Practical, Honest Training That Makes S1000D Work in the Real World
I believe good training doesn’t just teach the spec — it builds the confidence to question, apply, and adapt it in ways that serve real people, products, and programs.
I’m Mike Ingledew, founder of TDW. Long before I began helping organisations adopt S1000D and the S-Series specifications, I worked as a frontline helicopter mechanic.
That experience shaped everything I teach today.
I’ve stood on the flight line under pressure, where every minute mattered and every piece of support data had to be right. That’s where I learned that documentation isn’t just about compliance — it’s about usability, trust, and timely decision-making.
Since then, I’ve supported organisations across aerospace, defence, transport, and high-reliability industries. And no matter the project scale, I keep returning to the same principle:
Start with the problem we’re trying to solve — then decide how the specification supports that outcome.
A Practical, No-Nonsense Approach
I’ve attended conferences and listened to self-proclaimed experts promote ideas that don’t stand up to real-world pressure — like suggesting S1000D training should be delivered just in time.
That might sound efficient on paper, but in practice it’s risky — and it reflects the kind of fragmented, short-term thinking that holds many projects back.
Similarly, I’ve seen software solutions designed by teams with no maintenance experience — no sense of the urgency, constraints, or human factors involved when turning a product around quickly.
My training encourages empathy with the end user, and alignment between design, support, and data.
What You Can Expect from My Training
- Clarity of Purpose: We always begin with why. We anchor every technical detail in the real business or operational need.
- Strategic Context: I help teams understand how S1000D fits into a wider data and support ecosystem — not just how to write a DM.
- Real-World Relevance: I use examples from real programs, including failures and lessons learned — because that’s where growth happens.
- Interactive and Honest: Whether it’s a classroom or virtual session, I create space for real questions, real discussions, and shared experience.
Who My Training Is For
- Engineers and authors looking for more than rules and formatting
- Program and project managers navigating complexity
- Support teams responsible for long-term product performance
- Developers building tools that must serve real maintainers and users
- Anyone who wants to get beyond theory and make support data work