How does content reuse benefit IT documentation projects in DITA?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Content reuse is a fundamental advantage of DITA in IT documentation projects, providing numerous benefits for authoring, managing, and maintaining documentation. Here’s how content reuse benefits IT documentation in DITA:

1. Consistency: In IT documentation, consistency is paramount. DITA enables you to create reusable content components, such as procedures, policies, or technical descriptions. When a specific piece of information, like a security policy or a configuration step, needs to be referenced across multiple documents, you can reuse the same content module. This ensures that the same information is presented consistently throughout your documentation, reducing the risk of errors and discrepancies.

2. Efficiency: IT documentation often involves recurring elements, such as standard operating procedures, hardware specifications, or compliance guidelines. With DITA, you can build a library of reusable content components that can be easily inserted into various documents as needed. This efficiency saves time and effort, as you don’t have to recreate the same content each time a similar topic arises.

3. Maintenance: IT environments are dynamic and subject to frequent changes. Content reuse simplifies the maintenance process. When an IT configuration or policy is updated, you only need to modify the source content module. The changes automatically propagate to all documents that reuse that module. This ensures that your documentation remains up to date and reflects the current state of your IT infrastructure.

Example:

Imagine you’re documenting IT security policies across various documents. Using DITA, you can create a reusable module for your “Password Policy.” Here’s how it’s structured:


<!-- Reusable Password Policy Module in DITA -->
<topic id="password_policy">
  <title>Password Policy</title>
  <body>
    <p>Our organization enforces a strict password policy to enhance security.</p>
    <p>Requirements:</p>
    <ul>
      <li>Passwords must be at least 12 characters long.</li>
      <li>Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.</li>
      <li>Change your password every 90 days.</li>
    </ul>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, the “Password Policy” module can be reused in various documents to ensure that the organization’s password policy is consistently and accurately presented in all relevant places, making the documentation process more efficient and ensuring policy adherence.