Creating Training manuals using FM with multiple SME's authoring

Question

Greetings from Norway!
I am currently considering switching from an InDesign/InCopy workflow over to TC2. Our manuals are heavily dependent on SME input and participation, in fact they write a good deal along with the tech writers.
Is is possible to have SME contribution using Frame if only the techwriters actually have Frame on their workstations? I have read alot and see that if you use WebDAV you can save the Frame file as a .xml file. Can the SME's write content in an xml format and then have the tech writers import it into the long document in Frame?  If my SME's want to write a new chapter outline for me to follow, is this possible with WebDAV?
To get 2 licenses in Norway is going to cost us $4,500, so I want to make sure that I can still have the SME input without any problems. We have been using InCopy for this purpose, but are having too many little problems and I would like to move towards Frame.
ANY input on working with Frame with multiple authors, some of which are not using Frame on their workstations, would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
kathryn

Answer 1

katinnorway wrote:
Greetings from Norway!
I am currently considering switching from an InDesign/InCopy workflow over to TC2. Our manuals are heavily dependent on SME input and participation, in fact they write a good deal along with the tech writers.
Is is possible to have SME contribution using Frame if only the techwriters actually have Frame on their workstations? I have read alot and see that if you use WebDAV you can save the Frame file as a .xml file. Can the SME's write content in an xml format and then have the tech writers import it into the long document in Frame?  If my SME's want to write a new chapter outline for me to follow, is this possible with WebDAV?
To get 2 licenses in Norway is going to cost us $4,500, so I want to make sure that I can still have the SME input without any problems. We have been using InCopy for this purpose, but are having too many little problems and I would like to move towards Frame.
ANY input on working with Frame with multiple authors, some of which are not using Frame on their workstations, would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
kathryn
Hi, Kathryn:
If you're currently outputting your manuals from InDesign - whether to paper or PDF - there's probably no immediate or compelling need to convert to FrameMaker.
You'll have the same problems with SMEs maintaining strict style usage, whether in InCopy or Word for import into InDesign or FrameMaker, and you'll have the same problems with SMEs working in FrameMaker directly, even if your company should win a FrameMaker site license in a lottery.
Even in departments whose members are experienced technical writers, maintaining rigorous style requirements isn't automatic or easy.
One key reason to consider the Technical Communications Suite is its ability to create help systems. A related reason is its ability to create single-source material for reuse and/or multiple outputs; FrameMaker can work with content management systems, XML, and DITA. All of these are not trivial to implement.
RoboHelp can work with Word files, if help systems ability is important to you. FrameMaker wouldn't be necessary.
Though InDesign can work with XML, it currently isn't suited to the kind of XML authoring that FrameMaker is. It's not easy to author for XML in InDesign or InCopy, as it is in FrameMaker, and even in FrameMaker, it's not without problems. InDesign can't do DITA.
It might be worthwhile to create a small-scale trial in which your SMEs work in Word or InCopy, or some other application whose output maintains style names. Import that material into you InDesign templates, then analyze the problems.
One major problem will undoubtedly be inconsistent tagging of material with proper styles. A close second will be attempts by the users to apply custom formatting (overrides) to the content, rather than using styles. Other problems include inconsistent use of lists of items, and inclusion of items in running text.
If you can define a simple set of styles and requirements that the SMEs agree to follow, importing their material to any style-conscious application will require less manual effort.
If the SMEs will need to revise material that the technical writers send back, you'll want to experiment with round-tripping from your publishing application via RTF or Word file format and reimporting from whatever editing application the SMEs use. If SMEs will agree to edit in Acrobat, this is one way to avoid the inevitable round-tripping artifacts, though it requires manual attention from the technical writers.
Using a single-flow layout - "single story" in InDesign terms, "single text flow" in FrameMaker terms, rather than the kind of discontinuous graphic-designer's visual layout of pasted page objects and separate stories, will make it easier to reflow revised content. This is the usual way that FrameMaker users work. InDesign's improved long-document tools make it possible to work the same way.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices