Conditional processing in DITA significantly impacts content approval workflows in content management systems (CMS) by introducing additional complexity and review stages. Content with conditions requires thorough evaluation to ensure the correct conditions are applied, and the output serves its intended audience or purpose, which can result in more extensive review processes, specialized reviewers, and conditional-specific approval steps.

Increased Complexity:

Conditional processing introduces complexity to content approval workflows within CMS. Each condition represents a potential variation of the content, necessitating a deeper review to ensure that the right conditions are applied for specific audiences, product versions, or languages. This complexity demands a more meticulous approach to content evaluation.

Specialized Reviewers:

Content with conditions often requires specialized reviewers who understand the nuances of the conditions being applied. For example, when conditions are based on language or technical expertise, reviewers with language proficiency or domain knowledge may need to be involved to validate the accuracy and appropriateness of condition settings.

Conditional-Specific Approval Steps:

Content approval workflows need to include conditional-specific approval steps. These steps involve reviewing and verifying the conditional attributes, their values, and the overall effectiveness of condition usage. The approval process ensures that the content variations align with the intended conditions.

Example:

In a software company, the technical documentation team uses DITA to create user manuals. They employ conditional processing to adapt content for different product versions. For example, a section about software features may have condition attributes related to “product_version.” In their content approval workflow, they introduce conditional-specific approval stages. When content is ready for review, a specialized reviewer with knowledge of the specific product version checks that the correct condition, such as “product_version_2.0,” is applied and validates the accuracy of the content for that version. This conditional-specific approval ensures that the documentation is accurate and appropriate for each product version, adding complexity but ensuring the quality and precision of their content.