project management – DK Consulting of Colorado

Step One in Component Content: Common Modules

February 29, 2024March 3, 2024Debra Kahn (@dkconsultco)

No one likes to reinvent the wheel. And in the era of AI, none of us like to create content when we can leverage something that’s already out there. (Copyrights respected, of course.)

Actually, irrespective of AI, an aversion to unnecessary writing effort has always been a thing, especially among those of us who develop product-related content. Why rewrite a product-line description or a disclaimer when you can leverage what others (or you) have already written?

When I had my Eureka moment about this, near the turn of the millennium, I tried to create a content reuse process within an existing product documentation system. Seemed like common sense at the time. So, I set out to convince my colleagues to join me on that plain.

Today, of course, we have many options to componentize content, from WordPress to sophisticated CCMS tools. But where do you start if you’re not ready to make a giant leap to an expensive tool?

I believe the basics of my original process still apply. So, I will share it with you here.

Content Professions: Pandemic 2020 and Beyond

January 31, 2021March 16, 2021Debra Kahn (@dkconsultco)

Some of us marched; some of us planted gardens, and some of us turned new perspectives into new endeavors. What did you do during the 2020 pandemic? (I hear my future grandchildren asking.)

On Mondays during the last quarter of 2020, I began publishing mini-essays on LinkedIn. Some were purposeful. Some were playful. Some bordered on the inspired (maybe).

Sprint but Iterate: How Product Content Pros Can Adopt/Adapt Agility (Part 2)

December 15, 2020February 1, 2024Debra Kahn (@dkconsultco)

Sad as it is to say, self-directed, collaborative, and agile product development teams often don’t get content. That is, they don’t really understand where content comes from, how it is best developed, how to work with content creators, what’s required of the team as a whole, and why developing content can sometimes take longer than a 2-week sprint.

So it is often up to content professionals to educate (constantly), adapt (when necessary) and, above all, speak up about their requirements.

How to Develop a Combined Content Audit and Plan

September 8, 2020February 3, 2024Debra Kahn (@dkconsultco)

Conducting a comprehensive content audit, also known as an information survey, can be a daunting task, especially if your organization has a large inventory of content. But is an in-depth audit really needed for every situation?

You would conduct a full content audit if your organization was undergoing a significant transformation, such as a digital transformation, or as part of a continuous improvement effort. But sometimes the moment calls for something more targeted, less exhaustive–something that enables you to quickly develop a plan of action.

I refer to this kind of content audit as a project-based content audit or a combined content audit and plan.

5 Intersects of Content Strategy and Project Management (Part 4)

October 30, 2019April 20, 2021Debra Kahn (@dkconsultco)

During the monitoring and managing phase of a development project, both the content strategist and the project manager work in the background to keep the team aligned and the activity focused. Read more →

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