Information+Management,+Content+Management,+and+Information+Architecture

CHAPTER 18: INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, CONTENT MANAGEMENT, AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
18.1 Information Management and Content Management 18.2 Project Management
 * Table of Contents**

 =18.1 Information Management and Content Management=

Today, more content management options are available than ever before as the number of content management software or content management systems (CMS) keeps growing. Certain aspect of style, such as paragraph format, font size and face, and even color can and should be standardized. Different protocols, such as Cascading Style Sheets, can help us create a template from which we can work.

18.1.2 Purpose
The purpose of Content/Information Management and Information Architecture is:
 * For the centralization of document management in collaborative projects.
 * For database publishing; CMS is considered a form of database publishing "since texts modules are often stored, tracked, and maintained in a database." (Gurak and Hocks 12)
 * For the control and regulation standards of writing styles and formatting.

18.1.3 Version Control
Version control is important in this process, as CMS "use different forms of version control, to keep track of each new version of a manual, set of instructions, web site, or other document....[It]is a process that keep the older version of information and visuals in a database and maintains associated information such as date changed, items changed, person or teams who made the change, authorization of the changes, and so on, for each update or revision." (Gurak and Hocks 12)

18.1.4 Authoring Tools
Structured authoring tools include the use of markup languages to “...allow writers to use tags...to indicate structure and content.” (Gurak and Hocks 13) The most frequently used markup languages include the following:
 * SGML–Standard Generalized Markup Language
 * XML–Extensible Markup Language
 * CSS–Cascading Style Sheets-Type of HTML formatting used to visually modify websites.

18.1.5 Tags and File Naming Conventions
Tagging is a relatively new concept in world of digital CMS. Instead of imitating conventional filing systems and including terms such as folders and "file cabinets," tagging allows a certain piece of information to be categorized in several categories at once.

18.1.6 Content Management Software
There are many types of CMS software available. Three of the most popular software systems currently available include the following:
 * **Drupal**–a popular open-source CMS available for download on the web ([|www.drupal.org]) that allows groups and organizations to publish and manage web site content (figure 18.1)


 * Figure 18.1** Screen shot of Drupal


 * **Framemaker**–an Adobe desktop program
 * **Wordpress**–an open source program available for download on the web ([|www.wordpress.org]), used to create and format online blogs>
 * **Blogger**–a free online service available for creating and hosting blogs ([|www.blogger.com])
 * **Evernote**–an online tool to store and categorize information snippets such as cellphone images, written notes and audio recordings. ([|www.evernote.com])

 =18.2 Project Management=

18.2.1 Introduction
Project management in content management is a crucial process, as it sets the project into gear and keeps it moving smoothly by organizing tasks, setting goals, maintaining systems and schedules, and determining team roles in executing the project. Quite often, the scope of the work, the timing and scheduling, task assignments and deliverables are charted through project management software, such as ones that produce Gantt charts (like Microsoft Project), or can even be tracked with a simple Microsoft Excel sheet. By using these types of tools, a project manager can track the process, and make sure that all parts of the project are kept to target dates and benchmarks. (Gurak and Hocks 30-31)

18.2.2 Guidelines
Laura Gurak and Mary Hocks, in their book, //The Technical Communications Handbook//, provide the following tips for managing large projects:
 * **Display** your project management documents where all members have access (often online) and have each member check off tasks when they are completed.
 * **List** a preferred method of communication for each member (email, phone call, memo, text message)
 * **Identify** the file types and other acceptable formats for exchanging work.
 * **Determine** the normal amount of response time or turnaround time (i.e., 24 hours).
 * **Coordinate** schedules in advance for holding meetings, whether virtual or face to face.
 * **Schedule** progress reports and stick to the schedule for presenting them. (32-33)

WORKS CITED:

Gurak, Laura J. and Mary E. Hocks. //The Technical Communications Handbook//. New York: Pearson Education, 2009. Print.

Rude, Carolyn D. //Technical Editing//. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006. Print.