Context
The Technical Writing and Architecture communities were addressing a pervasive client pain point -- separately.
My role
I joined the Architecture Community, then initiated and led a "solution information" workgroup. I recruited 22 like-minded people representing 50+ IBM teams.
After studying the problem, we produced a white paper of our research findings, with suggested action owners. It included a cost-avoidance business case.
We also pitched an incubator project and received funding for an easy GUI toolkit enabling client-facing personnel and clients themselves to combine product-level technical information into customized solution information for the client's exact set of products and services without having technical writing or design skills. I learned a lot about being a Product Owner.
Results
The toolkit made a formerly time-prohibitive task feasible. It had 50+ downloads globally and was piloted with at least two clients. Several teams incorporated our white paper actions into their Fall/Spring plans.