Content Governance Workshop Confab 2015

Kathy Wagner & Melissa Breker
Co-Founders, Content Strategy Inc
@Kathy_CS_Inc + @ melissabreker
#ConfabMN + #contentgov

Magic.
https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/B4_sgicIYAEbnew.mp4https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/B4_sgicIYAEbnew.mp4https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/B4_sgicIYAEbnew.mp4https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/B4_sgicIYAEbnew.mp4

We need to
align people
+ process.

Enterprises fail at executionfail at executionfail at executionfail at execution because
they neglectneglectneglectneglect the most powerful
drivers of effectiveness:
decisiondecisiondecisiondecision rightsrightsrightsrights &&&& information flowinformation flowinformation flowinformation flow.
Harvard Business Review, The Secrets to Successful StrategyThe Secrets to Successful StrategyThe Secrets to Successful StrategyThe Secrets to Successful Strategy ExecutionExecutionExecutionExecution bybybyby
Gary L. Neilson, Karla L. Martin, Elizabeth Powers, June 2008.

Melissa’s Bio
• Grew up wrestling
crocodiles in
Australia
• Transitioned out of
marketing into
content strategy
• Fell in love with
supporting change
Today I help change the way people think about content through teaching,
mentoring, partnering with others, and running workshops.

Kathy’s Bio
• Grew up reading and
daydreaming
• Moved through technical
communications &
customer experience
• Have been doing content
strategy my entire life
Today I help change the way people think about content by shining a light in
dark corners and cleaning out content cobwebs.

And what about you?
• 73% work in a company
• 15% work in an agency
• 12% work in an NGO

And what about you?
• 60% are just getting started in content
governance.
• 25% are already awesome at it and want to
swap notes.
• 15% don’t know where they fit, but seem
pretty worried about content governance.

• Personal intro
• One thing you love
• What’s important to
you about content
governance and
why?
Small Group Introductions

Overview
Morning
Maturity Models
Governance Models
Roles and responsibilities
Success Metrics
Afternoon
Decision-making and Support
Processes
Information Systems & Workflow
Change Management

We need you.
Be involved.
Be respectful.
Be responsible.

What to expect:
1. Introduction to topic
2. Individual exercise
3. Large group exercise
4. Sharing

In this workshop, you’ll learn
how to identify, define, and
evangelize content
governance solutions for
your organization.

Your goals:
• Different approaches and models
• How to convince stakeholders
• Practical tools
• Metrics-based governance
• Best practices
• Collaborative problem solving
• Get a plan, and a plan for making the plan happen

And also:
• Fix all of my problems forever.
• World peace.

Content governance
provides a
framework for
content decisions,
roles, and,
responsibilities.

Project X
Process √√√√

What are we
trying to
achievewith
governance,
and why?

Content Process Maturity Model
Get a detailed version of this model here: http://www.contentstrategyinc.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Content-Strategy-
Inc-Content-Maturity-Model-2014.pdf

People
The people who do the work, their roles
and responsibilities, and the skills and
experience that help them to do it well.

Success Metrics
How success is measured, and whether or
not the success of one group helps or
hinders the work of another.

Decision Making & Support
How decisions get made at every level, and
the tools that help people to make or
execute those decisions.

Processes
How the work gets done, and who or
what’s involved along the way.

InformationSystems
The systems that people use to get their
work done.

What do we hear
from clients?
“This is so embarrassing. We’re the
worst.”
“But nobodynobodynobodynobody does it well, do they?”
“In some ways we’re managed and
sustained, and in other ways, we’re
ad hoc.”

What we heard
from you:
We have no
formalized process.
We have very little
content governance.
We’re a well-oiled
machine.

Where is your organization
on the maturity model?

What could
your
organization
do to moveup
a level?

What could be the
positivebusiness
impact ofmoving
up a level?

In groupsof 4 – 6:
1. Discuss and
write answers
on poster
paper.
2. Put posters
on wall.

Reflection...
Walk around and
have a look at
other posters.

