Convince Management to Invest in a CCMS (Lessons learned)

www.publishingsmarter.com @publishsmarter
Convince Management
to Invest in a CCMS...
...Lessons Learned

From the outline…
2
You are keenly aware of the beneﬁts of a Component Content Management
System (CCMS). Next steps; develop a business case to present to
management. Answering their questions about an important investment decision
means prepping for their key questions.
This webinar presents you with questions management may ask, information on
researching answers, and guidance on how to make your case.
Learn through stories of companies and people who have a CCMS. Hear what
they did to convince their management teams to make long term investments
that pay dividends for years to come.

Key Takeaways
1. CCMS questions management asks
2. Research to do and tips on how
3. Deliver answers and frame your
business case
4. Keys to success from those who
have "been there, done that"
●
3

Bernard
Aschwanden
Publishing Smarter
4

Publishing Smarter: President
● Content strategist, publishing technologies expert,
author, and geek-enough
● Certiﬁed Technical Trainer
● Content management
● Topic-based writing
● Structured content (e.g. DITA)
Society for Technical Communications
● Past President
● STC Associate Fellow
5

Crucial
Consideration
If you REALLY want to make the
business case to management
that they need to get a CCMS...
… Don’t. They don’t need a CCMS,
they need a Business Case to deﬁne
a problem (or an opportunity) and a
solution!
6

What is a CCMS and why
would we want one?Potential QnA
This comes up early
7

Don’t Pitch
Them a CCMS
Resolve a Problem
● ID problems in their language
○ Define the scope of the problem
○ Define the impact of the problem
○ Define the risk of the problem
○ Include time and cost
● Suggest solutions
○ Connect it to the problem
○ ID scope, impact, risk, time, cost
● Build a Business Case
○ Sample core topics to follow
8

What is a CCMS?
Walk through the initials
● Deﬁne the initials
○ Component
○ Content
○ Management
○ System
● The “why would we want one”
is the harder part (more…)
● Connect to your business
9

What is a CCMS and
why would we want one?Potential QnA
Part 2 of that question.
10

Why would we want one?
11
● Single source of truth
● Reuse and tracking
● Version control
● History tracking
● Governance
● Content control
● Searchable database
● Modular assembly
● Managed links
● Reports
● Workﬂows to track & manage process
related to content

Why can’t we use what
we already have?Potential QnA
12

What problem does a
CCMS solve?Potential QnA
13

Define content problems (pick 1 or more)
● Don’t own the source content
● Inconsistent
○ Version (find the “right” info)
○ Content (different phrases)
○ Format (content looks different)
○ Experience (web vs print vs mobile)
○ Workflows (create, review, edit, publish)
● Translation concerns (more languages)
● Regulatory concerns
● Knowledge management
● Human limited (fewer writers to draw on)
● Tighter schedules (delivery sooner, more)
● Customer defection
14
● IP retention
● Content mismanagement
● Competition capabilities
● Delivering ALL the content to ALL the
audiences has issues
○ Content seems more complex
○ Costs are often “net-higher”
○ People do not read it (too much, not
relevant to the job they do)
● Release schedules mean doc rework
● Status tracking
● Chapter model not topic level
○ Reuse, topic types, etc (DITA?)

What opportunity can
we meet with a CCMS?Potential QnA
15

Define content opportunities (1 or more?)
● Could rephrase some challenges, BUT
○ Not in this slide deck
○ Remember ideas like “consistent content”
or “standard format” or “faster publishing”
○ Those are largely cost-cutting
● Expand offerings
○ Custom content by product or platform
○ Audience specific materials, niche feel
● Develop better understanding of client
○ What is the journey through content?
○ What do they search for? (when, why)
16
● Impact consumer decision-making
○ Problem recognition
○ Information search
○ Evaluation and selection of alternatives
○ Purchase decision
○ Post-purchase evaluation
● Help online users find solutions
● Enable customers to build customers
○ Best sales tool is a happy customer
○ Put docs online and allow feedback

