Industry experts and subject matter specialists play pivotal roles in DITA specialization for specific domains. Their contributions are integral in ensuring that technical documentation aligns with industry standards, regulations, and best practices. Here’s how they contribute:

Content Relevance

Industry experts provide insights and knowledge specific to their domains. They help ensure that the content created using DITA specialization remains relevant and up-to-date. Their expertise guides the inclusion of critical information and helps filter out unnecessary or outdated details, improving the overall quality of the documentation.

Regulatory Compliance

Subject matter specialists, especially in highly regulated industries like healthcare or aerospace, play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with industry-specific regulations. They help identify the necessary compliance standards and ensure that the content adheres to them. This is vital in avoiding legal or safety-related issues within those industries.

Collaborative Review

Both industry experts and subject matter specialists collaborate with content creators and reviewers. They participate in the review process to validate the accuracy and completeness of the technical documentation. By working together, they ensure that the documentation meets the industry’s requirements and provides valuable information to end-users.

Example:

Here’s an example of how industry experts and subject matter specialists collaborate in a DITA specialization project:

<topic id="aerospace-regulations">
  <title>Aerospace Regulations</title>
  <industry>aerospace</industry>
  <compliance>Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)</compliance>
  <version>1.5</version>
  <last-reviewed>2023-11-10</last-reviewed>
  <reviewed-by>Dr. Jane Smith</reviewed-by>
  <content>...

In this example, the topic “Aerospace Regulations” is customized for the aerospace industry and includes specific compliance information from the Federal Aviation Administration. The reviewed-by element indicates the contribution of Dr. Jane Smith, an industry expert in aerospace regulations.