Key Concept Archive

Teaching Martians to make a sandwich–How Technical Writers can improve patient safety

There’s a well-known exercise to experienced technical writers: How do you teach a Martian to make a sandwich. It’s so well known that we talk about it as an exercise in best practices for user experience and modern instructional design. In the last few years, this exercise has become a…

What happens when you skimp on documentation?

In the TC Dojo last week we found out: Your company is at risk of debilitating lawsuits that, in the worst case, can put you out of business. Joe Devney, forensic linguist, editor, non-fiction writer, and previous STC chapter chair shared stories of companies who delivered insufficient, poorly-written documentation or who failed…

Manage your product content like you manage development

Meet compliance and regulatory challenges Medical device manufacturers are facing some very tough challenges today including demand for innovation, complying with strict environmental and regulatory requirements, and shrinking price premiums, not to mention intense competition which demands faster times-to-market. The world’s most respected medical device manufacturers are attacking these problems…

Documentation, Medical Devices, and the FDA

This month the implementation date for MDD directive (2007/47/EC) comes due. There are a number of issues that require action by manufacturers (changes to the Essential Requirements, clearer requirements for clinical evaluation, changes to the QA of third parties) and the Notified Bodies ( higher requirements for auditing Technical Files)….

Dynamic product information delivery systems reduce translation costs

Recently, I was privileged to talk with a customer that implemented Arbortext in 1999: Greg Johnson at Medtronic. Greg heads up what his executives have told him is “the most successful project Medtronic had ever done.”  In this interview, Greg talks about how dynamic information delivery systems can really drive…

Benefits of dynamic product information delivery for life sciences

I was fortunate enough to reconnect to an old friend. I reached out to Greg Johnson from Medtronic and had an amazing conversation about their dynamic information delivery system and the benefits it has to Medical Devices and Life Sciences companies. Over the years, Medtronic has increased their investment in their…

Collaboration is Key to Success

Last month, BusinessWeek published an article, “Mega Mergers Can’t Cure the Pharmaceutical Industry,” about how the Pharmaceutical Industry has been changing their strategy from a strictly competitive one to a more collaborative one because they can keep costs down by collaborating with each other and producing tangible for themselves and their…

Why life sciences companies should move out of traditional publishing tools

I answered a question recently: What IF you were CEO of a (i) big pharma, (ii) medical device and (iii) health service organization (hospital, HMO, etc.)? What changes would you have made and why? There is no question lots of companies in the pharma., medical device and health service (hospital,…

Learn about Arbortext Print Publisher (APP) [Arbortext User Meeting]

The first meeting is a preview of the Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher (APP, formerly known as 3B2). Lawrie Stevens of GPSL, and founding member of Advent, will be showing the product as you’ve never seen it before. This is the first meeting of the Arbortext User Group. It will be…