Where is your business
case for this?Potential QnA
17

Components of a
Business Case
Address these in your content
● Overview (summarize all)
● Problem/opportunity
● High level solutions
○ Beneﬁts
○ Costs
○ Tech needs
○ Timescale
○ Resources
○ Impact on operations
○ Risk
○ Organizational capability to deliver
● Rank/rate/suggest preference
● Discuss Implementation Plan
18

Core to a
Business Case
Deﬁne the problem
○ Beneﬁts
○ Costs
○ Tech needs
○ Timescale
○ Resources
○ Risk
19

Core to a
Business Case
Explain the solution
○ Beneﬁts
○ Costs
○ Tech needs
○ Timescale
○ Resources
○ Risk
20

Researching Answers
21

Research
22
High-level ideas
Webinars (like this one)
Conferences
Vendors (yes, vendors)
Solutions providers

Webinars
23
Pro and con
Pro
● Often recorded
● Interact with the speaker (chat)
● Can be reviewed at your pace
Con
● Limited time
● Prepped/canned materials
● One directional post-event
(although, you can follow up!)

Conferences
24
Pro and con
Pro
● Chance to dive in deeper
● Case studies
● Talk to real users in person
Con
● Social distancing
● Vendors “pay to play”
● Many sessions, all at once

Vendors
25
Pro and con
Pro
● Whitepapers and case studies
● Demo or test kitchen
● Connect you to clients
● Hands-on opportunities
Con
● Vendor knows THEIR tool
● Unlikely vs other vendors

Solution
Providers
26
Pro and con
Pro
● Worked with a LOT of others
● Aren’t tied to a speciﬁc vendor
● Can bring short-term help
● Build long-term relationships
● Use as needed only
Con
● Still has a bias
● External costs

Learn From Others
27

Defence: Third-party vendors and content
Content externally managed by vendor partners:
● Benefits:
○ No design/edit work or staff needed
○ No license for tools
○ No systems needs or maintenance
● Drawbacks:
○ Each edit requires external touch
○ Design fees for any work done (new PDF?
Go to online? Develop for mobile?)
○ Vendor rate, ownership, contract change?
○ Vendor ONLY delivered final PDF
○ Difficult to ID versioning when you cannot
work with the source
28
Benefits from migration to a CCMS include:
● Design (if consistent) is “one and done”
● License can be flexible (vendor request,
on-prem or hosted systems)
● Edits in our control, content internal
● Retain IP as people leave/reorg
● Content is now internal
● One standard template
● Quick content reuse and reorg
● Multiple contributors
● Version control
● Retain knowledge

Medical device: Audience and translation
Multinational, multiple audiences:
● Beneﬁts:
○ Outside vendor allowed specialized skills
○ One big manual and content in one place
● Drawbacks:
○ Outside vendor was interested in word
count (they got paid)
○ One big manual and no one read it
○ Could not have content “on device” other
than “print and attach the manual”
29
● Less content, faster production
● Lower translation costs (dramatic change)
● Audience deﬁnition changed scope
● Now deliver content just for nurses
● Content just for technicians
● Easier to integrate “on device”
● Right info, right time, right place

Aerospace: Content reuse, regulatory
Many planes, similar manuals and procedures:
● Beneﬁts:
○ FAA and EASA content in one place
○ Easy to say “that is the manual”
○ AFM, OM, FAM, MEL, CMM, etc
● Drawbacks:
○ Minimal automation and reuse
○ Materials from other suppliers manually
integrated and re-written
○ Change can be diﬃcult to implement
○ Different structure and format for content
○ Regulatory docs take time to complete
30
● Consistent content
● Faster time to publish
● Integrated review process
● SME content contribution
● Connect topics to regulatory
● Multiple delivery channels

Automotive: Complex review, publishing
Unique content needs across markets:
● Beneﬁts:
○ Multiple authors owned content
○ Each was an expert
○ Vendor was sole supplier
● Drawbacks:
○ Volume of content growing
○ Could not scale for international
○ Localization of content and publishing put
strain on resources
○ Could not review broadly (1000s of
reviewers needed access)
31
● Smaller, topic-based system
● Publish using an automated system
● Able to almost instantly create
○ User Guide
○ Owner Manual
○ Warranty
● Publishing automation
○ PDF/Print/Online, and internal to vehicle

