building modular documentatio by julieta. Singlesourcing the package version python packaging. Reference textbooks in etextbook format vitalsource. The first single source publishing project was started in 1993 by cornelia hofmann at schneider electric in seligenstadt, using software based on interleaf to automatically create paper documentation in multiple languages based on a single original source file. Modular documentation details created on saturday, 08 september 2007 18. The biggest problem with the existing literature is that nearly all of it is theoretical in nature. Kurt ament states that if your content is modular, your single sourcing project succeeds. Legacy non modular documentation split into small, meaningless pieces a module must make sense and provide value on its own, even when read separately from the other modules. In practice, it most often refers to a framemaker file set with conditional text which, when the conditions are set appropriately, allows you to create variants of the original document e. Use an external build tool that either manages updating both locations, or offers an api that both locations can use.
To deliver highquality modular documentation, we must become experts in the information model that drives the modular documentation and become leaders in implementing or delivering on that model 5, 7, and 10. Tutorial summary r addresses the changing face of technology, information design, and the skills required to ensure effective information development r argues that the use of document databases, single sourcing, and knowledge webs will redefine writing. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Singlesourcing is used satisfactorily for large documentation projects that have thousands of pages or help topics. Folks starting single sourcing projects are faced with insufficient resources. Rather than copying and pasting between documents, you can be more efficient since all content authors can choose the required topics from the repository and then assemble and publish the topics as needed. Single sourcing article about single sourcing by the free. The parts can be sentences, paragraphs, or sections. Where source development meets documentation single.
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