A governance
modelis how
the governing
responsibilities
are assigned
and distributed.

CharacteristicCharacteristicCharacteristicCharacteristic ExplanationExplanationExplanationExplanation
Leadership How content strategic vision, direction, and oversight is
provided.
Ownership How accountability is assigned to make sure that
content aligns with vision.
Author distribution How authors are distributed in and between
departments.
Authoring roles How content roles are assigned and distributed. (Eg:
Subject expert, writer, editor, etc)
Approval process How approval roles are distributed throughout roles,
departments, and the content process.
Publishing rights How rights to use the CMS to create, edit, delete,
change, or publish content are assigned.
What are the governing
responsibilities?

There are 4 different models:
• Informal
• Centralized
• Decentralized
• Hybrid

Image adapted from Jason Mogus:
http://communicopia.com/insights/four-models-for-managing-digital

Advantages:
• Easy to identify
content champions
• Low cost
Disadvantages:
• Too many to list

Advantages:
• Strategic alignment
• Global consistency
• Quality content
• Content reuse and
repurposing
• Simplified project
management
• Skill building
• Accountability
Disadvantages:
• Needs considerable
staff and resources.
• Relies on process for
cross-functional
communication.
• Can form a
bottleneck if not
efficient and
responsive.

Centralized and decentralized models refer to
the reporting structure, not physical
distribution.
In a centralized model, writers can sit within
different product teams.
Important to note:

Important to note:
So that a
centralized
content team…
…can actually sit within multiple other teams.

Advantages:
• Harness the efforts of
many authors
• Costs and resources are
spread throughout the
organization
• Reduces content
publishing bottleneck
• Easier to publish and
update quickly
Disadvantages:
• Editorial and quality
control checks are
difficult to implement.
• Global and strategic
coordination is
difficult.
• Often, non-writers
need to acquire
content and CMS
skills.

Can be the best (or
worst) of both
worlds.

Howdo youdecide?
Business goals
Maturity model goals
Organizational culture
Management style
Scalability
Ease of execution (readiness for change)

As content specialists, we often prefer the
idea of a centralized model.
It allows for maximum control over content
strategy, quality, and functionality.
BUT…

“A hybrid model works
best for us.”
What do we hear
from clients?

Let’s hear
from you.
What’s
worked?

What governancemodel is
your organization
currently using? Howdo
you know?

What governancemodel
would be mosteffective
for it to use, and why?

If those two
things are
different, what
are the obstacles
in changing
governance
models?

1. What are the barriers to changing
your content governance models?
Different group of 4 – 6.
Brainstorm & Discuss.
Use sticky notes, one idea per note:
2. What are the benefits of changing
your content governance models

Place your sticky notes on the wall,
in the Barriers and Benefits
sections.

Reflection…
Think, pair, share.
Find a partner and tell
them the one most
significant barrier and
benefit for your
company.

Open mic:
What rolesare involvedin content?

Titles are not roles
In practice, titles are often meaningless or
confusing.
Ideally, titles should provide information about
that person’s role.

Some contentroles
Writer
Translator
Editor
Reviewer
Approver
Strategist
Designer
Information architect
Publisher
Photographer
Videographer
Project manager
Analyst

What happens if rolesare not clear?
• Concern over who makes decisions
• Blaming others
• Out of balance workloads
• “Not sure, so take no action” attitude
• Questions about who does what
• A “we-they” attitude
• A reactive work environment
• Poor morale
• Don’t know where to go to get answers

Content roles are always
cross-functional.
Think outside
of the content
team.

It’s not just about job role (or title!).
Consider skills, experience, interest.

Just a fewwriting-specific skills
Web writing
Marketing
Journalism
Technical writing
Creative writing
Blog writing
Business writing
Editing

Levelsof
experience.
Junior
Intermediate
Senior
Management
Director

Interest
Passionateabout what?

RACI best practices:Responsible
One or more people need to be
responsible.
Things to think about:
• If one person has many Rs, they may have more
work than they can handle.
• If one deliverable or activity has many Rs, can
tasks be more streamlined so team members
have more autonomy?

