Content Governance and Workflows
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The document discusses better workflows and governance for content teams, including identifying different types of content teams, clarifying roles and responsibilities, designing workflows based on roles rather than individuals, and ensuring executive support and accountability for content governance. It provides examples of content team issues and offers recommendations for creating documented and trained governance processes and workflows.
![Content Initiation Brief Template
Content Owner
Content
[brief description]
Target Audience
Content Goal/
Business Goal
Elements
per Channel
Relevant
Metrics
Stakeholder(s)
Review + Update
[core channel only]
Name: Content Format or
Channel:
Metric #1:
Metric #2
(optional):
Metric #3
(optional):
Name: Final link:
When:
Reviewers:
Approvers:](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/governanceconfableibtagapril2019forslideshare-190424164052/85/Content-Governance-and-Workflows-89-320.jpg)
![LINKS add depth to your site. Here’s how to use them:
Use action words
Match links to the page title (H1 tag) as much as possible
Link 3-7 words only
Label links if they don’t jump to a web page (example: [PDF])
Ensure active and visited links use consistent colors (i.e., blue and purple,
respectively)
NEVER: use “click here”, put links in places where you’ll lose the reader in the
conversation, or make headlines links
@ahavaL #confab19 110](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/governanceconfableibtagapril2019forslideshare-190424164052/85/Content-Governance-and-Workflows-110-320.jpg)
![Content guides the interactions between
customer and vendor. And it’s [our] job to
orchestrate these content assets—these
touchpoints across the entire customer life
cycle—to deliver a winning, high-growth
customer experience.
15
4
@ahavaL #confab19](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/governanceconfableibtagapril2019forslideshare-190424164052/85/Content-Governance-and-Workflows-154-320.jpg)
Content Governance and Workflows
- 1. Better workflows, stronger governance Ahava Leibtag President Aha Media Group April 24, 2019
- 7. “Rules” • Participate • Respectful, honest dialogue • Confidentiality • One conversation • Parking lot • Break often @ahavaL #confab19 7
- 8. Today’s Schedule 1. Introduction 2. Exercise #1 3. Exercise #2 4. Break (around 2:30) 5. Exercise #3 6. End (4pm) 8
- 9. Why do people just groan when they talk about content governance? 9
- 14. You know you’re in trouble when: There is not executive or upper-level management support for governance No one person is dedicated to being in charge Politics take precedence over expertise You have no documentation around governance You have no training programs around governance People are not held accountable for governance issues 14
- 16. A good governance plan: Has executive buy-in and support Identifies who is responsible for making decisions in various scenarios Has documentation and training based on expertise, not guesswork Minimizes politics Makes governance a part of people’s annual review process 16
- 19. Content strategy takes the guesswork out of execution so creativity around content will flourish. 19 @ahavaL #confab19
- 20. Workflow vs. Governance Workflow What processes, tools and human resources are required for content initiatives to launch successfully and maintain ongoing quality? 20 Governance How are key decisions about content and content strategy made? How are changes initiated and communicated?
