This is the Simply XML Newsletter written by Doug Gorman, CEO of Simply XML, often under the counsel of his canine colleague/muse, Frank.
We start the year with high expectations for enterprise content management.
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Jodie Foster, Contact, Occam's Razor and Simply XML
Frank: Hey Doug, we recently watched Jodie Foster and the movie Contact. Besides Jodie Foster, what did you like about that movie?
Doug: Well Frank, you know I like thinking about metaphysical issues, however, I really like the concept of Occam’s Razor. Broadly interpreted, it explains Simply XML’s reason for being.
Frank: I was afraid you might be thinking about taking a long trip in a spacecraft.
Doug: We’ll leave time and space travel to others, but let me try to explain…….
The Concept of Occam’s Razor
According to Wikipedia………. In the movie Contact, Dr. Arroway (played by Jodie Foster) is asked "Do you know what Occam's Razor is?" to which she responds, "Yes, it's the scientific principle that, all things being equal, the simplest answer is usually the right one." ... Occam's razor says so.
Razor Optimist/Pessimist
We love the concept tempered by the current state of enterprise content management. The optimist sees the glass as half full, the pessimist sees it as half-empty. This is how we see enterprise content management. We are a bit of both, perhaps we are “realists.”
As enterprise content management optimists we see that, with an XML architecture and modern technology, the information consumer can get just enough, just in time information, on their device of choice, in their language of choice, in order to perform better in their jobs.
As enterprise content management pessimists, we see that the technical publication managers and consultants have created extremely complex XML/DITA implementations that may relegate this important architecture only to richly funded back offices.
It is at least interesting that the late 2017 conferences Simply XML attended had presentations, in addition to ours, that focused on the need for simplicity. One presentation had that apparent audacity to declare that “DITA will fail”. It will fail if DITA stays complicated and expensive to implement and if the required technology is hard to use.
Occam’s Razor
This Simply XML newsletter audience is aware that our approach is to hide the XML/DITA and to Keep It Simple Smart-person. Everyone uses Microsoft Word. Enterprise authors do not want to see or learn XML/DITA. Occam’s Razor encourages that the simplest approach to enterprise content management is the right approach.
We have a simple answer which according to Occam's Razor is the right one!
Current State
Frank: If we’ve got the right solution, Doug, why do we still have to budget for my cookies and carrots?
Doug: If we are right, Frank, and if we work very hard, that won’t be an issue. In fact, we believe that all of our customers will also be able to afford a lot more cookies and carrots. Let's help them see the comprehensive enterprise solution with Occam's Razor in mind.
Frank: I can’t wait for the Big Game on Sunday…. The Patriots vs the Eagles in Super Bowl LII. I loved watching the Patriot Ducklings getting ready for the big game.
Doug: I’m with you Frank, but you might want to know that an analysis of our Simply XML Newsletter readership raises some concerns. About 40% of our newsletter subscribers live outside of the United States. To them, football is what you and I refer to as soccer. Our colleague James calls it "American Rugby." They don’t really care about the big game.
Frank: I suppose the other 60% are going to watch the game. Lots of them will, no doubt, be cheering for the Patriots.
Doug: I’ve got more bad news for you, Frank. Over 80% of our US residents live outside of New England. I’m afraid, Frank, that less than 10% of our Newsletter readers will be rooting for the Patriots. The rest of the country hates the Patriots and probably wants the Philadelphia Eagles to win.
Frank: So, are you saying that in addition to you and me only about 5-10% of our readers are going to root for the Patriots?
Doug: They will never like the Patriots, Frank, but there are some things that most people can like and respect about the Patriots and all winning sports teams. You and I are “old guys” with lots of experience in structured writing and structured mark-up. I’d like to think that, working with customers and prospects, we model a lot of the things that make sports teams successful. We embrace agile and the concept of continuous improvement. We try to learn from every engagement and help our customers and the industry to move forward. We are now “on to Minnesota.”
Coaching
ESPN had a great show last night about Bill Belichick and Bill Parcels who have been two of the best football coaches of all time. They respect each other, but are also what you would call “frenemies.” Both are hard workers and extremely smart. Both are highly competitive and have driven their teams to excellence. Their knowledge and nuanced understanding of complex situations and required management actions is astounding. And they applied those factors to their teams to produce fantastic results. I’d like to think that you and I have a great understanding of the information consumer's need for better information, our software, and how to implement it. In various situations and industries this is commonly referred to by the Patriots as “situational football.” In every trial we try to understand the environment and needs to coach the potential customer through the effective implementation of our product and services. We know what works and are quick to advise a customer on how to succeed as well as what might not work, or what might not be worth the investment.
Skills and Training
Winning at any sport is not just about the best equipment and a level playing field. Athletes need both skills and training in order to maximize the positive impact of their athleticism. It is clear that performance results from ability, but also from training and attention to detail perhaps at a level we cannot really imagine. Simply XML’s target authors have a pretty good understanding of sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. We help them understand how to structure their content into usable chunks that relate to the performance required of their information consumers (AKA readers). Structured writing is reader-focused and includes information typing to propel reader performance. It also includes some simple principles to make the content useful and actionable. In addition to MS Word-based software, we find that structured writing training is an often-missing ingredient in the success recipe for enterprise content management.
Individual Players
It is pretty obvious that teams need outstanding individual players. Specialization is critical and it is largely true that different positions require different individual skills. In business and in sports some amount of player versatility is required. Beyond the need for skill replacement due to injury or absence it is helpful for players to understand various points of view. This was true in Belichick’s career where, on his way to "enterprise coach," he coached defense, special teams, and more. However, in football, you will rarely see a huge overlap between quarterbacks, kickers, and receivers, for each demands excellence from a specific set of skills. A Patriot motto is, “Do your job.” This is similarly true where the enterprise content management team needs technologists, subject matter experts, authors, editors, and more. Everyone must do his/her job. An inappropriate emphasis on any one of the needed skills often yields failure. As that famous sports spouse Gisele Bündchen once pointed out about the best quarterback of all time, “Tommy cannot both throw the ball and catch it.” And, so it is with enterprise content management. We find that most enterprise efforts have an excess of technologists and a lack of other players leading to an unrealistic implementation plan and poor results.
Team
Equal to the importance of individual players management and staff need to form a team that is motivated and wins. Winning involves great skills, shared goals, great management, and doing your job with a realistic and practical plan.
Doug: Put it all together and your organization will win the enterprise content management game.
Frank: And then will everyone love the New England Patriots?
Doug: Probably not, Frank.
Simply Tips and Tricks
All of our newsletters provide quick tips and tricks to help you simplify the XML world and beyond. Our tip for January involves camp.
In Life:
Camping is a great experience for health, relaxation, team-building, personal growth, and more
IN XML:
We couldn't be at TC Camp this year, but here is a 3 1/2 minute video that we hope you will enjoy. Click Here!
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