Keeping It Simple in Information Development

There are benefits to making sure tools and processes for development and delivery of information are kept as simple as possible

This post is going to run counter to a lot of conventional wisdom. When people write about information development, they often extol the virtues of the latest content creation or delivery strategies, software, and technologies. In the past, I’ve done that too. But I was in that business for a long time and there are advantages to having decades of experience to reflect upon.

Late last year I left my longstanding corporate gig in which I was a Senior Director of Information Development for a Fortune 100 enterprise software company. Apart from that specific job, much of my professional life has been creating or managing some type of information.

I’ve been an individual contributor, consultant, and manager overseeing technical documentation, curriculum and training development and delivery, end-user help development, script writing, audio and video creation, marketing collateral, social media engagement, and website content development. I also owned a book publishing company for many years and I’ve worked extensively as a freelance writer. I have plenty of experience in much that is “information.”