- 21. Exercise #1: 1. Gather in groups of 2 or 3 people (or don’t—we respect all introverts and styles) 2. Discuss or ponder two governance problems that you may have under each category of people, process and tools/technology 21 @ahavaL #confab19
- 22. Our job is to provide complex experiences. How do we wrangle not only our people, but our technology to make these experiences awesome? 22
- 23. Process 23
- 24. To-do list: Process Map current workflow to understand weaknesses Design workflow based on roles and responsibilities, not people Clarify roles and responsibilities, each and every time Document workflow clearly Choose technology that will support your process 24
- 25. Types of Content Teams 1. Siloed 2. Distributed 3. Centralized 4. Rogue 25
- 26. Types of Content Teams 26 @ahavaL #confab19 Type of content team Pros Cons Siloed A lot of content gets created because there is no over-arching process to go through Departments do not communicate with each other The audience is confused The Departments are confused Distributed Can be useful in situations where you don’t have enough manpower on your central content team to keep all of your content fresh For multi-national organizations, can deal effectively with language, culture, and other differences Difficult to govern Difficult to achieve consistency Need careful, thorough training Centralized Have complete control over content Not enough resources or staff Massive backlogs of content Confusion over priority Lack of clarity about ownership Lack of subject matter experts Rogue Are extremely motivated to converse with their target audiences Understand the value of web content Unhampered by political concerns Almost impossible to govern No interest in adhering to workflow No stake in overall quality or consistency
- 27. Siloed Pros • A lot of content gets created by different teams because there is no over- arching process to go through Cons • Departments do not communicate with each other • The audience is confused • The departments are confused • Executives have no idea what’s happening on the ground 27
- 28. Distributed Pros • Can be useful in situations where you don’t have enough manpower on your central content team to keep all of your content fresh • For multi-national organizations, can deal effectively with language, culture, and other differences Cons • Difficult to govern • Difficult to achieve consistency • Need careful, thorough training • Accountability? 28
- 29. Centralized Pros • Have complete control over content • Not enough resources or staff Cons • Massive backlogs of content • Confusion over priority • Lack of clarity about ownership • Lack of subject matter experts 29
- 30. Rogue Pros • Are extremely motivated to converse with their target audiences • Understand the value of web content • Unhampered by political concerns Cons • Almost impossible to govern • No interest in adhering to workflow • No stake in overall quality or consistency 30
- 31. Map current workflow to understand weaknesses 31
- 32. Why workflow? • Break down the content process into manageable tasks • Identify each piece of content’s stage of development • Identify each step for the content to receive approval • Know who is responsible for each step and when 32
- 33. Why is workflow so hard? • Information flow • Misplaced talent • Lack of guidance and clear models • Lack of training @ahavaL #confab19 33
- 35. Work the problem. 35 @ahavaL #confab19
- 36. Workflow Mapping: Phase I Identify: • Why create the content (the business objective)? • Who is involved (the roles)? • What each role does (the tasks)? • When the tasks get done (the flow)? • How you will assess (the result)? @ahavaL #confab19 36
- 37. What are the steps? How is content: • Requested • Sourced • Created • Reviewed • Approved • Published • Analyzed 37
- 39. @ahavaL #confab19 39 Roles Definitions Requesters Providers Creators Reviewers Approvers Publishers Distributors Analysts
- 40. Questions to ask while mapping 1. Who currently inhabits the above roles? 2. What is the current process in place for that role? 3. What happens when that person is unavailable? 4. Who gets to make decisions about change in process? 5. How does information flow from one role to the next? 6. How does information get shared? (Files, shared drives, project management software) @ahavaL #confab19 40
- 41. @ahavaL #confab19 41 Roles Definitions Requesters Creates Assignments Providers Sources Content Creators Writing & Sourcing Reviewers Editors Approvers Final Approval Publishers Prepare content for distribution Distributors Distribute content Analysts Analyze content performance and behavior
- 42. Workflow Post-It Legend 42 Major workflow milestone Moment of truth Sub-steps within each milestone Pain points, potential issues or known issues Documentation tools or meeting
