10 (7) Secrets to Success in

Content Initiatives Joe Gollner@joegollner

Seven (7) Secretsgrounded in theFundamentals of Lean Manufacturing

Is it Ten or Seven Secrets? Why not both?

Three (3) Secretsgrounded in theBasics of Management & Leadership

Seven Secrets derived from Lean Manufacturing

1. Get Together

1. Get Together – Concurrent Engineering

Project Success will always start with getting the right people in the room from the outset

Inter-disciplinary Collaboration

Cross-functionalCoordination

Integrated Product Teams

Silo busting

Challengingbut essential

2. Try Before You Buy

Technology is not neutral

The tools you select will alter your world & thus requirements

These impacts must be explored before commitments are made

2. Try Before You Buy – Prototyping & Piloting

2. Try Before You Buy – Buyer Beware

How you acquire your toolswill have more to do with your success (or failure)

than what you buy

3. There’s an App for That

Automation can be leveraged to accelerate your progress

Expedite content acquisition, delivery, management, and use

It is not about finding Silver Bullets

It is about deploying automation effectively & sustainably

3. There’s an App for That – Leveraging Automation

4. Throw Yourself into the Numbers

4. Throw Yourself into the Numbers – Essential Tools

Content Practiceshave historically avoided quantification

Measurement & Analysis are both necessary & expected

It is how progress is expressed & understood

It is how progress is tracked & adjusted

5. Think Small

5. Think Small – Focus on Content Components

Exploit the possibilities that come when your contentis modularized for efficient management & reuse

Maxim: Use simple things to do complex taskseven if the reverse is the more common practice

5. Think Small – Also Applies to Tools and Techniques

6. Walk the Talk

6. Walk the Talk – Articulated Processes

Business Requirements

User Needs

Political Factors

Budget Realities

Demonstration Capability

Reference Implementation

Production Deployment

Continuous Improvement

AppliedContent

Technologies

Content Standards Best Practices

Open Source Commercial

ContentStrategy

LeanMethodology

Discover Design Develop Demonstrate Deploy

Lean Content Solution

ProcessStep

ProcessStep

ContentAssets

Validation & Analysis

Content Specifications

ProcessInformation

7. Build to Last

Has been working since 1410 (600+ years)

Very complex operations

Build to Last – Prague Astronomical Clock (Orloj)

Documented operations

Accessible & Maintainablemechanisms

Good Materials

Three Secrets from Basics in Management & Leadership

8. Speak Management

8. Speak Management – Show Me the Money!

Supplier Appreciation Gala

Standing in the drink line

Me: Hi there! Who are you with?Well-Dressed Man: I am the President of Boeing. What do you do for us?Me: …

8. Speak Management – Emergency Elevator Pitch

9. Lead the Way

In its essence,Leadership is abouttaking responsibility

This is why it is actually a rather rare commodity

By taking responsibility,a Leader provides space for others to try new things

And get away with it

It can involve demonstrating what mistakes look like

9. Lead the Way – Means Leading from the Front

10. Follow the Content

10. Follow the Content – the Full Content Life Cycle

The Content Life Cycle channels information products into the “world”

where they are used to do things and from this emerges feedback.

ContentAcquisition

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

ContentDelivery

ContentStrategy

InformationProduct

UserTask

Guidance

Feedback

A Content Strategy will define what content is needed and why, and

then guide the Content Life Cycle to achieve and advance these goals

10. Follow the Content – Connecting Intelligences

It is vitally important work

It is how organizations function…

The business of Communication

is about connecting the work

of different specialists And connecting that

work to the work that

someone has to

perform elsewhere

1. Get TogetherLeverage Concurrent Engineering

2. Try before you buyPrototype and Pilot before buying

3. There’s an App for thatLeverage automation relentlessly

4. Throw yourself into the numbersMeasure & analyze everything

5. Think SmallBreak everything into smallest viable units

6. Walk the TalkImplement & improve articulated processes

7. Build to LastLeverage standards, openness & experience

Review: Seven Secrets from Lean Manufacturing

1. Speak ManagementBecome part of the Management Team & bring benefits to the party

2. Lead the WayBecome the Leader that will be needed to make the necessary changes

3. Follow the ContentStay focused on the nature, origins & uses of your Organization’s Content

Review: Three Secrets for Management & Leadership

In a Nutshell – It’s Your Content. Own it!

Ars Contenta

Joe GollnerManaging DirectorGnostyx Research Inc.1 Rideau Street, Suite 700www.gnostyx.comjag@gnostyx.com

Twitter: @joegollner

Blog:The Content Philosopher

www.gollner.caAqua Mechanica