Critical success factors in implementing component content management systems from technical communicators’ perspective

To explore how the CCMS implementation is conducted and generate suggestions on successful implementation, this study interviewed 11 technical communicators who have experience with CCMS implementation. By analyzing the data collected in the interviews, this study defined the CCMS implementation as the process starting with the system preparation and ending with the large-scale practice. The phases of CCMS implementation specified by this study include: system preparation, promotion, pilot practice, training, and large-scale practice. Different challenges, solutions, and benefits were found being related to different phases of CCMS implementation. Many challenges brought by CCMSs to organizations, including the difficult transition to topic-based writing, the metadata chaos, the poor usability of the CCMS, the negative attitude hold by people towards the changes, and the poor workflow and collaboration among different roles could be solved or prevented by conducting a good CCMS implementation. This study generated a detailed list of the CSFs in different phases of implementing a CCMS as a guidance for the people and organizations interested in CCMS implementation.