Do I Dare DITA Without a CMS?

You could…but it wouldn’t be the wisest choice

Some organizations may consider "DOING DITA" without a Content Management System (CMS). But there is a consensus that is emerging from a shift in how technical communication organizations are approaching the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA). This new approach, which deploys a DITA-enabled CMS much earlier in the process of moving to DITA, represents a shift from the best practice only two or three years ago.

• Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is becoming a critical business platform for communicating with global customers
• Market trends indicate that more companies are deploying a CMS earlier in the move to DITA
• Deploying a DITA-enabled CMS reduces the time to DITA adoption and accelerates ROI
• Moving to DITA can provide efficiency gains of 30-50% as well as a significant reduction in translation costs
• To achieve the maximum business benefit it makes sense to "do DITA right"