Starting from the Ground Up: Organizing the Files

[saladflambe]

Last year, we migrated all of our 7 different guides into Madcap Flare. Right now, each of those guides exists as its own individual project - siloed off.

I am currently working to completely overhaul our documentation, eliminate all of our guides, and create one online help. I have very limited Madcap Flare training (just what I could find online) & am trying to figure out how to lead this initiative.

From what I've gathered, two things seem to make the most sense:
1. All topics in 1 project
2. Borrow DITA structure and classify every topic as either a concept, reference, or task

I'm trying, right now, to figure out just step-by-step what the heck to do. Do I make my first-level folder structure "Concept, Reference, and Task" folders and then pile all the topics into those folders based on what best suits them? Then use the TOC to structure the organization? Should there be second-level folders inside of Concept, Reference, and Task based on...what? "Installation, Configuration, etc." ? Or should those have been the first-level folders? Is there something else I should consider? There will be tons and tons of topics if I do structure it this way... I'm so nervous I'm going to lead us in the wrong direction.

[ChoccieMuffin]

First of all, welcome to the forums, which I'm sure you'll find are a very valuable resource.

Before you start ripping your stuff to bits, you might want to spend a few hours looking at the various Flare webinars that are available on the Madcap website here: https://www.madcapsoftware.com/resource ... aspx#flare.
Take a look at the one about Madcap's own Flare project (https://www.madcapsoftware.com/webinars ... hitecture/)
Single sourcing, from Scott deLoach (https://www.madcapsoftware.com/webinars ... -projects/)
An overview of Flare, from Mike Hamilton (https://www.madcapsoftware.com/webinars ... ublishing/)

As for how you structure your content, in brief you can do absolutely anything you like! Some people like to have separate folders for areas of functionality, with all the topics to do with an individual function in one folder (this is the approach we take where I am). But how you sort topics etc in the Content Explorer really doesn't matter to your output, it's the TOC that will be your main driver.

Best of luck, and keep asking questions.

[saladflambe]

First of all, welcome to the forums, which I'm sure you'll find are a very valuable resource.

Before you start ripping your stuff to bits, you might want to spend a few hours looking at the various Flare webinars that are available on the Madcap website here: https://www.madcapsoftware.com/resource ... aspx#flare.
Take a look at the one about Madcap's own Flare project (https://www.madcapsoftware.com/webinars ... hitecture/)
Single sourcing, from Scott deLoach (https://www.madcapsoftware.com/webinars ... -projects/)
An overview of Flare, from Mike Hamilton (https://www.madcapsoftware.com/webinars ... ublishing/)

As for how you structure your content, in brief you can do absolutely anything you like! Some people like to have separate folders for areas of functionality, with all the topics to do with an individual function in one folder (this is the approach we take where I am). But how you sort topics etc in the Content Explorer really doesn't matter to your output, it's the TOC that will be your main driver.

Best of luck, and keep asking questions.

Thank you! That webinar about madcap's own flare project was VERY helpful since Madcap's Help is basically my inspiration for where I'm leading us. Learned a lot!