Companies in regulated industries, such as aviation, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, produce and review over 800 technical documents every year. To mitigate safety risks and meet regulatory compliance, companies are continually looking for new technologies and processes to streamline workflow, reduce complexity, and review content efficiently.
The Problem: Managing change in highly regulated industries
Documents in regulated industries often contain vast amount of complex technical information, that is crucial for the operational safety and compliance of their product. Whether it’s an aircraft, heavy machinery, engine components, medical equipment or supplies, even the smallest error can lead to severe safety risks.
If you’re a document manager or a standards specialist, you are undoubtedly familiar with the rigorous revision process that technical writers need to go through to ensure content is accurate, delivered on time and easy to understand by all end users. This process can be quite challenging for numerous reasons.
Firstly, the content is highly technical and requires specialised knowledge to understand and update correctly. It often requires the involvement of different stakeholders and departments within an organisation, which increases the risk of errors during updates.
Furthermore, technical manuals often need to be consistent with other related documents and systems. For example, if a new version of an Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) is released, several other supporting documents may need to be updated. The Illustrated Parts Catalog (IPC) may need to be amended to reflect any changes in parts, part numbers, or configurations, or, if the changes in the AMM impact the maintenance intervals or procedures, the Maintenance Planning Document (MPD) should be revised accordingly…and these are just two of many other supporting documents.
In addition, updates to technical manuals often need to be implemented quickly, especially if they are related to safety issues or regulatory changes. Delays in updating technical manuals can impact maintenance schedules and overall operational efficiency, leading to potential downtime and increased costs.
Therefore, when you are tasked with finding the right solution to improve and streamline your document management process, there are two ways that you can go, depending on your specific business needs.
Built-in Comparison vs DMS
First, there is the built-in comparison option. This solution is about integrating a specialised document comparison software into your existing system or workflow. It aims to greatly improve your document management process by eliminating errors and automating the overall process. One of the best examples of such software is XML Compare. Backed by over 20 years of continuous development and support, XML Compare is particularly successful in detecting even the most granular change in XML-based documentation and representing that change in various formats to fit your business needs. It’s specialty is accurate, tailored document comparison and that’s what it does best.
On the other hand, Document Management Systems (DMS) have a much broader function. They are a digital solution that helps organisations process, capture, store, manage and track documents. While comparison is possible and may be sufficient for many organisations, its often a secondary feature, overshadowed by other document management capabilities, such as the creation, overall management and distribution of documents.
Depending on your specific requirements, both options can be a viable solution for your document management needs. So, which one should you choose?
Well, that depends on various factors, such as cost, existing infrastructure, user training, and specific needs for managing technical documentation changes.
Accuracy and precision
Built-in XML Comparison Software: XML comparison software, such as XML Compare, is specifically designed to identify and process changes in XML documents, which can be particularly useful if your technical documentation is XML-based. With its advanced algorithm, it can identify even the smallest changes in technical content and produce a comprehensive report, highlighting what has changed and where.
Adopting a new DMS: Most DMS offer basic comparison features for common document types like Word, PDF, and plain text files. While some may be better at it than others, they are generally less sophisticated compared to specialised solutions like as XML Compare. Comparison features in DMS often struggle to understand certain template structures or specialised markups, leading to less precise comparisons. These features typically just highlight added, deleted, and modified text. After all, the strength of a DMS isn’t in comparison, but rather in offering broader capabilities for comprehensive document management and authoring.
Customisation
Built-in XML Comparison Software is certainly the king of customisation. Comparison software solutions, such as XML Compare, are designed with flexibility in mind, allowing users to easily configure specific comparison rules to suit their business requirements. For example, with XML Compare, you can choose to ignore certain elements or attributes, you can configure for move detection or character-by-character comparison, you can even detect changes in tables and SVG graphics. When it comes to finding and processing changes in technical documents, a specialised comparison software is the most reliable option.
Adopting a new DMS: Modern DMS solutions often offer a wide range of features including version control, document workflow management, access control, and collaboration tools. In this sense, they are superior to specialised software like XML Compare, if you need more than just a comparison solution. They are an all-in-one solution that might replace or significantly enhance your current document management practices. However, when it comes to document comparison specifically, DMS usually have limited configuration options that are primarily focused on general use cases.
Integration and automation
Built-in XML Comparison Software: XML comparison engines are designed for seamless integration with existing systems through APIs, supporting automated and batch processing workflows. They can be seamlessly integrated into your existing processes and workflows, whether you have your own custom-built CMS or you are using an off-the-shelf CCMS/DMS.
Adopting a new DMS: Most DMS are designed to be comprehensive solutions, so integration is broad and covers various business processes. Integrating all documentation processes into a single system can streamline workflows and improve efficiency. However, comparison capabilities might not support automation to the same extent as a specialised comparison software.
Cost of implementation
Built-in XML Comparison Software: Generally, integrating a specific software is less expensive than adopting a whole new DMS. Apart from the cost of the software itself and any support that comes with it, this option doesn’t incur high operational costs, such as staff training, document transition and implementation downtime. For example, solutions such as XML Compare, can be configured to fit your existing system and, when integrated, be almost invisible to the end user, improving your document management process without changing the way your team works.
Adopting a new DMS: Implementing a new DMS usually has a high initial cost. This can include the initial software costs and hardware upgrades, as well as, operational costs, such as time required for content transition, staff training and potential downtime during transition. Employees will need to be trained on the new system, which can be time-consuming and disruptive. Furthermore, transferring existing documents to the new DMS can be complex and risky, potentially leading to data loss or corruption.
Conclusion
If your primary goal is to accurately identify, record and process changes in your technical documentation and your current system is otherwise meeting your needs, or if you are already using a DMS and its comparison capabilities are simply not good enough, integrating a powerful XML Comparison software, such as XML Compare, is the better choice. This solution offers much more precise comparison results and configuration options than any DMS on the market. It can also be seamlessly integrated into your existing processes and workflows, whether you have your own custom-built CMS or you are using an off-the-shelf CCMS/DMS. It’s powerful, yet cost-effective, allowing you to enhance your document management capabilities without the significant investment and upheaval associated with implementing a whole new system.
However, if your current system is outdated, lacks many necessary features, or if you anticipate significant growth and increased complexity in you document management needs, that go beyond comparison, then adopting a new DMS could be a strategic investment for the long term, offering a more comprehensive solution.
Ultimately, the decision is yours and depends on your current system’s capabilities, the specific requirements of your technical documentation processes, budget constraints, and long-term strategic goals.
