Government organizations use DITA to ensure that documentation in knowledge bases remains relevant and up-to-date through a combination of strategies that involve continuous review, metadata, versioning, and automated checks.

Continuous Review

Continuous review is a fundamental approach to maintaining the quality and relevance of documentation. With DITA, organizations can establish a continuous review process where subject matter experts periodically assess the content. Metadata and versioning capabilities in DITA make it possible to track the latest updates and changes. This approach helps identify when a topic was last reviewed and by whom, ensuring that the information remains accurate.

Automated Checks

Automation is a key component of keeping DITA documentation up-to-date. Government organizations can implement automated checks and alerts to monitor content for potential issues. For example, if there’s a change in software versions, automated scripts can flag related documentation for review or update. These checks can also extend to identifying broken links, outdated code snippets, and other issues, ensuring that the content remains relevant and reliable in a dynamic environment.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA allows for continuous review and automated checks:

<topic id="software_installation">
  <title>Software Installation</title>
  <version>2.0</version>
  <last-reviewed>2023-05-15</last-reviewed>
  <reviewed-by>John Doe</reviewed-by>
  <content>...
  <alerts>
    <check type="version" expected="3.0" />
    <check type="links" />
    <check type="code-snippets" />
  </alerts>
</topic>

In this DITA XML example, a topic named “Software Installation” includes version information, the date it was last reviewed, and the reviewer’s name. Additionally, it contains alerts for checks related to version updates, links, and code snippets. These automated checks help ensure that the documentation remains relevant and up-to-date.