What are the best practices for managing documentation revisions and updates in the IT sector using DITA?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Managing documentation revisions and updates in the IT sector using DITA is crucial for keeping technical content accurate and up-to-date. The structured nature of DITA XML lends itself well to handling changes and revisions efficiently. Here are some best practices for managing documentation revisions in IT using DITA:

1. Version Control: Implement a robust version control system to keep track of changes. This ensures that you can easily identify and access different versions of your documents. Each topic or document in your DITA repository should have clear version information.

2. Conditional Text: DITA allows for conditional text, which is particularly useful when you have content variations for different product versions, platforms, or audiences. Use conditional processing attributes to mark content that is specific to certain conditions. This way, you can generate customized outputs based on your needs.

3. Reusable Content: Take advantage of DITA’s content reuse capabilities. When you need to update a piece of information that appears in multiple places, you can make the change in one location, and it will automatically propagate to all instances where it’s used. This reduces the chances of overlooking updates and ensures consistency.

Example:

Consider a scenario where you need to update a software documentation set for a product’s new version. You can use conditional text to handle version-specific information:


<!-- Conditional Text Example in DITA -->
<topic id="installation_guide">
  <title>Installation Guide</title>
  <body>
    <p>This guide covers the installation of the product. Please note that the instructions may vary depending on the product version you are using.</p>
    <steps>
      <step>
        <p>For version 2.0 and later:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>Download the latest version from our website.</li>
          <li>Follow the on-screen instructions for installation.</li>
        </ol>
      </step>
      <step>
        <p>For version 1.0:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>Download version 1.0 from our archive.</li>
          <li>Follow the on-screen instructions for installation.</li>
        </ol>
      </step>
    </steps>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, conditional text is used to provide different installation instructions based on the product version. When a new version is released, you can easily update the content for that specific version without affecting other versions.