- 43. Roles: Phase II 1. Understand current workflow 2. Write up or use current job descriptions 3. Rearrange workflow to be appropriate for the end content product 4. Rewrite job descriptions 5. Examine who is in those roles @ahavaL #confab19 43
- 44. @ahavaL #confab19 44 Roles Tasks Who? Requesters Requests content Providers Sources Content—could be multiple subject matter experts Creators Writing & Sourcing Video editing (if necessary) Photographic editing (if necessary) Reviewers Edits Legally approves Approves for messaging and branding Approvers Final copy editing Publishers Prepare content for distribution Distributors Distributes through different digital channels Analysts Analyzes the content over time to see if it is performing well
- 45. Design workflow based on roles and responsibilities, not people 45
- 46. FOCUS ON THE ROLES. NOT THE PEOPLE. NOT THE TALENT. 46 @ahavaL #confab19
- 47. Put the Right People in the Right Roles • Evaluate talent fairly • Structure for experience and personality (where possible) • Don’t be afraid to experiment @ahavaL #confab19 47
- 48. May Need… • More guidance • More training • Different job • More documentation • Rewards @ahavaL #confab19 48
- 49. Clarify roles & responsibilities 49 @ahavaL #confab19
- 50. Who is in charge? 50
- 51. 51
- 55. Examples: Define roles and responsibilities • Project Manager: What is your job? Explain it to the content people. • Content Strategist: EXACTLY what are you in charge of doing? • Writers/Content Creators: Who is responsible for each of the steps? • Technical Leads: Do they call the shots? Are they involved in major decision making for content as well as tech? • Developers: When do they come into the process? • Editors: When do they come into the process? • CMS Authors: Who goes through the copy with them to ensure it gets published properly? Do they own templates? • Quality Assurance: Who performs and to whom do they give that information? @ahavaL #confab19 55
- 56. Who is a part of each process? • Project managers • Content strategists • Writers • Graphic designers • Subject-matter experts • Marketing managers • Business owners • Reviewers (legal, HR, department heads, etc.) • Developers 56
- 57. Roles & Responsibilities Overview Role Responsibility Stakeholder Typically the one who initiates a project. Also has a high interest in the outcome or creation of content. Project Manager Acts as traffic control. Keeps tabs on Workfront usage/implementation, assigns leads and tracks team utilization and the volume of work coming in and out of the workflow. Project Lead Sets overarching strategy, plus manages their own project progress, including, deadlines and asset management. Researcher Provides audience insights, search engine optimization data, patient data, and stakeholder interview results. Is also responsible for finding stories that support the content strategy with data collected. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Advises on topic relevance and reviews copy for accuracy only. Content Creator Writer or producer. Executes on content ideas, using the content strategy as a guide. Publisher Uploads or launches approved content. Channel Manager Oversees the strategy and tactics on a specific channel. Editor Copy edits and reviews content to ensure it meets best practices and aligns with overarching strategy and goals. Community Anyone outside of the org , including news outlets and patients. Governor Conducts post-launch analysis to form a post-publish plan. Archives content when necessary. Reporter Analyzes content performance and reviews metrics. Communicates successes and opportunities to improve.
- 58. Channel Manager/Publisher Role Details Channel managers/publishers are responsible for the strategy and success of specific MHS channels. They are responsible for communicating channel needs at the start of a project, publishing content after it is approved, and making sure that the final product will succeed post-publication. In addition, channel managers/publishers also: • Push content to their specific channel • Gain final roadmap signoff • Identify content types/formats that will work best on their channel • Review content before publication • Respond to any issues post-publication • Analyze content performance • Confirm approvals before publishing • Find stories
- 59. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Role Details SMEs are responsible for providing factual information about their area(s) of expertise and illustrating points with facts, studies and/or accolades. They should also provide insight into research and patient populations, and serve as a spokesperson, as needed. They are expected to review information within the set deadline/publishing schedule timeframe, in order to help keep a project on track and on time. SMEs do not: • Set voice and tone or messaging • Add additional details that push scope (when it’s not appropriate or necessary) • Set marketing strategy or design or produce collateral • Dictate timelines or kill projects • Make edits that are not tracked or edit in ways that impact SEO • Design or produce collateral or information architecture
