Engaging subject matter experts (SMEs) and automotive engineers in DITA-based automotive content reviews is essential to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of technical documentation. Establishing clear guidelines and processes for involving SMEs and engineers can enhance the quality of the content and streamline the review workflow.

Guidelines for SME Involvement

When involving SMEs in DITA-based content reviews, it’s important to provide them with guidelines and expectations. These guidelines may include instructions on how to navigate DITA topics, add comments and feedback, and assess content for technical accuracy. SMEs should also be informed about the review timeline and their role in the overall content development process.

Collaborative Review Process

Creating a collaborative review process is crucial. DITA allows for the inclusion of review comments and feedback within the content itself, making it easy for SMEs and engineers to provide input directly where needed. Reviewers can use the <review-comment> element to insert comments and suggestions, and these can be tracked and managed systematically.

Example:

Here’s an HTML coding example that illustrates how SMEs and engineers can collaborate within DITA for automotive content reviews:

<topic id="engine_specifications">
  <title>Engine Specifications</title>
  <content>...
  <review-comments>
    <review-comment author="Jane Smith" date="2023-09-20" status="open">
      <p>This section needs additional details regarding torque specifications.</p>
    </review-comment>
    <review-comment author="John Doe" date="2023-09-21" status="resolved">
      <p>Added torque specifications for clarity.</p>
    </review-comment>
  </review-comments>

In this example, SMEs can contribute by adding review comments using the <review-comment> element. The content creator and reviewers can collaborate effectively to address comments and ensure the accuracy of the automotive documentation.