Are You Ready for S1000D?
03 Jun 2019
5 min read
Launching an S1000D project can be overwhelming. The latest version (4.2) of the S1000D specification is over 3,547 pages long, representing a complex undertaking for any organization.
Of course, many decisions will need to be made throughout the project, particularly at the start when you kick off your project. The better prepared you are, the more likely you will be successful.
For anyone not familiar with the standard, S1000D is a specification being used to produce documentation in support of new commercial aircraft, including the Boeing 787 and Airbus 350. It includes a set of XML schemas, sample XML instances and additional supporting documentation.
Before embarking on an S1000D project, it’s important to consider the following three areas:
- Project analysis
- S1000D planning
- Training and communications
Initial Project Analysis
Without proper analysis, it’s difficult to determine how to implement S1000D for a single project or program, much less as an enterprise-wide initiative. Take into consideration:
- Expense and funding
- Organizational impact
- Success goals and metrics
- Effort and duration
Training and Communications Planning
Anyone involved in the implementation and support of the S1000D specification need training to ensure the long-term success of your program.
In addition to specification training for your project team, S1000D includes content management capabilities and features that require a trained publishing team who understand the content, technical data architecture and strategy.
We highly recommend training your publishing and application support teams so that they can take full advantage of advanced features, including the conditions cross-reference table (applicability), disassembly codes, system breakdown code, change markup, auto-generation of front matter, technical repositories, data module extension codes, linked warnings, linked cautions, BREX rules, data modules and more.
S1000D: Specific Plans and Decisions
Before you launch your project, you will need to make several key S1000D decisions up front.
Business rules form the foundation of your content strategy and your S1000D implementation planning approach. You derive business rules by analyzing and documenting your S1000D implementation choices.
At some point, you will need to adopt and manage a Standard Numbering System (SNS) and Info Sets or create new ones if no predefined SNS or Info Sets exist. You will have a much better experience if you get to know what’s involved before you go too far.
And, finally, the Common Source Data Base (CSDB) is a central repository for all files you create for S1000D content and delivery. As the heart of any S1000D system, the CSDB commonly has check-out/check-in capabilities and it controls all key metadata and the workflows surrounding the creation, modification and publishing of S1000D data. Before you launch your S1000D project, determine the CSDB features you need to meet your content requirements over the life of your S1000D programs.
Want to judge your S1000D readiness? Click here to take our short 10 question assessment and see where you stand. At the end of the survey, you will see your assessment results and can also download a complimentary white paper, “5 Things Every Project Manager Should Know about S1000D”.
And if you'd like to hear more about this topic, why not sign up for SDL Connect, the content industry's biggest event!
Bob Hogg
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