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I recently had the chance to interview Joan Lasselle, president of Lasselle-Ramsay, an information development professional services organization. In this interview, I asked Joan to help us understand what is happening in the content development and information management arena of the technical communication industry and to discuss the expanding role content management is playing in the semiconductor industry. The lessons of the semiconductor industry can be applied to any content-heavy industry segment that is challenged with the management of increasing amounts of business-critical content.

Note: If you're interested in learning more about how a content management system can help you increase efficiency, enable content reuse, cut expenses, and drive a positive return on investment, check out this free one hour Astoria on-demand webinar (featuring JoAnn Hackos).

Chip:  Joan, please tell our readers a little about yourself and your company, Lasselle-Ramsay.

Joan: I founded the company in 1982, the year the IBM PC came out. Our first clients were start-up companies developing applications for the PC. We served as their technical documentation department creating software and hardware documentation. Since then, we maintained our focus on the high technology market and the creation of new product documentation, but, of course, have expanded the markets that we serve and the services we provide. We have three main practice areas: technical documentation, learning content development, and content management. We serve clients in high tech, bio-tech, medical device and life sciences, as well as in the finance and insurance space.

Chip: You've been advising clients and providing technical documentation services for nearly a quarter century. How has the world of technical communication changed?

Joan: Well, certainly there have been many changes in the tools that technical writers use. When I first started in this business, many documents were typeset. We then moved on to line editors followed by word processors and desktop page layout programs. Ten years ago, it seemed like SGML held some promise, but because ease-of-use was not its strong suit, it failed to gain widespread adoption.

Today, we see more and more clients moving toward XML authoring combined with a content management system. This approach is an effective one because it solves many of the expensive challenges -- not just content creation problems -- faced by organizations who are looking for ways to reduce overall expenses and rid their companies of wasteful processes. By combining a solid content development strategy with an XML content management system and authoring tools that support the goals of those who use them, we can deliver a more complete solution to our clients.

Today, we have an opportunity to change -- even elevate -- the role of the writer within an organization by helping them gain valuable new skills, adopt smart waste reduction approaches, and become more effective content creators, collaborators, and publishers. In effect, by respecting content as a valuable corporate 'asset'  worthy of being managed efficiently by a content management system. Technical communication professionals are able to say, "Hey, we're not just commodity writers. We're strategic players in this organization that contribute to product and customer satisfaction, and we have a stake in the overall outcome. We're looking out for waste and finding ways our entire organization can become more efficient. We're valuable and our efforts and output can be replicated and leveraged across the enterprise to the benefit of everyone in every department."

Chip: At Astoria, we have identified a trio of content management environmental drivers, velocity, volume, and variability, that are putting pressure on a an organization's content and documentation publishing processes. These drivers have significant bottom-line impact, especially for manufacturers managing the product information publishing process - authoring, publishing and updating - for all the critical information associated with launching and servicing complex products and services over their lifetimes, everything from user documentation to suport and customer service information. I wrote about these drivers in early 2006 in an article for DM Review. But, I'm interested in your take. What do you think is driving the trend for XML content management adoption in the technical publications space?

Joan: The competitive business environment is major factor -- globalization, increased regulation, cost, competition, shorter product life cycles, and a recognition that information is a business asset. All of these business needs (and more) can be supported by a move to XML content management. The semiconductor industry provides a good example of that. 

Chip: Why is semiconductor industry such a good example?

Joan: Semiconductor is a fast-paced global industry. Global competition drives product innovation and also drives cost reduction efforts. All semiconductor companies have COO (cost of ownership) reduction initiatives. In the past, companies have focused their efforts on the manufacturing side of the business to drive down costs. Now they are looking at other, previously unrealized areas for cost reduction -- primarily efficiencies made possible through standardization, structure, process improvements, and the elimination of manual tasks. Content management provides a good opportunity to extend the cost savings beyond the fabrication process.

Chip: What else is happening in the semiconductor industry?

Joan: All semiconductor companies are facing shorter product life cycles and faster time-to-market presssures to be successful.  But, in addition to being faster, companies also need to be more competitive and that means providing more capability at the best possible price. Therefore, the ability to reduce cost while maintaining quality is a strategic advantage, a corporate differentiator, and a competence that needs to be pursued.

Another important trend, is product line extensions and multiple configurations - companies are addressing a wider range of semiconductor products for multiple markets. Basically everything that we touch these days from computers to cell phones to digital cameras and even our car has a significant amount of semiconductor content. It all starts with a wafer and a chip. The proliferation of products is truly incredible with a worldwide semiconductor market estimated at about $230 billion in 2005.

