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Adobe Technical Communication Suite - Integration

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Blogzilla: Why Blogs Are The Monster In The Business Closet

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Four Features That Matter When Choosing a HAT

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Lean Instructional Design for Today’s Competitive Environment

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Localization Makes Strange Bedfellows

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MadCap Flare - Content Control and Publishing Techniques

MadCap Flare - Controlling Document Look and Feel with CSS

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Navigating the Vendor Maze

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Proving DITA Success in a Small Shop Environment

Quality Documentation Through Collaboration

Reaching Untapped Markets in the US

Read, Write, Remix

Reuse and Conditionality in Author-it (Full Day)

Should You Call It A Wiki, Or A Collaborative Work Space?

Social Media in Organizational Communication

Sustainable XML for Publishing Applications

The Changing Face of TechComm and the Society for Technical Communication

The Next Generation Home Digital Experience

The Right Tool for the Right Job for the Right Output for the Right Audience

The Shape of Information

Theory of Constraints and Project Management

Understanding Author-it Concepts

Using Adobe FrameMaker

[Case Study] EMC

[Case Study] How Suite It Is

Session Details

Theory of Constraints and Project Management: Challenging the Dominant Paradigm

Speaker: Bob Donaldson
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM   Date: October 30
Track: Localization & Translation
Experience level: Intermediate
Laptop computer required for this session

The localization technology landscape is changing rapidly, and the pace seems likely to continue. Customers expect improved productivity as these technologies mature, and LSP’s are counting on technology to help them meet those expectations. But have our processes evolved to take advantage of the new potential? Traditional project management is (at its root) cost-based. In contrast, Bob Donaldson will discuss an approach that focuses on overall throughput, maximizing value per unit of time, addressing client demand for shorter turn times and maintaining margin through increased volume.

Attendees can expect to learn about the five-step continuous improvement process derived from the Theory of Constraints:

1. Identify the constraint (Select the best leverage point)
2. Exploit the constraint (Focus the process to gain maximum leverage at that point)
3. Subordinate everything else to the constraint (often involving counter-intuitive choices at other stages of the process)
4. Elevate the constraint (Invest to increase capacity/leverage, further improving throughput)
5. Evaluate the results (when done successfully, the process constraint will have “moved”)

Each of the above steps will be applied to practical problems in localization project management in the context of emerging technologies.