Governance in Intelligent Content Projects

Running a Herd of Elephants

© 2014 Intentional Design Inc.www.intentionaldesign.ca

Rahel Anne Bailie@rahelab

What is governance?

• Relates to processes and decisions that seek to define actions, grant power, and verify performance.

• All processes of governing, whether undertaken by a government, market, or network, whether over a family, tribe, formal or informal organization, or territory, and whether through laws, norms, power, or language.

Wikipedia - Governance

The need for governance

• The need for governance exists anytime a group of people come together to accomplish an end. Though the governance literature proposes several definitions, most rest on three dimensions: authority; decision-making, and accountability.

Institute on Governance

Governance in a digital environment

• Web Governance refers to the way people make decisions about the organizational Web presence. It determines who gets to sit around the table when those decisions are made and who has final decision making authority when consensus cannot be had through discussion. Web Governance also includes writing Web-specific polices that will reduce risk to the organization, and forming appropriate teams to write the Web standards that will raise the quality of the organizational Web presence.

Lisa Welchman

Governance in an intelligent content project

• Lots of moving parts• Affects many departments• Need buy-in from multiple teams• Need teams to work together for end-to-end

processing of content• Is needed to get systems working together• Needed to establish ownership and responsibility• Need to enforce the work that comes with responsibility

Resistance to governance

• Entrenchment• Death by silos• Benign neglect• Willing but unable• Misunderstood goalposts

Entrenchment

• Power struggles between teams• Gatekeepers• Expediency over efficacy• Lack of business acumen

MITIGATION• Executive management-level sponsorship• Cross-functional steering group with authority

Death by silo

• Small projects discovered within in each silo• Each department trying to solve problems in isolation• Objectives and solutions don’t mesh• Weak links within the chain• Project profile compromised

MITIGATION• Business analysis mapping end-to-end processes• Demonstration of future state

Benign neglect

• Passive-aggressive form of sabotage• Leaving project at business unit or department level• No group to take oversight• Lack of expertise, bought or borrowed• Fear

MITIGATION• Ongoing support through change management• Cross-functional steering group with authority

Willing but unable

• Project inertia• Fragmented discussions• Discussions happening at other tables

MITIGATION• Executive commitment – governance and budget• Strong project management and project plan

Running at the wrong goalpost

• Lack of understanding of (often) technical aspects• Putting authority into inappropriate hands• Consolidating responsibility in odd ways• No formalisation of workflow or escalation paths

MITIGATION• Executive commitment – governance and budget• Cross-functional steering group with authority• Performance management and change management support

Questions? Comments?

© 2014 Intentional Design Inc.www.intentionaldesign.ca

Rahel Anne Bailie@rahelab

Want more content strategy?contentstrategyworkshops.com1-day intensive bootcamps and 2-day practitioner workshopsthecontentstrategybook.com Content Strategy: Connecting the dots between business, brand and benefitsThe Language of Content Strategy Book defining 52 essential terms, deck of practitioner cards, website, and discussion forum