- 61. Showing Workflow 1. RACI 2. Spreadsheets or editorial calendars 3. Content flows 4. Swimlanes 5. CMS 61 @ahavaL #confab19
- 62. About the RACI Matrix • RACI is an acronym for: • Responsible: The person who does the activity or work • Accountable: The person who is accountable and has yes/no power • Consulted: Person that needs to provide information, contribution or feedback • Informed: Person that needs to know of the decision or action • A RACI matrix will help identify who comes in at what part of our new workflow, and in what capacity. 62
- 63. RACI Matrix Preview 63 Content Strategist Editor Project Manager Physician Stakeholder Content request I I A, C R Project creation I I R, A I Project assignment I I R, A I Content creation R C I I
- 64. 64
- 65. @ahavaL #confab19 65 • PLAN • CREATE • REVIEW • APPROVE • PUBLISH • MAINTAIN
- 69. @ahavaL #confab19 69 Establish Content Governance Content Analysis Content Creation Establishing workflows Content Planning • Persona Development • Messaging Architecture • Identity Pillar Identification Build OR clarify the business case Content Auditing Discovery YOU ARE HERE
- 70. Reporting Structures @ahavaL #confab19 70 Content Rep Sales Marketing Internal Comm PR Content Rep Product Engineering Service Engineering Customer Support Content Rep Finance Accounting HR Logistics Content Team
- 71. 71
- 72. That’s how content strategy scales; it’s owned by everyone. 72 @ahavaL #confab19
- 73. Exercise #2: Sketch your current workflow; just the highlights—not the details Notice the bottlenecks. 73 @ahavaL #confab19
- 74. 74
- 75. Choose technology that will support your process 75 @ahavaL #confab19
- 76. Discover where breaks in governance can be automated 76
- 77. Where can we automate this? • Understand what your CMS can do • Create authoring tools that provide guidance • Create content models that only allow certain inputs • Show the ROI on tagging and proper authoring • Select tech tools to evaluate that might help you • Use technology to remind you to archive 77
- 79. Don’t be fooled. Technology is not governance. It’s a part of your toolbox. 79
- 80. Tools 80
- 81. To-do List: Tools Create or modify style guides, playbooks & templates Content workflows Editorial guidelines Style guides Content Initiation Brief Templates Taxonomies Playbooks and checklists Archiving standards Reporting Create cheat sheets for meta data and some basic style issues 81
- 82. The right tools for your organization are rooted in your culture and attitude. 82
- 83. Create or Modify Style Guides, Playbooks & Templates 83 @ahavaL #confab19
- 84. Common governance tools 1. Content workflows 2. Editorial guidelines 3. Style guides 4. Content Initiation Brief 5. Templates 6. Page tables 7. Taxonomies 8. Structured content 9. Playbooks and checklists 10. Archiving standards 11. Reporting @ahavaL #confab19 84
- 89. Content Initiation Brief Template Content Owner Content [brief description] Target Audience Content Goal/ Business Goal Elements per Channel Relevant Metrics Stakeholder(s) Review + Update [core channel only] Name: Content Format or Channel: Metric #1: Metric #2 (optional): Metric #3 (optional): Name: Final link: When: Reviewers: Approvers:
- 91. Page Tables: 2 91@ahavaL #confab19
- 92. Page Tables: 3 @ahavaL #confab19 92
- 93. Word with Character Limits 93@ahavaL #confab19
- 94. Excel with Character Limits 94@ahavaL #confab19
- 95. Taxonomies • Identifies content • Defines metadata • Manages the relationships between those pieces of content and metadata • Manages the organization of information so that people can find the information they need 95 @ahavaL #confab19
- 98. Structured Content • Reduce human error • Personalization • Efficient content management • Improved analysis • Reduce risk 98 @ahavaL #confab19
- 99. Your goal is to have a shared and controlled vocabulary. 99 @ahavaL #confab19
- 100. Playbook and checklists 100@ahavaL #confab19
- 105. Get your lawyers or compliance involved from the beginning 10 5 @ahavaL #confab19
- 106. Archiving Standards • Use your CMS • Use your content models • Have people be in charge quarterly • Create digital handshakes and handoffs • Create ifthen scenarios: If this happens…that happens 10 6 @ahavaL #confab19
- 107. 107@ahavaL #confab19
- 108. Reporting • Non compliant pages • Spelling errors • Dead links • References to out of date info • Improper keywords • Wrong categorization • Bad metadata 108@ahavaL #confab19
- 109. Create cheat sheets for meta data and some basic style issues 10 9
