Let’s admit it up front. It is unrealistic to expect a large enterprise to centralize all content operations into a single content management system.
I gave up expecting that a long (long) time ago. My goal since then has been to help companies produce content that is as findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable as it can be. To appear as if everyone is working in the same place. I never want content consumers to notice that content was written by different authors at different times in different systems.
The customer’s content experience should be seamless. Whether they find the content or the content finds them first, the content must be usable, relevant, and effective.
Is that too much to ask?
Reality Check: A System of Systems
A global enterprise always uses multiple content management systems. As much as we like to think that everyone could centralize into a single repository and use the same authoring interfaces, a large company is rarely able to implement this level of tooling. At least, I’ve never seen it done.
For your content to be findable, relevant, and usable within and across multiple systems, everyone who creates content needs to follow the same standards. These content standards need to be software-neutral. That means, the content standards are created and maintained based on the requirements of the content, independent of any specific technology.
What Are Content Standards?
Content standards are the agreed-upon rules that dictate how content is organized, structured, and written. They enable an organization to turn their content strategy from a plan for the future into a new way of working. Content standards help you standardize content in all five dimensions: output, component, paragraph, sentence, and word.
Why Are Content Standards Important?
Standards are important because they:
- Eliminate the need for repetitive decision-making
- Enable automation of repetitive or high-risk tasks
- Align content across an enterprise
Cost of Repetitive Decision-making
Calculating the exact cost of repetitive decision-making can be difficult. How long does it take a content creator to decide:
- What content to include
- Where to include it
- What data belongs within what content
- Which criteria drive the inclusion or exclusion of content
- What content to reuse
- From what source to reuse content or data
- What content to create new
- Which terminology to use (and avoid)
- What metadata to apply to content
Content standards anticipate and answer most of these questions, most of the time. This empowers everyone involved in content development to write, edit, review, or approve content without arguing or making the same decisions over and over again.
Repetitive decision-making is much more expensive than the cost of creating standards.
Automation Depends on Standardization
When we follow standards, we enable technology to take over recurring tasks such as assembling content, inserting data and formatting outputs.
Content that deviates from standards may cause these tasks to fail. For example, the system may insert data in the wrong place or apply the wrong formatting to a paragraph.
Software-neutral content standards help teams create consistent content. Consistency enables technology to take tasks that do not require human-level expertise or decision-making intervention.
Content Alignment
It is unrealistic to expect any business to eliminate silos. There’s a limit to just how many people can work in the same unit or collaborate directly on the same content. Content standards provide a way for each silo to ensure alignment even when the people cannot have daily conversations.
When everyone aligns to the standards, then the content aligns. Teams can be certain that all requirements are met, which is particularly important for regulated industries such as life sciences, aviation, and financial services. Customers have a much easier time finding and using information when the terminology, writing style, and organization of content is consistent.
Translations are more accurate and significantly less costly when content is written in adherence to standards.
Strategy Before System
Software-neutral standards provide a framework for structuring and authoring content in a way that is independent of specific software tools or platforms.
Standards play a pivotal role in modernizing content management practices and driving digital transformation within organizations.
By adhering to software-neutral standards, businesses can future-proof their content strategies, enabling compatibility and interoperability across diverse technology ecosystems. This standards-based approach mitigates the risks associated with software dependencies and vendor lock-in. It helps organizations adapt to evolving technological landscapes without compromising the integrity or accessibility of their content.
We have helped companies solve complex content problems since 1994. We can guide you in creating software-neutral content standards for your organization. Our experience will help you fast-track the process and ensure your content standards align with industry and regulatory guidelines. Contact us today and let us know what content challenges you are facing.
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