Survey results reveal trends in DITA satisfaction, success

The 2020 DITA satisfaction survey found some interesting connections between how satisfied an organization is with their DITA environment and how much planning they did prior to making the transition.

Companies who invested the time to develop a content strategy before they transitioned to DITA reported noticeably higher levels of satisfaction than those who didn’t.

Likewise, companies who hired an experienced guide to expedite their DITA transition ended up more satisfied with their ROI than those who didn’t.

I admit, it feels pretty good to see that information, as I am a senior content strategist and an experienced DITA guide myself. It’s nice to know that the work I do does help make people’s lives easier.

If you’re exploring a move to DITA (or any other standard for structured content), I highly recommend hiring an expert guide. You can leverage their lessons learned and avoid pitfalls encountered by other teams.

An expert guide should be able to:

• Facilitate the development of a content and governance strategy that supports the organization now and into the future.
• Work with your teams to develop their skills in DITA, structured authoring, component content management, and content reuse.
• Help solve specific challenges, such as regulatory compliance or localization management.

If you’re unhappy with your DITA implementation, an expert guide can help you identify what to fix and how to fix it to get you where you want to be. Your team will thank you!

For more insights into what it takes for a successful DITA transition, download the 2020 DITA Satisfaction Survey Report here.