Software/Hardware: Growth via acquisition
Buy a business, integrate it, include legacy docs:
● Beneﬁts:
○ Merge products, streamline services
○ Bring offerings under one roof
○ Expand market exposure, grow
● Drawbacks:
○ Unique source formats
○ Conversion headaches
○ Different writing styles
○ Unique publishing outputs
32
● Share content between divisions
● Implement “complete” doc sets of both
hardware and software
● Digital and PDF copies instantly
● OEM capabilities expanded
● New markets easier to grow into

Manufacturer: Oil / gas market is changing
Clarify message, create multiple deliveries:
● Benefits:
○ Internally, people know the system
○ Content is conditional
○ One source for ALL docs
● Drawbacks:
○ Translation is difficult
○ Edits take time
○ Review process can be tough
○ Complex single source is difficult to
deconstruct and reconstruct
33
● Reduce content complexity
● Make it consistent in phrasing
● Audience specific content
● Device specific content
● Expanded sales opportunities
● As sectors change, new markets open

Make Your Case
34

Define content problems (and offer solutions)
● Don’t own the source content
● Inconsistent
○ Version (find the “right” info)
○ Content (different phrases)
○ Format (content looks different)
○ Experience (web vs print vs mobile)
○ Workflows (create, review, edit, publish)
● Translation concerns (more languages)
● Regulatory concerns
● Knowledge management
● Human limited (fewer writers to draw on)
● Tighter schedules (delivery sooner, more)
● Customer defection
35
● IP retention
● Content mismanagement
● Competition capabilities
● Delivering ALL the content to ALL the
audiences has issues
○ Content seems more complex
○ Costs are often “net-higher”
○ People do not read it (too much, not
relevant to the job they do)
● Release schedules mean doc rework
● Status tracking
● Chapter model not topic level
○ Reuse, topic types, etc (DITA?)

Define opportunities (and offer solutions)
● Expand offerings
○ Custom content by product or platform
○ Audience specific materials, niche feel
● Develop better understanding of client
○ What is the journey through content?
○ What do they search for? (when, why)
● Impact consumer decision-making
○ Problem recognition
○ Information search
○ Evaluation and selection of alternatives
○ Purchase decision
○ Post-purchase evaluation
36
● Help online users find solutions
● Enable customers to build customers
○ Best sales tool is a happy customer
○ Put docs online and allow feedback
● Consider what we have discussed
● ID a similar situation (or ask about others)

Components of a
Business Case
Address these in your content
○ Beneﬁts
○ Costs
○ Tech needs
○ Timescale
○ Resources
○ Risk
37

Summary
Recapping the Session
Don’t sell them a CCMS, provide
solutions or meet opportunities
1. CCMS questions management
asks
2. Research to do and tips on how
3. Deliver answers and frame your
business case
4. Keys to success from those
who have "been there, done
that"
38

Additional
Resources
Research included these:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentc
ouncil/2020/03/23/13-challenges-facing-business-develop
ment-leaders-today/#f11acc06650d
https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/project-management
/how-to-write-a-business-case
https://offers.adobe.com/en/na/marketing/landings/xml_doc
umentation_for_adobe_experience_manager_7_steps_to_
choosing_a_ccms.html
https://offers.adobe.com/en/na/marketing/landings/xml_doc
umentation_for_adobe_experience_manager_whitepaper_t
he_convergence_of_technical_and_marketing.html
39

Next Steps
www.publishingsmarter.com
Partner up if needed to review your
current state, deﬁne challenges,
spot opportunities
Create, edit, manage, and publish all
your content for a uniﬁed content
strategy
Include a CCMS as a part of a
solution and present it in a clear
business plan
40

Publishing
Smarter
Services We Offer
41

Contact Us
www.publishingsmarter.com
www.youtube.com/publishingsmarter
www.linkedin.com/in/BernardAschwanden
42

Convince Management to Invest in a CCMS (Lessons learned)

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