Agile Content Strategy: Tips and Tricks

1. PRESENTED BY Karen Semone and Melinda Belcher, Directors of Content Strategy An Interactive Overview November 13, 2014 Agile Content Strategy

3. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL Does this look familiar? 3 Research Content Audit/ Gap Analysis Develop a Site-wide Content Plan Gather and   Create Content Review with clients   (3 rounds) Package and handoff to dev

5. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL What is Agile? 5 Survival = Adaptation “It is not the strongest of the species   that survives, nor the most intelligent   that survives. It is the one that   is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

8. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL “We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping other do it. 8 Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over Processes and tools Working deliverables over Comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation Responding to change over Following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right,   we value the items on the left more.”

9. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL 9 Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over Processes and tools Working deliverables over Comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation Responding to change over Following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right,   we value the items on the left more. “But…content strategists LOVE these things!!!”

10. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL 10 Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over Processes and tools Working deliverables over Comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation Responding to change over Following a plan “…While there is value in the items on the right,   we value the items on the left MORE.” Or, in other words...

11. Photo: Disney and Impala99-d740 / Deviant Art

13. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL 15 Content Strategy The planning of effective digital content,   in terms of: People Work Workﬂow Structure Governance Substance

14. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL Agile A development methodology where emphasis is placed on: 16 People Work Content Strategy The planning of effective digital content,   in terms of: People Work Collaboration Iteration Workﬂow Structure Governance Substance

15. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL A working* deﬁnition of Agile Content Strategy 17 To create effective content experiences through a more iterative, highly collaborative process. *until someone can create a better one!

16. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL Principles of the Agile Manifesto 18 1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. 2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage. 3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. 4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. 5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. 6. The most efﬁcient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. 7. Working software is the primary measure of progress. 8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indeﬁnitely. 9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. 10. Simplicity, the art of maximizing the amount of work not done, is essential. 11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

17. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL 19 1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software content. 2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage. 3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. 4. Business content people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. 5. Build projects around motivated individuals content strategists. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. 6. The most efﬁcient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. 7. Working software is the primary measure of content progress. 8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indeﬁnitely. 9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances content agility. 10. Simplicity, the art of maximizing the amount of content work not done, is essential. 11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. Principles of Agile Content Strategy content. content content content strategists. content content content

18. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL Four steps to a continuously evolving content strategy: Agile Content Strategy is living content strategy 20 Connect Improve Connect Improve Release Release Release RESEARCH Research Release Connect Improve

25. AGILE CONTENT STRATEGY AN INTERACTIVE OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 13, 2014 © 2014 VSA PARTNERS CONFIDENTIAL Got ten minutes? Let’s create a content strategy! 27 • Name/URL for site • Intent statement • Top-level content buckets • Home page carousel copy • Calls-to-action