• Topic Based Information 
  By organizing content into topics, the biggest challenges facing technical publication groups are met, and authors can achieve several goals simultaneously:

• Content is readable even when accessed from an index or search, not just when read in sequence as part of a chapter in a manual. 

• Content can be organized differently for online and print purposes. Authors can create task flows and concept hierarchies for online orientation, and still compile a print-friendly output that can be published as a manual.

• Content can be reused in different information products. Since a topic is written to make sense when accessed randomly (for example, by search), it should also make sense when included as part of different products’ deliverables.

• Efficient Information Management Traditional content management systems do not provide complete coverage of information management functionality which imposes a huge overhead of manual work. DocFactory focuses on reducing this overhead by implementing integrated management and reporting functions.

• Topic Applicability DocFactory implements the concept of applicability mapping which allows users to tag content based on what it is applicable for, for example, a product, function, or a process, and apply consistent metadata for categorization.

• Content Reuse DocFactory enables easy identification of reusable information chunks, including version and variant management of those reused topics. DocFactory also implements support for reusing standard phrases and terms, enabling reuse on paragraph level.

• Version and Variant Management DocFactory versioning allows organizations to create new versions of content, to track which version is currently published, and to maintain previous versions for auditing or recovery purposes. 
  DocFactory helps organizations meet the challenges of managing changing product and content variants which derive from a continuous flow of new products, content updates, additional languages, and additional distribution channels.

• Phrase Recognition DocFactory implements phrase recognition when writing content, enabling users to get direct access to predefined and approved standard phrases.

Efficient Content Creation

The system is a full-blown professional tool, created as a result of literally hundreds of man-years of experience from the technical documentation business. It features all the functionality needed to manage a documentation project: topic management, project and task management, workflow, approval flow, translation management, illustration and multimedia management, publication flow, reuse, phrase management and much more. We consider that the bare minimum. The difference from everyone else? DocFactory is smarter. This is how:

• A smart way of organizing and linking information makes it easier to use what already exists in your company.
• A smart way of searching makes it easier for the content creator to find and reuse information, minimizing information redundancy.
• A smart way of creating, editing and structuring information makes it easier to create publications for different target groupsor markets.

Making it easier for the information user

Hiding information in tree-structures makes it hard for the user to find what they need. DocFactory allows the user to find information in smarter ways, for example via smart search. DocFactory also takes into account who the user is, and personalizes the information accordingly.

Make the move to "Technical Information 2.0"

DocFactory enables what we call "Technical Information 2.0". DocFactory is:

• Smart- Makes it easier for the user to find information.
• Social - Enables sharing and collaboration.
• Dynamic - The information is constantly improving.
• Personalized - Tailoring information to the user’s characteristics and needs.
• Accessible everywhere - It does not matter where the user is and what channel is being used to access the information.

The DocFactory platform is based on the Microsoft .NET Framework, a development and execution environment that allows different programming languages and libraries to work together seamlessly.

Microsoft .Net Framework 3 combines the .Net Framework 2.0 APIs with new technologies for building applications. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is Microsoft’s strategic presentation technology for Windows smart client user experiences. Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) provides the first unified programming model for rapidly building service-oriented applications.

DocFactory implements a modular software architecture in order to be flexible, scalable, customizable, and future proof. Software modules can be easily added and integrated to support customer specific functionality. DocFactory is a data driven platform enabling functionality of the runtime systems or the rendering of publications to be steered with authored data, minimizing the need for application changes to support new brands, models, or configurations.

DocFactory is developed on a foundation of open standards for communication, data exchange, and integration. DocFactory uses component-based architecture on top of the Microsoft .NET Framework to enable communication, data exchange, and integration tasks to work seamlessly within IT environments.

While DocFactory is committed to delivering a comprehensive set of function areas out-of-the-box, Sigma Kudos understands that every industry and organization has unique needs. Rather than treating these needs as an afterthought, Sigma Kudos has devoted substantial efforts to understanding these types of need and implemented DocFactory extensibility to support them. This extensibility ranges from advanced configurability capabilities to customization interfaces for specific needs using familiar development environments.

To learn more about the development of DocFactory and Technical Information 2.0, please visit  Substrate, a development project where Sigma Kudos cooperates with researchers from the Medea Collaborative Media Initiative at Malmö University.

Click here to login to demo.docfactory.com with your user name and password. 

What will I see?

The demo site provides full access to a DocFactory repository sandbox. 
You will find two applications: one for producing and managing information; and one for accessing published information. 
You can use the demo site to evaluate (or just play around with) many of the features included in the DocFactory platform. 

Obtain access to Demo Site

Please get in touch with your Sigma Kudos contact person to request access to the site. 
We are currently restricting access to customers, partners, and other persons that we have previously established a contact with.