Laser system hardware guide

At LasX Industries, hardware manuals for each laser system were generated in a manual process: I worked with the project engineers to determine which system was most similar to the new system being assembled, tracked down the source files for that system, then cut and pasted the old material into new chapters and updated it as needed. While this system preserved audit trails for older system guides, it was error-prone and difficult to maintain.

Because components were largely common among differing systems, switching to an XML-based, DITA compliant authoring method was a clear solution. I started a new content library from legacy guides, rewriting and restructuring information into topic files organized into larger ditamaps. Since all guides were delivered as PDFs, I chose to remain within the FrameMaker-based authoring environment and revised template files as needed to retain look and feel. And as a team of one, I deliberately kept specialization to a minimum for maximum flexibility and ease-of-use.