RACI best practices:Accountable
Ideally, only one person should be
accountable.
• If nobody is accountable, then there is a high
risk of not meeting project or strategic goals.
• For complex situations, there may need to be
more than one person accountable. This will
simply take longer to move through approvals.

RACI best practices:Consulted
Several people may be consulted.
Ensure two-way communication.
• Too many Cs lead to swirl and slow down the
process.
• Too few Cs can result in poor quality through
lack of accuracy or strategic alignment.

RACI best practices:Informed
Several people may be informed.
Communication only goes one way.
• If there are a lot of Is, find ways to inform people
in batches, at logical intervals.
• Develop a system (preferably automated) to
inform people.

A RACI can help at different levels
For example:
• Organizational content RACI
• Channel-specific content RACI
• Project-specific content RACI

Example:
Organizationalcontentroles

Example:
Channel-specific content roles

Example:
Complex project contentroles

Example:
Simple project contentroles

What do we hear
from clients?
“Nobody wants to
give up control.”
“We don’t know
what anyone else does.”
“We’re all executers.
There are no leaders.”

Is there leadership and oversight?

Does everyoneknowwhat they’re
supposedto do?

Does
everyone
have the
skills and
support to be
successful?

Complete the RACI quiz
Use your work environment, or your
imagination + Oh My Kale Smoothie
Company (OMK) .
Share your answers and discuss with
a partner.

In different groups of 3 or 4:
Complete a RACI for a work scenario you’re
facing, or for this OMK scenario:
• Create 3 new web pages of step-by-step
instructions including photos and a video.
Tip:Tip:Tip:Tip: Take a look at the roles on the wall!

Goals
energize
and align
people.

Think about
Governance success,
not content success.

Business goals
• Align with business strategies
• Align with other business processes
• Reduce costs
• Reduce time to publication
• Meet the needs of products, devices, or
technologies
• Improve employee engagement and
satisfaction
• Improve consistency of customer experience

Employeeswant to:
• Do good work
• Feel ownership over their work
• Grow their skills
• Understand the bigger picture
• Enjoy what they do
• Enjoy who they work with
• Feel supported

Success criteria needs to tie into a
solid business strategyand high-
levelbusiness goals.
Include:
• Business goals
• Employee goals

Key PerformanceIndicators(KPIs)
Shape success criteria into specific,
prioritized performance goalsprioritized performance goalsprioritized performance goalsprioritized performance goals.
For example:
New content needs to be published 20%
faster than before.
Tip:Tip:Tip:Tip: Assign an owner for every KPI!

Metrics
Refine the KPIs into numeric, measurable
metrics.
For example:
• By year end, 80% of our content team will
be using the new processes.
• There is a 5% increase in employee
satisfaction scores from content
employees.

Benefits ofKPIs and metrics
They allow:
• Success to be assessed and celebrated
• ROI to be estimated
• Ongoing viability to be tracked
• Lessons to be learned
• A way to hold ourselves accountable
• A foundation for continuous improvement

Plan to communicatelevelofsuccess

What do we hear
from clients?
“That’s a good idea!”

What are
some KPIs
and metrics
to support
your goals?

Group
question…
How many of you
measure content
governance success?

Review:
What have you
learned so far?

“If you chose not to
decide – you have still
made a choice!”
Neil Peart

Who’s making
decisions
around here?

Which decisions need to get
made?
From Lisa Welchman, Managing Chaos, 2015

Which decisions need to get made?
From Lisa Welchman, Managing Chaos, 2015
As content
strategists, we
most often look at
these things.

Open mic:
Which other contentdecisions are there?

Why create standards and
guidelines fordecision making?

To make sure that decision making is:
• Based on strategic goals
• Consistent
• Scalable
• Learnable
• Sustainable
• Measurable

Which toolscan support you in
making decisions?

A content
support tool
communicates
decision points
that have already
been made, or
provides strategic
guidance for
making ongoing
decisions.

