Feeling the Limits of Word Manuals? 〜 The First Step to Manual “Assetization” Starting with AsciiDoc/Markdown

May 31, 2026

Feeling the Limits of Word Manuals? 〜 The First Step to Manual “Assetization” Starting with AsciiDoc/Markdown

The Next Step Beyond Word—How Structuring Transforms Manual Management and AI Utilization

Seminar Details

In the fields of service, support, and maintenance, three pressures are simultaneously progressing: "increased burden of manual updates," "expansion of support inquiries," and "delays in DX of the documentation domain."

 

Even if measures are taken individually as separate issues, the effects are hardly visible — in fact, all these pressures stem from the same "root cause." Manuals are "visually fixed documents" — often PDFs created with Word, meaning they lack versatility and are made solely for specific documents. While creating with Word is easy to start, the prerequisites for web manual conversion, multilingual deployment, and generative AI integration are not established, resulting in a situation where updates, inquiry responses, and DX all struggle to move forward.

 

In this seminar, we will unravel this common root from its structure and introduce how to create documents that separate appearance and structure using AsciiDoc/Markdown as the "next step after Word." We will share practical examples from Yamaha Corporation (approximately 30% reduction in production costs) and Ryobi Systems Co., Ltd. (transition from Word to web manuals), presenting a realistic small start that can begin with just one Markdown draft, as well as the potential for future AI utilization.

 

Since its founding in 1985, Human Science has been engaged for nearly 40 years in manual creation, structuring, and multilingual deployment, and will share practical insights based on on-site knowledge. This content is valuable for everyone involved with documentation, from management to on-site personnel.
Please feel free to join us!

 

*Please note that participation by competitors and individuals is not allowed.

 

Application

This seminar is recommended for such representatives

・Those who feel that the workload of manual updates, translation, and deployment is overwhelming their operations

・Those whose inquiries mostly consist of "what is written in the manual"

・Those who want to promote self-service such as FAQs and chatbots

・Those who struggle to fully utilize translation memory with each multilingual deployment

・Those who want to utilize document assets that are left unused as paper or PDF

・Those who want to advance the foundational preparations for DX and generative AI utilization in the document domain

・Those interested in structuring with AsciiDoc/Markdown

・Those considering operational improvements for service, support, and maintenance documents

Program

Part 1: The Three Pressures Faced by Service Departments and Their Common Root Cause

・The three simultaneous pressures in service departments (internal workload / support man-hours / delay in DX)

・The "root cause" common to the three pressures

・Why separate measures fail to be effective

 

Part 2: Direction for Solutions ― Separating "Appearance" and "Structure" with AsciiDoc/Markdown

・What AsciiDoc/Markdown Are (Description Image / Learning Cost)

・Automatic Deployment from One Source to Multiple Media (PDF / Web / FAQ)

・Case Studies: Initiatives by Yamaha Corporation and Ryobi Systems Co., Ltd.

・Visible Effects: Reduction of Internal Workload / Decrease in Inquiries / Positioning as DX

・Small Start Setup: From a Single Markdown Draft to a Web Manual

・Practical Ways to Get Started: Failure Patterns and Success Patterns, Three Points Organizations Should Prepare

・Laying the Groundwork for the Next Generation: Structuring as a Prerequisite for Utilizing Generative AI

 

* The program is subject to change without notice.

Event Details

Date and Time
  • June 23, 2026 (Tues) 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
  • * After 2:45 p.m., the same session will be extended to answer individual questions (for those who wish only)
  • * Main session 30 minutes + Q&A 15 minutes (Q&A is optional)
Cost
Free
How to Participate
  • This seminar is a web seminar using Zoom.
  • We will contact those who have applied separately by email regarding how to participate.
  • For information about the Zoom playback environment, please check here.

Application

  • Please apply for participation in this seminar using the form below.
  • We will provide further information from the person in charge.

 

 

  • *Please note that participation by competitors and individuals is not allowed.

Instructor

Kunio Sakamoto

Human Science Co., Ltd.
DS Department, Technical Communication Group

 

At Human Science, responsible for numerous projects involving manual creation, structuring, and multilingual deployment. Provides support based on on-site expertise tailored to the challenges of service and support departments, including assistance with migrating structured documents using AsciiDoc and projects aimed at moving away from DITA/XML.