Getting Started with Single Source Content Management

As organizations research potential enterprise content management options, project teams are often overwhelmed by the massive amount of information available on the topic. To complicate matters, the vast majority of enterprise content management resources focus on the features of software packages while providing little insight on how to systematically lead a team through the critical first steps of an enterprise content management implementation. Dakota has prepared a Quick Start Guide to outline the necessary tasks a project team should complete before making any financial or resource commitment to a particular authoring, content management or publishing software package. These five critical preparatory tasks are listed below. Ideally they are implemented by a dedicated project team over a span of 60 - 90 days.

• Publishing Process and Resource Analysis

• Business Justification

• Publishing System Design

• Time Line and Budget Projections

• Proof of Concept Development

What is a Content Strategy? …and why do I need one?

No matter what your information products are; marketing, e-commerce, technical, maintenance or all of them and more, success in delivering the digital experience your audience demands requires content appropriate to your needs.

Your best chance of getting that content where, how and when you need it is based on a well-designed content strategy; from original acquisition, creation and management, to delivery in the forms and media you need. Even the technology you have now or might consider will only work properly when it gets content compatible with its design.

Equally important, because no one has unlimited organizational resources or funding, you must take into account not only the requirements of your output and audience but also the limitations of your organization and budgets to craft a content strategy that is achievable within your unique setting.

Dakota's content strategy services include:

• Enterprise Content Management Architecture and Design

• Needs Analysis and ROI Evaluations

• Industry Best Practice Analysis and Vendor Evaluations

Enterprise Content Management Architecture and Design

• DCP/SharePoint integration design and architecture.

• Architecture analysis to support Hansel Phelps IT requirements (e.g. firewall design, encryption, etc.).

• XML schema design to support document-level metadata adhering to Hansel Phelps company business rules (e.g. taxonomy), content re-use, and profiling.

• FrameMaker (or oXygen) customization (e.g. EDD, CSS, macro scripting) design.

• Output requirements and considerations for PDF and HTML.

• Requirements and Design Documentation deliverable.

Content Strategy Services

Success in delivering the digital experience that your users demand requires a well-designed content strategy. Dakota has developed the techniques to fully understand your challenges, and to develop a workable strategy that fits both your needs and your resources, typically with only a few days on site to meet with your staff. Dakota, working with clients of all sizes and characteristics, provides the expertise and in-the-trenches experience to help you achieve the strategic vision you need to stay ahead of the information world.

Take time now to architect a solution that will keep you abreast of your information demands, today and tomorrow, at the lowest cost and risk.

Dakota Systems, working with clients of all sizes and characteristics, provides the expertise and in-the-trenches experience to help you achieve the strategic vision you need to stay ahead of your information world. Our team has developed the techniques to fully understand your challenges, and to develop a workable strategy that fits both your needs and your resources, typically with only a few days on site to meet with your staff.

• Clear Objectives - The products of our work are clearly defined, fully achievable strategic and tactical plans that address your information and content life-cycle, consistent with your unique requirements and resources.

• Comprehensive Approach - Dakota thoroughly understands the content life cycle, and we will help you craft your strategy at a level of detail appropriate to your needs… without breaking the bank doing it.The Content Life Cycle Summary below outlines our starting point, from which we develop a plan unique to your requirements and level of complexity:

• Scalability - Not only will your content and technology strategy meet today’s needs, it will capable of scaling up in volume, complexity and scope as your needs evolve… and if there’s one thing you can probably count on, it’s growth in your information requirements and audience demands.

• Customized Solution - Our Content Life-Cycle Planning Team works with you to develop a content life-cycle strategy based on your unique requirements, resources and constraints. Our technology expertise assures that the products of our work will be fully compatible with the technology you currently have access to or are willing to consider acquiring as part of your efforts.

• On-going Support - A Dakota Content Life-Cycle plan will provide you with an integrated and fully achievable road-map to effective long-term information delivery and, if you need it, the strategic and technical support to make it a reality.

CMS Deployment

Dakota can assist with the integration of your content management system with your publishing tools. Dakota’s strategic partnerships with companies like Alfresco, SDL Knowledge Center, Componize, Altova and Siemens PLM ensure that it meets your specific documentation needs and requirements.

For customers requiring and an end-to-end publishing and content management solution, Dakota offers the DCP. The DCP is a component content management system that provides all of the capabilities needed to automate the development and delivery of high-quality technical documentation.