- 110. LINKS add depth to your site. Here’s how to use them: Use action words Match links to the page title (H1 tag) as much as possible Link 3-7 words only Label links if they don’t jump to a web page (example: [PDF]) Ensure active and visited links use consistent colors (i.e., blue and purple, respectively) NEVER: use “click here”, put links in places where you’ll lose the reader in the conversation, or make headlines links @ahavaL #confab19 110
- 111. 111@ahavaL #confab19
- 115. People 11 5
- 116. 11 6
- 117. To-do list People Gain executive buy-in by emphasizing business goals Create multidisciplinary governance bodies Assign decision makers Train people how to use governance documentation and who to contact when there are questions Make governance a part of people’s annual review process Measure how you are doing; not just in reporting metrics but in organizational commitment 11 7
- 118. Gain executive buy-in by emphasizing business goals 118
- 124. 124@ahavaL #confab19
- 125. Convince them 1. Sell it to them 2. Show the mistakes 3. Find a head cheerleader 4. Advise that it’s a process; not an overnight change 12 5
- 128. @ahavaL #confab19 PRITUX Executive LeadershipMarketing Customer RelationsVisual Design Sales 128
- 130. Why multidisciplinary teams? • Adapt to changing technologies • Break down silos • Better ideas • Look at things from different perspectives • See problems and solutions in a variety of ways • Have different kinds of political connections @ahavaL #confab19 130
- 131. Who to look for? • Executive sponsor • Product management • Business intelligence • Creative/editorial • Information technology • UI/UX • Legal • Training 13 1 • Marketing • Taxonomy manager • Content creators/editors • Content managers • Regional representatives • Search specialists • Business line owners @ahavaL #confab19
- 132. Option #1: Create two teams 1. Strategic authority: bird’s-eye-view decisions like site objectives, resources and budgeting, audience definition and annual planning. 2. Implementation authority: decisions related to day-to-day operations (requests for the home page, new content, content maintenance, editorial oversight. 13 2
- 133. Option #2: Create three teams 1. Steering Committees: they make business decisions about priorities and allocation of resources (they get the final say when politics or conflicts amongst different groups arises) 2. Work teams and working groups: Day-to-day implementation authority; report to the steering committee on a regular basis 3. Task forces: Groups that focus a unique project for a limited duration 13 3
- 135. Pick a Captain Content (or a few of them) 13 5
- 136. Somebody has to be the final say on each and every content project. 13 6
- 137. Train people how to use governance documentation and who to contact when there are questions 13 7 @ahavaL #confab19
- 138. Training 1. Model good governance (show people what it really means; either with mistakes or best practices examples) 2. Invite to training meetings (serve food) 3. Send our reminder emails 13 8
- 139. 1. Model Good Governance @ahavaL #confab19 139
- 140. 2. Invite to training meetings • Writing workshops • CMS workshops • Updates to governance standards • Archiving schedules SHOW THEM WHY THEY CARE @ahavaL #confab19 140
- 141. 3. Send out reminder emails @ahavaL #confab19 141
- 143. If you have a distributed content team, you should hold 4 trainings a year and make at least 2 mandatory. 14 3 @ahavaL #confab19
- 144. Make governance a part of people’s annual review process (seriously) 14 4 @ahavaL #confab19
- 145. 145@ahavaL #confab19
- 146. Measure how you are doing; not just in reporting metrics but in organizational commitment 14 6 @ahavaL #confab19
- 147. Measurement 1. Look at reviews 2. Create personal case studies 3. Use software to show decreases in mistakes 4. Track workflow to find ways you’ve shortened time to publication 5. Show how often tools are being updated or used 14 7
- 148. Case Studies 14 8
- 149. 149
- 150. Case Studies 1. Aetna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7aUH4yAN3A 2. Smash Silos: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2019/03/integrate- marketing-teams/ 15 0 @ahavaL #confab19
- 151. Exercise #3: What’s three ways you could measure how you’re doing with governance? 15 1
- 152. In reality, these activities are part of a continuous life cycle that repeats and repeats and repeats. 15 2 @ahavaL #confab19
- 153. Remember!!!! • The law of tiny changes • If you can affect 10% of change in behavior in a year, you’re doing great! @ahavaL #confab19 153
- 154. Content guides the interactions between customer and vendor. And it’s [our] job to orchestrate these content assets—these touchpoints across the entire customer life cycle—to deliver a winning, high-growth customer experience. 15 4 @ahavaL #confab19
- 157. Questions? Ahava Leibtag Aha Media Group, LLC ahava@ahamediagroup.com @ahavaL @ ahavaleibtag @ahavaL #confab19 THANK YOU! 157