Chip: Where did semiconductor companies focus cost reduction efforts in the past?

Joan: The primary cost reduction efforts have focused on technology and manufacturing. How do you produce these highly sophisticated devices at the lowest cost?  To accomplish this, integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and foundries made billion dollar investments to move from 200mm (8 inch) to 300mm (12 inch) wafers to lower cost per die. This required building larger new fabs with new equipment.

The goal is to realize economies of scale drive down costs, find cheaper material and source the best most qualified talent accross the globe. In the semiconductor industry -- outsourcing has become the norm rather than exception. It is not unusual for a product to be designed in one country, manufactured in another, and packaged and marketed in a third. The separation of design and manufacturing capabilities has spurred rather than hampered industry growth.

Again, the emphasis has been on the manufacturing side. Little has changed on the information management side of the house. So, as you can imagine, there is significant potential for improvements that can be made.  

Chip: Why has the focus shifted to outside the fabrication process?

Joan: Looking for ways to improve product documentation management, lower documentation costs, and extend the cost savings outside the fab cannot be overlooked in a business environment that is truly global and cost-sensitive. Content management systems (CMS) are becoming more of a requirement because companies are realizing that all of the tasks involved in creating and managing product documentation, specifications, and datasheets figure into the calculation of total product cost.

A CMS provides tremendous benefits to large global businesses, like the semiconductor companies that have a diverse audience and extended product lines. It allows them to re-purpose content, lower localization costs, have a tighter version control, allowing them to reduce overall product cost, and also to reduce risk/liability in publishing inaccurate information. They need information that addresses the global audience and information cannot be a barrier to time to market commitments. The engineering time is also becoming more valuable and more constrained, as more and more products being developed, so enhancing and automating the collaborative environment between engineering product specialists or owners and information experts becomes even more important. A CMS that facilitates ease and speed in collaboration and review cycles becomes mandatory.

Chip:  I recently wrote an article for KM World that examines the hidden costs of product information publishing. Product documentation is an important cost reduction area that most CEOs and CIOs have yet to discover. In the technical documentation space, how can a CMS reduce costs?

Joan: Moving to a CMS can be a challenging proposition for technical documentation departments in many industries. In the semiconductor space, it has been particularly challenging because of tight budgets and deadlines due to time-to-market pressures. Furthermore, corporate enterprise CMS implementations often do not adequately address technical documentation problems. In other words, they fail to solve the most common -- and expensive -- technical publishing problems. However, selecting the right CMS technology (one designed to handle granular content and designed with technical publications in mind) can be difficult for most technical communication professionals, most of which lack the knowledge and experience needed to make such decisions. Usually, they start off asking about tools, which, as anyone who is in the content management space knows, is the wrong first question.

At Lasselle-Ramsay, we developed a program that helps technical documentation departments navigate the obstacles and avoid asking the wrong questions. First, we help companies identify whether they are a good candidate for content management. We help them build a business case and then work with them to develop a pilot program that focuses on solving the business problems they have identified rather than on selecting a technology and trying to make it work for their purposes. Once the pilot is completed and a return on investment calculation is validated, we recommend the technology tools that will be meet their needs. The pilot allows companies to "test the water" without a large upfront investment in the technology infrastructure. We focus on information effectiveness and efficiency to help our clients reduce cost and increase customer satisfaction.

Our 10 Best Ways to Reduce Documentation Costs is a good starting point for those looking for ways to control costs associated with the creation of technical documentation.

Chip: One last question, we've been involved with the standards-development for Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), and our customers are actively moving to adoption. How do you see it benefiting the semiconductor industry?

Joan: When implementing a CMS, semiconductor companies need to consider whether DITA is right for them. DITA is good option for businesses that are faced with a constantly changing environments and need to meet time-to-market pressures. DITA allows your data model to evolve as your business need changes, without obsoleting your existing tools and documents. It optimizes localization efforts by reducing translation costs and can help make you more efficient.    

Chip: Well, I've been really thrilled to be able to tap your valued knowledge and experiences since you and your organization have so much knowledge and experience in helping solve real-world information management challenges for technology customers.  And the insight on the semi-conductor companies - where these challenges are only amplified - was really interesting and hopefully gives information management professionals some good food for thought on how to look at the issues, and solutions, for their organization's content and publishing efforts. Thanks for your time.

Note: If you're interested in learning more about how a content management system can help you increase efficiency, enable content reuse, cut expenses, and drive a positive return on investment, check out this free one hour Astoria on-demand webinar (featuring JoAnn Hackos).