How to Build a DITA XML Technical Writing Portfolio

Name: How to Build a DITA XML Technical Writing Portfolio
Rating: 4.7 (110 reviews)

... and demonstrate your skills in technical writing using DITA in Oxygen XML Author. You can get that job interview!

Highest Rated

Created byJordan Stanchev

Last updated 5/2021

English

What you'll learn

How to Share Your DITA XML Writing Portfolio in Your Resume

Course content

3 sections • 27 lectures • 1h 19m total length

Introduction2:41
Learn to organize a portfolio of technical writing samples focused on data, enabling you to demonstrate your skills and knowledge while navigating internal content constraints.

Choose Your Tool for Writing1:35
Choose the right editor for your DITA XML technical writing portfolio by evaluating popular XML editors, with Oxygen XML Author highlighted for scalable, integrated writing and a trial version.
Installing a Tool for Writing with DITA0:57
Download and install Oxygen XML Author, enter a license key, and start a 30-day free trial from the Oxygen website; if needed, the instructor can extend a trial license.
Installing Oxygen XML Author1:03
Explore how to download and install Oxygen XML Author from the Oxygen website, select a version, start the 40-day trial, and set up your working environment.

What do you need to succeed?3:28
Demonstrate high quality technical writing, strong structuring and project management while documenting software with DITA XML, and showcase a GitHub repository to fit software teams.
Project Goals1:59
Act as the lead technical writer to plan and publish documentation for the JPS Calculator, outlining setup, configuration, and usage as a focused, game-like portfolio project.
Assumptions and Limitations3:18
Identify boundary conditions and limitations for this dita xml project; use the Oxygen XML author tool to write dita xml sources and publish final deliverables to a public GitHub repository.
Installing Oxygen XML Author0:33
Install Oxygen XML Author from its website, obtain a license or start a 30-day trial, and begin exploring your content as you build a DITA XML technical writing portfolio.
Create a GitHub Repository1:34
Go to GitHub, register, and create a new public repository for your DITA XML documentation portfolio. Name it clearly and share your sources and documentation via link, avoiding confidential information.
Project Plan: What Shall We Document?1:52
Identify the JPS calculator's four core features—sum, subtract, multiply, and divide—and plan a logical, beginner-to-advanced documentation sequence, starting with basic numbers and progressing to more complex operations.
Project Plan: Phases of Writing2:28
Write content using DITA XML, then transform it into PDF and HTML5 deliverables, and finally share the documentation with end users.
Phase 1: Writing!4:48
Begin phase one by writing content in DITA XML, create a DITA map with a data map structure in Oxygen XML Author, and outline four high-level topics.
Which Are the Tasks to Document?2:08
Identify the sequence of end-user tasks to document for high-level features like add, subtract, multiply, and divide in DITA XML technical writing portfolio, starting with how to sum up numbers.
Sample Content: Writing the Steps of the Tasks5:35
Learn to document software tasks in a dita portfolio by creating concise task topics with clear prerequisites, steps, and examples, prioritizing quality over volume with five to ten topics.
Demo: Create a DITA Task8:49
Demonstrates creating a DITA task topic in Oxygen XML Author, including title, prerequisites, steps, results, and a short description, and referencing the topic in the DITA map.
Add Supporting Concepts2:56
Learn to add supporting concepts in your DITA XML technical writing portfolio and explain concepts like subtraction as a mathematical operation on numbers using concept topic types.
Sample Content: Writing a Supporting Concept0:59
Identify customer problems by analyzing what users search for in company forums, including questions about subtraction of numbers. Translate that insight into a clear DITA concept for software documentation.
Demo: Create a DITA Concept5:58
Learn to create a DITA concept topic, add a short description, and reference it in a DITA map, linking conceptual information to a subtract numbers task for end users.
Phase 2: Generate output!3:32
Generate final deliverables from your DITA XML source by producing both a polished PDF and HTML5 content, showcasing writing, reuse, images, and web-ready documentation.
Pre-Production: Share Your DITA XML Source Files in the Repository1:56
In pre-production, share your DITA XML source files by committing the full folder to a public GitHub repository and linking to it so recruiters can judge your DITA abilities.
Demo: Upload DITA XML Source Files to GitHub Repository3:05
Demonstrate uploading DITA XML source files to a GitHub repository by dragging and dropping a single folder, committing changes, and sharing a public link to the DITA map and topics.
Production: Generate Output from DITA XML1:58
Learn to generate output from DITA XML using Oxygen production templates, without customizing look and feel, and rely on standard CSS and Oxygen XML Author templates to build a portfolio.
Demo: Generate PDF and HTML5 Output from DITA XML5:10
Demonstrates generating PDF and HTML5 outputs from a single DITA map using Oxygen XML Author, via two transformation scenarios, producing shareable, browsable content with minimal CSS.
Phase 3: Share the Content With the End Users1:35
Publish the DITA XML documentation to end users by ensuring accessibility and readiness, then share it publicly only after obtaining company permissions and scheduling the release to customers.
Share Your PDF Output Using the Public GitHub Repository2:56
Upload the produced PDF to a public GitHub repository, commit the change, then copy and share the PDF URL so readers can access it from your résumé.
Share Your HTML5 Output5:22
Learn to showcase your DITA XML outputs by uploading the HTML5 folder to a public GitHub repo and sharing an HTML5 preview link for easy portfolio viewing.
Success!1:36
Demonstrate mastery of DITA XML technical writing by planning software documentation, producing content in two formats, publishing source files on GitHub, and delivering end-user documentation to showcase publishing expertise.