Policies
Policies support decision making by
communicating company values or
mandates related to a specific area.
~ Dictionary.Reference.com

Create policies when:
• The actions of employees indicate confusion
about the most appropriate way to do things.
• Guidance is needed about the most suitable way
to handle various situations.
• Needed to protect the company legally.
• Needed to keep the company in compliance with
governmental policies and laws.
• Needed to establish consistent work standards,
rules, and regulations.
From: http://humanresources.about.com/od/policiesandsamples1/a/how_to_policy.htm

Policy example
All static web content needs to be
reviewed annually to ensure it
remains up-to-date, accurate, and
relevant.

Decision Trees
~ Wikipedia
Marcia Riefer Johnston
http://writing.rocks/how-to-write-a-sentence-infographic/

Create decision trees when….
• You need to understand the problem, the options,
and the outcomes.
• You need to fully analyze the possible
consequences of a decision.
• You need make the best decisions on the basis of
existing information and best guesses.

Content types & attributes
Content types share a common structure and
purpose.
Content attributes are the chunks of content that
make up the structure.
These support editorial and design decision-
making by defining specific page constraints.

Content attributes ofa Recipe
contenttype
Recipe name &
accreditation
Image
Social sharing
Introduction
Yield & cooking
time
Ingredients
User ratings
Ad
“From our friends”
external linking
Ad
Interactive tool,
calculator, survey

Content types & attributes:
In our world

Define content types and attributes when:
• You want consistency across similar page
types.
• Content re-use is a current or upcoming
priority.
• You are moving towards an intelligent content
approach.

Use style guides when:
• You need consistency of style and usage across
multiple pages or multiple authors.
Eliminates the need for authors to constantly make
minor, often arbitrary, decisions.
BUT, make sure you have a maintenance plan!

Content Briefs
~ Colleen Jones, The Language of Content Strategy, 2014

And lots,lots more!
What decision-making
supporttools do you use?

What do we hear
from clients?
“The squeaky wheel gets their
content on the home page.”
“We keep inventing the wheel
again and again.”
“We have a style guide. It’s on the
shelf. It’s outdated.”

Who’s making
decisions in
your company?

Which
content
areas need
decisions?

What contentsupport toolscan help
you make or act on these decisions?

Group exercise: Tooltables x 2
1. Each table has a different tool.
2. Choose a table.
3. Practice creating a decision-making
support tool for your company or Oh My
Kale Smoothie Company (OMK).
4. Share and discuss with your table team.
5. When we signal 20 minute mark, move to
one more table.

5 min: Personal
reflection…
Write down, or just close your
eyes and think about:
- How this can apply to work.
- Tools to investigate further.
- Questions you still have.

In nature, we never see
anything isolated, but
everything in
connection with
something else.
Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe

What is a businessprocess?
Process
Sub-process 1
trigger result
“A process is a collection of interrelated
activities, initiated by a triggering event,
which achieves a specific, discrete result.”
Sub-process
2
Sub-process 3 Sub-process
4
~ Alec Sharp, Workflow Modelling, 2008

Group activity
Form three process lines:
1. Trigger
2. Process
3. Result
Trigger Process
Result

Why formalize and standardize
processes?
To:
• Align operations with business strategy
• Improve team and cross-team communications
• Increase control and consistency
• Improve operational efficiencies
• Make training faster and easier
Basically, so that people know what they’re
supposed to do.

Strategize & plan content process

Design & create content process

Detailed
processes
Lines of visibility:Lines of visibility:Lines of visibility:Lines of visibility:
Who does what
when they hold the
work.

Start high-level.
Provide more detail
as needed.

Start with
common
scenarios.
Define
alternativeor
uncommon
processesonly
as needed.

What do we hear
from clients?
“We don’t really follow any
organized process.”
(But they actually do!)
“Our team needs autonomy,
so they don’t want process.”

What business
problemscan be
solvedby better
contentprocesses?

Which content processesare most
important in your work
environment?

