Content governance is where the “rubber hits the road” for creating better content in a sustainable fashion. The shifts created by content strategy go beyond the web team, IT, and subject-matter experts to touch Human Resources, Legal, and the organization’s senior management. This is key to digital transformation. In this workshop, participants will explore where they fit on a content governance maturity scale, explore a variety of models, and identify which model will be most successful for their organizations. This presentation covers what it takes to set up content governance, as well as what is required to maintain and evolve it.

1. Content Governance
Key to Sustainable Intranet Success
Hilary Marsh, Chief Strategist & President
Content Company, Inc.
Photo byRobin PierreonUnsplash

2. What is content?
•News articles
•Policies
•Program details
•Education about corporate initiatives
•Help information (legal, IT, etc.)
•Tutorials
•Task-focused information
•etc., etc., etc.

3. Content is the way
our work is
manifested
in the world

4. What is content strategy?
The right content
to the right person
at the right time
for the right action

5. What is content strategy?
The practice of planning for the
creation, delivery, and governance of
useful, usable, effective content

6. Three faces

7. Multiple parts
•A strategic statement tying content to business
goals
•Guidelines and policies: Who, what, when, where,
why, and how of publishing content
•Defining people, roles, and processes

8. The ultimate vision
Audience-centric
Business-sensitive
Content

9. Foundational tenets
1. Content creators and SMEs have a common
understanding what key audiences want, and
how their content helps deliver that.
2. Content creators and SMEs have a common
understanding of the organization’s goals and
priorities, and how their content contributes to
them.
3. Content creators and SMEs create and share
content in a consistent, effective way.

10. Principles
•The organization creates content that its
audiences want
•The organization creates content that helps it
meet its goals
•Content has success metrics and is measured
against those
•Content that is no longer relevant is no longer
available

11. Principles
•Content is promoted, surfaced, and cross-linked
based on its topic, not its source
•Content is created in the organization’s voice
•The organization manages content platforms,
tools, and channels in a way that ensures their
effectiveness

12. Old thinking
Staff
department
Content
Audience
Staff
department
Content
Audience
Staff
department
Content
Audience
Staff
department
Content
Audience

14. https://www.flickr.com/photos/climateinteractive/13944682478

16. Consequences
• Difficult to prioritize
• Diluted impact
• Content not findable
• More calls to help desk
• More time away from work
• Frustration

17. Organization: Programs, offerings
Audience
Content
Audience Audience Audience
New thinking

18. 18
Content strategy
is
CHANGE MANAGEMENT

19. Working together for
employee satisfaction

20. 20

22. Content strategy roadmap
1. Gather data to know what
we know (discovery)
2. Audit and assess website
content, e-newsletters,
social channels
3. Facilitate creation of
empathy-based audience
personas and customer
journeys
4. Facilitate the development
of content creation and
publishing guidelines
5. Identify roles, content
lifecycles, workflow,
governance models
6. Create a framework for
content promotion
7. Plan for sustainability

24. • Which side do I drive on?
• How fast can I go?
• How fast can I go really?
• When would I get a penalty? What is the penalty?
• What indicators exist to let me know?

25. Your turn!

31. Governance
is a system
for sustainability

32. End goals
For content creators
• Everyone understands how
things work
• Everyone knows their role
• Everyone sees the impact of
their work, and its larger context
For the organization
• The organization achieves its
goals
• Users achieve their goals

34. https://www.flickr.com/photos/crschmidt/2955871565
Roles
Making sure the right
people are doing the
right work

35. • Who does digital work now?
• Do they know they do it?
• Is it part of their job description, or something they are
expected to do in their “spare time”?
• Do they know how to do it?
• Do they get support for doing digital work from their
management?

36. Responsibility matrix
R Responsible The person who is assigned to do the work
A Accountable The person who makes the final decision and is ultimately
responsible for ensuring that the work gets done
C Consulted Someone who must be consulted before a decision is made or
action taken
I Informed Someone who must be informed that a decision will be (or has
been) made or an action taken

38. Process

39. Process
• Figure out the rules
• Make the rules explicit and visible
• Teach people, remind regularly
• Enforce (carrot/stick)
• Evolve

40. http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/four_models_
for_organizing_digital_work_part_two

41. Where most organizations start

42. What often seems logical

43. What some organizations are trying

44. Where most organizations land

45. Processes/tools
•Editorial calendar
•Workflow
•CMS that can surface related content
•Managed by people with the right skills, enough
time, and official permission

46. http://www.contentstrategyinc.com/understanding-content-maturity-model/

47. Thank you!
Hilary Marsh
Chief Strategist & President
Content Company, Inc.
http://www.contentcompany.biz
hilary@contentcompany.biz
@hilarymarsh