This page includes a detailed outline of the research report that will accompany the StartWithXML forum. The outline will be updated as work progresses on the report. Your feedback is welcome in the comments section below.

Forum attendees will receive a copy of the the report on the day of the event.

Table of Contents

What IS XML? (meta language representing structure and content)

Its 11-year history

Current and expected applications of XML

Characteristics of XML documents

XML Technologies

Vendor segments (map?)

Why StartwithXML: The Business Perspective

The Business Case

Shortcomings of prevailing workflows – acquisition, editorial/production, publication (write once, publish once)

Benefits of adopting an XML workflow – acquisition, editorial/production, publication (write once, publish many)

Collecting data to support a business case

How to StartwithXML: The Operational Perspective

Planning for change

How deeply do you want to tag content?

How much do you want to own?

Operational planning and transition management

A publisher checklist

Case studies

What IS XML? (meta language representing structure and content)

Its 11-year history

Precursors (GML, SGML)

Related (HTML, XHTML, JSON)

Current standards (DocBook, DITA, XHTML, ONIX)

Current and expected applications of XML

Outside the publishing business

Inside the publishing business

Characteristics of XML documents

Text-based

Structured, and well-formed

Used with schemas

Valid

Functional across platforms (viewing, editing, transforming)

Carrying content, context and rights information

XML Technologies

XPath

XSLT

XQuery

XSL-FO

RelaxNG

Schematron

Atom Publishing Protocol

Vendor segments (map?)

ERP

Title management

Production management

Conversion houses

XML workflow tools

Digital asset management/archive systems and services

Digital asset distributors

Aggregators

Search

Consulting services

Why StartwithXML: The Business Perspective

The Business Case

ROI Drivers (both high level and success stories)

Different impacts for different books: illustrated, “chunkability”, etc.

Different models for different publishing programs

Creating options for the future

Taking company culture into consideration

Balancing investment resources and strategic goals

Shortcomings of prevailing workflows – acquisition, editorial/production, publication (write once, publish once)

Optimized for only a single use of content

Difficulty outputting multiple formats

Cumbersome storage and retrieval

Lead times lengthened by process itself

Internal silos and resulting rework

Limits to marketing and product use

Inability to do one-to-one marketing

Inability to do many-to-many marketing

Benefits of adopting an XML workflow – acquisition, editorial/production, publication (write once, publish many)

Product benefits

Shorter lead times, improving market responsiveness

Readily identify, tag and monetize chunkable assets

Produce multiple versions from a single source

Support recombinant and reusable content

Enable one-to-one or many-to-many marketing (XML files include discovery and awareness tools and hooks)

Future needs/unmet needs more readily addressed

Process benefits

Readily support search

Reduce errors and make corrections more easily

Improve cross-departmental interaction (break down silos)

Easily embedded rights information

Longevity: non-proprietary standard with long-term support

Collecting data to support a business case

Establish and evaluate customer (end-user) requirements

Assess processes across functions (handoffs)

Model both current (operational) and future (strategic) benefits

Solicit senior-level support for sustained change

How to StartwithXML: The Operational Perspective

Planning for change

Establishing where you are (the current state)

What matters most?

What matters least or not at all (sacred cows)?

Determining where you want to be (the desired future state)

Enumerating your current problems

Describing the new capabilities you need

Setting priorities

Creating a plan to get to your future state

Quantifying the investments required in a staged transition

Reducing pain, time and cost

How deeply do you want to tag content?

Business goals and how they shape what you do

Developing taxonomies

Iterative nature of tagging

Impact of different types of publishing on the decision

Audience

Likelihood and frequency of revision or update

How much do you want to own?

In-house options

Office Open XML

InDesign CS export

Other emerging standards (OpenOffice etc.)

Outsourcing alternatives

Segments (overlap with section 1.5)

Vendors (overlap with section 1.6)

Working with vendors in a mixed approach

Operational planning and transition management

Estimating project development timeframes

Estimating project costs

Working in XML when you both internal and freelance resources

Implementing XML while still publishing

Determining levels of document access

Who can make changes?

What changes can they make?

A publisher checklist

Buy-in, sponsor support and continuing dialogue

Ranking key benefits derived and measuring progress toward them

Early wins, ideally spread across multiple functions

Value of prototyping

Case studies