Which variationsor
sub-processesare
part of these
important processes?

Group exercise
Complete this process:
Design & Create Content
Roles within the process:
1. Content designer
2. Writer
3. Illustrator
4. Editor
5. Publisher

Group exercise
We’ll assign you each a role in a content process.
Watch your team-mates, but don’t advise or consult.
That’s not your role!
When we ring the bell,When we ring the bell,When we ring the bell,When we ring the bell, the Content DesignerContent DesignerContent DesignerContent Designer will
open the secret sealed instructions.
There’s A PRIZE for the winning team!
Ready…. Set….

Content Information
Systems and Workflow7

Basically, they’re technologies that
support people in getting work done.
InformationSystems
~ Wikipedia

Some examplesofcontent
informationsystems:
• Content management systems
• Data asset management systems
• Email
• MS Word
• Dropbox

Open mic:
What other informationsystems do
you use?

Howdo youknow which are the right
systems to use?
It depends!
On:
• Business and content goals
• Budget and resources
• Management and working style
• Use cases

Lookfor
opportunities to
consolidateand
integrate.

A workflowis how the workmoves
within and between information
systems.
This includes both human/technology
interactions and automated processes.
Eg: CMS authoring workflow

Why formalize and standardize
workflow?
To get all the same benefits as other processes,
PLUS:
• Even greater reduction in cycle time
• Decreased human resource time, cost, and
dependency
• Reduction of risks and delays caused by
human error
• Improved and more efficient management

Howdo youknow if youneed a
workflow?
• Employees need to share information
• Processes are complex and dynamic
• There are urgent priority processes (events)
• Quality is the highest priority
• Processes are recurring
• Processes change over time

When planning IS and workflows
Think outside
of the content
team.
What other
departments or
functions need to
be included?

Start high-level.
Provide more detail
as needed

Start with
common
scenarios.
Define
variationsas
needed.

What do we hear
from clients?
“Email is our primary
communication tool.”
“Our systems don’t speak
to each other.”

What workflows
do you need to
define, and to
what degree?

Which functionalareas
(departments)should be included?

What content problems
does your business have
that informationsystems
and workflowcould help
with?

Workflowexercise in groups of3 or 4
Refer to the handout: Workflow Group Exercise
StepStepStepStep 1:1:1:1: Complete the worksheet handout.
Step 2:Step 2:Step 2:Step 2: Using a large poster paper, design a workflow
and then post it on the wall.
Reminder:Reminder:Reminder:Reminder:
A workflow is a kind of process.
Think about Trigger > Process > ResultTrigger > Process > ResultTrigger > Process > ResultTrigger > Process > Result.

Nothing will
work, unless
you do.
Maya Angelou

What We Said and What We Did
WE SAIDWE SAIDWE SAIDWE SAID ACTIVITYACTIVITYACTIVITYACTIVITY DELIVEREDDELIVEREDDELIVEREDDELIVERED
Methodologies to help you discover
the best governance model
Governance models –
4 approaches
YES
How to view content creation as a
cross-functional process, regardless of
your governance model
Content Pillars
Roles
Process
YES
How to identify the information
systems, guidelines, and processes to
best support you
Workflow
Information Systems
Process
Content tools
RACI
YES
How to identify where your
organization fits in the content
maturity model, and how to progress
Content maturity model
Content Pillars
YES

What We Said and What We Did
WE SAIDWE SAIDWE SAIDWE SAID ACTIVITYACTIVITYACTIVITYACTIVITY DELIVEREDDELIVEREDDELIVEREDDELIVERED
The difference between process
and workflow
Process
Information Systems and
Workflow
YES
How, why, and when to articulate
and communicate content
processes and workflows through
different types of diagrams
Workflow
Information Systems
Process
Line of Visibility
RACI
YES
How to integrate the five content
support pillars above, at every
step
Governance definition
Maturity model
5 pillars
Governance models
Roles and Responsibility
Content success metrics
Decision making and support
Process
Workflow and Info Systems
YES

Walk around the room.
Write down the questions you still
have about:
• Content maturity model
• 5 pillars of content governance
• Content governance models
• Content roles and responsibilities
• Content governence success metrics
• Content decision-making and support
• Content processes
• Content information systems and workflows

“We cannot teach
people anything:
we can only help them
discover it within
themselves.”
Galileo Galilee

Commonchallenges
• Lack of resources
• Lack of cooperation or collaboration
• Lack of clear leadership and support
• Inability to set priorities
• Difficulty hiring skilled employees
• Lack of organizational maturity

Howyou’ll
recognize one:
Has authority
and passion.