Requirements

Knowledge in Technical Writing Using DITA XML

Description

Do you wonder how you can demonstrate technical writing skills using DITA XML? Do you wonder how to make your resume (CV) shine compared to other technical writers' CVs and YOU get invited to the job interview?

As a technical writer, you want to demonstrate your DITA XML technical writing skills to impress the recruiting manager and get invited to the job interview.

If you are a student, who just wants to start in this field, I am sure you get frustrated every time you see in the job ads "3 to 5 years of experience wanted" or "provide technical writing examples from your previous work".

How can you possibly do that if you never get the job in the first place?! How can you start your journey and land the dreamed technical writer job in the software documentation development world, if they never give you a chance?

Well, my answer to that is simple - you need to design and develop your own technical writing portfolio. You must proactively approach it and focus on the skills you want to demonstrate to your desired employer.

In a world dominated by software development skills demand, you must know what to do to provide software documentation for the users!

My name is Jordan Stanchev. I've made my career in the field of technical communications with a strong focus on technical writing and information architecture, and writing using DITA XML over the last 20 years.

I practice what I teach as a part of a Fortune 500 company as a User Assistance Development Architect. I'm also one of the founders of the JPDocu School of Technical Writing where we help students like you learn the skills need to become successful technical writers.

In this course, I will show you the steps you should follow to:

Prepare your DITA XML writing portfolio and
Share it publicly to demonstrate your DITA XML technical writing abilities.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

strategically approach your technical writing project for any software app;
organize your documentation structure in a DITA map;
write the sequence of steps for the end-users using a DITA Task topic type;
write the conceptual, background information for the end-user using a DITA Concept topic type;
share your documentation sources in a GitHub repository;
visualize your ready-to-be-published documentation for the end-user via GitHub.

This course is for you if you are a technical writer who wants to build a portfolio and use it to advance your career as a DITA technical writer in a corporation or as a freelancer.

To be able to successfully complete this course you must have at least a basic understanding of:

technical writing
structured writing
what is DITA XML

If that is you, I welcome you to this course!

Who this course is for:

Technical Writers Who Want to Demonstrate DITA XML Writing Skills in the Resume (CV)

How to Build a DITA XML Technical Writing Portfolio

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 3min

Installing a Tool for Writing with DITA3 lectures • 4min

Lecture 7: Steps to Success23 lectures • 1hr 14min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: