Medical laser documentation

As OD-OS prepared new optical laser therapy devices for FDA certification in the U.S., they realized their existing product documentation processes that relied on Microsoft Word would no longer be efficient. As the number of product variants and localized language versions was extended to serve new markets, they began looking for a documentation environment that would scale with their needs.

I advised product management and development teams on content re-use strategies and best practices for modular information systems and the advantages of open-source tools and XML workflows over technical communication solutions from vendors with subscription-based licensing and proprietary binary file formats.

I converted their legacy documentation from Microsoft Word to DITA XML and developed custom DITA Open Toolkit plugins for branded PDF output.

Once the conversion project was complete, I developed and presented a training program for the client’s in-house authoring team on single-sourcing, structured authoring, DITA XML, oXygen XML Editor, and the DITA Open Toolkit.

(This system is still in active use today.)