Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and Agile Technical Writing

The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering information. Although its main applications have so far been in technical publications, DITA is also used for other types of documents such as policies, procedures, and training.

The DITA architecture and a related DTD and XML Schema were originally developed by IBM. The architecture incorporates ideas in XML architecture, such as modular information architecture, various features for content reuse, and specialization, that had been developed over previous decades.^[1] DITA is now an OASIS standard.

The first word in the name "Darwin Information Typing Architecture" is a reference to the naturalist Charles Darwin. The key concept of "specialization" in DITA is in some ways analogous to Darwin's concept of evolutionary adaptation, with a specialized element inheriting the properties of the base element from which it is specialized.

~Wikipedia

To learn more about this information architecture for Wikis and technical documentation, which may be beneficial to working in an Agile environment, check out the following sites:

• Wikipedia article
• Learning by Wrote blog
• DITA Chicks Blog
• DITA4All