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Seven ways to mess up with XML: avoid these common mistakes in your next project.

Article Excerpt
A successful XML publishing project inspired this article. The project's leader, who claims that the financial return gained for his company "made his career" there, achieved success for two reasons: he focused on the right goals and executed the project in the right way.

This article focuses on two things: how to establish the right goals for an XML-based publishing project and the most common mistakes made. We explore the topic by discussing how to go about it the wrong way.

* Mistake #1: Plan too little

Everyone knows the importance of upfront planning, right? Yet, even though "everyone knows," we regularly see projects marred by inadequate and superficial planning.

Why does this happen? Two common reasons emerge. First, most people responsible for planning grew up with word-processing and desktop publishing software. As a result, they typically think that implementing an XML-based system primarily involves a substitution of technologies and file formats.

In reality, using XML for publishing involves new and unfamiliar concepts--it's a true paradigm shift. Unless someone with XML publishing experience helps with the planning, you will likely invest too little in the upfront work.

Second, the decision to launch an XML publishing project can take too long (doesn't it always?). But because the deadline...