Technical Publications as a Service
Strategic Value of Outsourcing and Augmenting S1000D Publication Development
Developing and maintaining S1000D and ATA e Spec-compliant publications requires specialised tools, domain expertise, and strict adherence to evolving standards. Outsourcing and workforce augmentation strategies offer organisations a powerful way to reduce costs, improve quality, and enhance agility. With a team of expert technical authors positioned across all our regions, Pennant can offer our comprehensive technical publications as a service capability. Pennant uses the latest intelligent automated processes technology to assure our content and, coupled with our consultancy service, provides our customers with a peerless technical publications experience.
Pennant’s Technical Publications as a Service is available in four different ways:
Full Technical Publications Outsourcing
This involves outsourcing the entire publication development work package to a specialized S1000D and/or ATA publications expert. This comes with a wide range of benefits.
Workforce Augmentation: Embedding Expert Contractors
This hybrid model of workforce augmentation allows companies to retain control over documentation strategy while enhancing their capabilities with specialised expertise.
Conversion Services
Outsourcing the conversion of legacy technical publications to S1000D is a strategic move that accelerates modernisation while minimising internal disruption.
Conventional Technical Data & Documentation Services
Includes IETP & IETM development, technical illustrations, Simplified Technical English, Business Rule Development and Stylesheet Development.
Perfect for organisations that:
Operate in S1000D‑regulated sectors, including aerospace, defence, and civil aviation.
Deal with heavy volumes of legacy content locked in PDFs, Word or other files.
Require consistent, compliant standards across all technical publications.
Full Technical Publications Outsourcing
S1000D development relies on a complex suite of tools including XML editors, Common Source Databases (CSDBs), validation engines, and publishing platforms. These systems require IT software, hardware and support, which only adds to the overhead costs.
Outsourcing provides immediate access to skilled professionals who are already proficient in S1000D methodologies. These experts understand how to structure content, manage data modules, and integrate with logistics and maintenance systems. Experienced S1000D providers, like Pennant, bring not only technical writing skills but also industry-specific knowledge—whether in aviation, defence, rail, or maritime. Our colleagues’ familiarity with quality assurance processes, validation tools, and configuration management ensures that deliverables meet both technical and regulatory standards.
Enhanced Quality
Reduce IT overhead
Eliminate the need for internal investment
Lower Training and Hiring Costs
Reduced Risk Through Subject Matter Expertise
Workforce Augmentation: Embedding Expert Contractors
Embed expert contractors directly into your existing publication development teams. This hybrid model of workforce augmentation allows companies to retain control over documentation strategy while enhancing their capabilities with specialised expertise.
Embedded S1000D experts bring fresh perspectives and deep technical knowledge without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire. This approach is especially valuable during peak workloads, system migrations, or when implementing new S1000D versions and business rules.
Gain the flexibility to scale up quickly
Maintain internal oversight and alignment with broader business goals
Accelerate project timelines
Mentor internal staff and introduce best practices
Reduced long time hiring costs without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire
Conversion Services
Legacy content often lacks the structure and metadata required for S1000D compliance, making conversion a technically demanding and resource-intensive process.
S1000D offers a structured, modular, and interoperable approach to technical documentation that far surpasses traditional legacy formats such as Word, PDF, or proprietary systems. Unlike static documents, S1000D uses XML-based data modules that can be reused, updated independently, and integrated across platforms, making it ideal for complex systems with long lifecycles and frequent updates.
Using our S1000D Conversion knowledge, we have jointly developed with Onepoint a new conversion tool to support the conversion of legacy documentation. The process blends Intelligent Process Automation with human quality assurance, providing never seen before speed improvements without compromising accuracy or compliance.
This approach ensures legacy content is preserved, standardized, and future-ready for digital platforms and integrated support systems.
Pennant’s Approach
Pennant applies proven methodologies and S1000D expertise to ensure legacy content is not only converted, but future‑ready.
Analyse – We evaluate existing documentation, unstructured, semi‑structured, or non‑compliant XML, to define scope, complexity, and restructuring needs.
Convert – Legacy content is transformed into fully compliant, system‑ready S1000D CSDB modules using Onepoint’s ConvertWise tool, Pennant’s R4i tool and experts, ensuring traceability and standards compliance.
Validate – Converted content is tested to ensure correct behaviour across publishing, viewing, training, and maintenance environments, reducing integration risk.
Talk to Pennant today to learn how we can help future-proof your technical documentation.
Faster time-to-first-value
Accelerate modernisation and digital documentation foundation
Ensure regulatory consistency and accuracy
Minimize internal disruption
Conventional Technical Data & Documentation Services
IETP & IETM Technical Manuals
Pennant’s R4i product is an advanced solution for creating Interactive Electronic Technical Publications (IETPs). It is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the S Series specification, ensuring compatibility and seamless integration. R4i offers a comprehensive set of features and tools that enable users to author, manage, and deliver interactive technical content efficiently. With its user-friendly interface and powerful capabilities, R4i empowers technical writers and content creators to produce high-quality IETPs that enhance user experience and improve knowledge transfer. Pennant is committed to continuous improvement and innovation, ensuring that R4i remains at the forefront of the industry, providing users with the best possible solution for their technical publication needs.
Proofreading & Copy Editing
Proofreading / copy editing are vital to ensuring that written media is clear, accurate, and professional. It is the process of checking for errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Technical publications projects undertaken by Pennant embed proofreading / copy editing into the programme plan. Publications are not submitted to the customer until the requisite proofreading / copy editing tasks have been satisfactorily completed.
Technical Illustrations
Whether you’re a business seeking to explain your products, an educator aiming to simplify complex concepts, or a professional in need of illustrations, our technical illustration services are here to assist you. Together, we can transform the intricate into the comprehensible, creating visuals that resonate and educate.
From exploded diagrams, cutaway visuals to assembly instructions and product visualisations, we can support your requirement.
Simplified Technical English
Simplified Technical English is a type of English that is written so that it is easy for persons of all English levels to comprehend. It is frequently used in technical publications, user manuals, and other materials that must be clear and unambiguous. It is related to industry standards and specifications, such as S1000D and iSpec2200.
Pennant’s technical publications department has created many technical publications in Simplified Technical English, using the industry standard ASD-STE100, as used in military, aerospace and rail.
Business Rule Development
Business Rules are the road map for the generation of content for your S1000D Project. It has been proved that working with a detailed Business Rules EXchange (BREX) module enhances communication when delivering technical data for a project. The projects expectations are clearly defined when there is a well written BREX and Business Rules (BR).
Business Rules can be a complex subject. The Pennant Consulting Team have extensive experience and can assist customers to develop their Business Rules documents, including BREX for project delivery.
Stylesheet Development
Pennant can provide off-the-shelf XSLT and XSL-FO packs for assorted S1000D versions and industry deliverables.
If your project requires XSLT (IETM/IETP) and FO (Print/PDF) stylesheets, Pennant have bespoke packs available for delivery to many different Country and Industry Style Specifications, including:
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S1000D (all major schema versions)
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ATA iSpec 2200
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MIL STD aviation and defence formats
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National defence variants (US, German, Australian etc.)
If you have a project deliverable that requires more than the default S1000D styles, ask the Pennant Team to provide PDF samples of what is included in the latest Stylesheet Packs.
Des St Bruno discusses outsourcing and workforce augmentation strategies which offer organizations a powerful way to reduce costs, improve quality, and enhance agility.