What they’ll
do:
Get budget,
break down
silos, support
progress.

Pilot projects and
bite-sized chunks.

Know your budget.
Grow your budget.

Know
your
resources.
Grow your
resources.

Q1Q1Q1Q1 Q2Q2Q2Q2 Q3Q3Q3Q3 Q4Q4Q4Q4
DefineDefineDefineDefine &&&&
ttttestestestest----drive:drive:drive:drive:
New
processes &
roles
CMS workflow
Success
metrics &
toolkit
Expand &
refine
Goal:Goal:Goal:Goal:
Select teams
& pilot
projects
Start
authoring in
CMS
Start
measuring
Roll out
throughout
organization
Educate & advocate
Roadmap

Take people
alongfor the
ride!

1. Practice content strategy
2. Demonstrate positive results
3. Provide tools and resources
4. Become expert content advisors
5. Advocate and educate
No controlor authority?
Influence like crazy!

How?
Relative AdvantageRelative AdvantageRelative AdvantageRelative Advantage:
To what degree is an
idea perceived as better
than existing standard?
The Myths of Creativity: David Burkus

How?
CompatibilityCompatibilityCompatibilityCompatibility:
How much is the idea
an apparently logical
extension of the
status quo?

How?
Complexity (orComplexity (orComplexity (orComplexity (or
simplicity):simplicity):simplicity):simplicity):
How easily can
people understand
the changes?

How?
TrialabilityTrialabilityTrialabilityTrialability::::
How effortless it is for
the target group to
interact with the new
concepts or
experiment with
governance.

How?
Observability:Observability:Observability:Observability:
How noticeable are
the results.
The Myths of Creativity:
David Burkus

Prepare forchange
http://www.octopus-hr.co.uk/hrmoz/article/the-neuroscience-of-change.aspx#sthash.9luchxSt.dpuf

Tips for communicatingchange
1. Communicate in person
2. Talk about emotions
3. Be as honest as you can
4. Talk in plain language
5. Talk from the heart
6. Understand their perspective
7. Be prepared for frustration

What do we hear
from clients?
People don’t want to give up
control
It’s hard to make time for
change
We’ve tried before, but we slip
back to our old ways

Who will be
your content
champion?

What
budget and
resources
do you
have to
workwith?

Howcan
you get
people
excited?

Individual exercise.
Create a roadmap for yourself.
Refer to the Content Roadmap handout.

“The most difficult
thing is the decision
to act.
The rest is merely
tenacity.”
Amelia Earhart

Reflection…
Share with a partner the
one thing you’re
committed to doing next
week.

“The best thing about
the future is that it
comes one day at a
time.”
Abraham Lincoln

What do we hear from clients?
“The end product has helped us
through content development and
approvals in a fraction of the time
that it would normally take.”
~ BC Hydro

“Thank you. We now have a regularly
scheduled content meeting where we
share a common vision for content.
We’re on the same page.”
~ CFA Institute

“Having a defined process for
content has reduced frustration
and cost.”
~ Income Access

Things to do next week
1. Review these slides and your notes.
2. Identify one small step forward.
3. Take action!
4. Let us know what you did:
Melissa@ContentStrategyInc.com

Books about processes
Other resources
www.contentstrategyinc.com/content-governance

Thanks! Stay in touch.
@MelissaBreker
@Kathy_CS_Inc
ContentStrategyInc.com

Content Governance Workshop Confab 2015

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