DevBlog Collaboration | Your Internal Process Holy Grail

devblog,workflow collaboration,online collaboration,adobe captivate,technical communication,technical writing

I was asked recently about the concept of DevBlogging and unfortunately instead of a single hyperlink easily emailed I was forced to do a search of my site. I had initially mashed the DevBlog concept into a Best Practices post. :O

So by popular request here are the compiled DevBlogs on display by themselves in as coherent an order as I could manage without editing the content. Of course you can do the Technorati site search also if you wish.

From How Wikipedia Works (Or Doesn’t) | Can Corporations Use Wikis?

Knowledge Management Workflow

When it comes to refining a Knowledge Management workflow, I’ve been researching into collaboration tool adoption. I tend to look towards the internet for what the free market economy brings up.

There’s a sweet spot between the user familiarity of an email and the openness and collaboration capabilities of a wiki; I tend to use a DevBlog instead. DevBlogs, or development-based blogging, has an adoption rate of about 60% of my client base and allow remote collaboration and concept review.

Hence the DevBlog concept, and my adoption of the WordPress standard for Blogging. Most people can use the web-based Comments area because they have already adopted the technology by viewing or interacting on other people’s blogs.

I believe this is because of the subject structure, and most importantly, the ability to collate the information by relativism; nesting a family of knowledge within Workflow Collaboration such as this post falls into, allows me to communicate effectively with each part of my team since everyone knows where the related posts are.

Knowledge management could use wikis as a dream tool, however repurposing the content tends to be cumbersome.

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From
Best Practices: DevBlogs and eLearning Content Development | eLearning under $1000

DevBlog Collaboration | eLearning Project Management

Here is a perfect example of what a DevBlog can work with. While doing ID work, I need frequent input from a SME. When the SME is able to see the work I’m accomplishing, the usual method of communication is through email. The challenge is in revisions of the work, with replied email strings becoming longer and longer some crucial details may be missed.

It is much quicker to open two browser windows side by side and view the work, stop the slide progress, and jot off a quick ‘Comment’ within the second browser window, noting the frame of the slide and their thoughts about how to improve it.This works quite well.

To recap the steps:

1. Host the Captivate .swf output file on an accessible and secure location.
2. Within your DevBlog start a Post and include the Captivate file’s hyperlink set to open in a new window.
3. Send an email to the SME with the DevBlog’s web address.
4. Ask the SME to Comment below your work description while they review the Captivate file.

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From
Goodbye Magazines, Hello Blog-azines…?

Is Web 2.0 At Its Tipping Point Into Help Authoring?

With the expectation of your audience changing into a more interactive view, the Help Authoring you’re performing will start shifting towards a more nimble creation. I’m envisioning a Workflow Collaboration that will blend review of the documentation within a blog.

I’m using that type of mix today and I call it a DevBlog. Each of my clients has access 24/7 to the latest tasks accomplished.

The trends in the next few years that I’ll be recommending will include blog-like Web 2.0 interfaces which add commenting capability directly into the help files. This will most probably blend Technical Support into hyperlinking relevant user forums subjects literally within the help documentation.

Most probable is that the feedback from online documentation will be swiftly implemented as change orders, and this will impact the development priorities, requiring quick editing and republishing of content. Using a single-source tool obviously helps this, as does XML-based help.

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From
Blog Wars: The Results | Why Help Authors Should Blog

Why Would A HAT Author Blog, Anyway? 

Until I started approaching this Technical Communication field not as support, not as a Tech Writer, but as an analyst/consultant, I didn’t even have a self-titled blog. I reserved the name, but never used it. Too freakin’ MySpace for me; I am fairly private and maybe I’m too darn old, but I don’t need everyone knowing how I like my latte and who I have in my friends list. My life is not a reality show. 

I bet I would get great ratings if it were.  

However, as Cluetrain.org states in their manifesto to corporations, 

Markets are conversations… …
People in networked markets have figured out that they get far better information and support from one another than from vendors. So much for corporate rhetoric about adding value to commoditized products.  

Therefore, because I work in Communication, people should know something about me in order to add value to my services.My revenue streams are enhanced by posting my experiences and through helping others, not only as a consultant or when compensated. 

Blogging As Workflow Collaboration 

Recently I’ve been reaching my collaborative Nirvana. Using these techniques I’ve discovered makes things get done faster, better, and people save money. It’s a crazy concept, but I’m pushing collaboration and techniques to move us beyond stifling bureaucratic logjams found so often within corporations. 

I started using Blogger to track my personal project research and share it with my family. I did like the methods of posting links from within a browser, using a small button and highlighting text.I started blogging when I realized that my strengths are my social network and my reputation. 

The Tool I Want To See - Innovative Help Authoring 

My dream Collaboration tool would have the abilities of WordPress in importing blog content from multiple sources and re-utilizing it into workable / searchable content within a Help file format. I’m working on an open-source solution but I’m not a PHP programmer so it’s tertiary to my other projects, particularly since the 21st CFP is only a month or so away from completion of construction. 

Maybe this tool would simply be a bridge between a WordPress site built into the HAT. I would love the functionality of Flare used to edit my blogs. Security required for corporate clients would require onsite, behind the firewall hosting, so obviously an open standard like WordPress or an inexpensive TypePad program could be supported through their interface.

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From
Workflow Collaboration Tips from TechCommDood

Analysis

Bill’s approach about getting in on the beginning should dovetail into working out a workflow collaboration method that the product manager can adopt. If a tech writer can, through the use of a simple devblog, keep everyone informed and stop the email forwarding that plagues software development, all will start off on the right foot. The tech writer becomes the golden child instead of the whipping boy/girl.

Should the PM adopt a method to track changes that is open and viewable to the entire team, everyone benefits from the transparency and ‘everyone gets the memo on the TPS Report.

I worked for a company that was less than functional in obtaining change requests for documentation. Needless to say, creative approaches were critical in getting the information in time for changes to the product to be represented in the documentation, particularly with a single help author / tech writer and eight different product lines!

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Hope this helps!