In government agencies, maintaining and updating training materials over time using DITA is essential to ensure that the content remains accurate and relevant. Several strategies are employed to accomplish this task.

Continuous Review

One of the primary methods for keeping training materials up-to-date is by establishing a continuous review process. DITA facilitates this by allowing for the metadata and versioning of topics. Subject matter experts and content reviewers periodically assess the training materials for accuracy and relevance. They can use DITA’s version control features to track the latest updates and changes. This helps maintain an audit trail, making it easy to identify when a topic was last reviewed and by whom.

Automated Checks

Automation is a valuable tool in ensuring the currency of DITA-based training materials. Government agencies can implement automated checks and alerts to identify content that needs attention. For instance, if there are changes in policies or regulations, automated scripts can flag related documentation for review and update. These automated checks can also extend to detecting broken links, identifying outdated code snippets, and more, ensuring that the training content remains relevant in a dynamic regulatory environment.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA supports the maintenance of training materials:

<topic id="employee_training">
  <title>Employee Training Program</title>
  <version>3.0</version>
  <last-reviewed>2023-11-15</last-reviewed>
  <reviewed-by>Jane Smith</reviewed-by>
  <content>...
  <alerts>
    <check type="policy-update" expected="2023-12-01" />
    <check type="broken-links" />
    <check type="code-validity" />
  </alerts>
</topic>

In this DITA example, an employee training program topic includes version information, the date of the last review, and the reviewer’s name. It also features alerts for checks related to policy updates, broken links, and code validity. These automated checks help ensure that the training materials remain accurate and aligned with government policies and regulations.