Building a Business Case for Content Strategy Initiatives
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Building a Business Case for Content Initiatives by @JackMolisani
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Do you think it’s obvious that investing in content strategy/content management now will save your company money in the long run? Are you frustrated when Management doesn’t instantly agree? Building a business case for resources can be challenging, especially if you have few (if any) credible metrics to quote. This session covers sources of metrics and ROI for building a business case for content strategy initiatives.
Transcript of Building a Business Case for Content Strategy Initiatives
Building a Business Case for Content Initiatives
by @JackMolisani
PresidentProSpring Technical Staffing
Executive DirectorThe LavaCon Conference
AuthorBe the Captain of Your Career
Two Parts:
Organizational Positioning
Building a Business Case
Organizational Positioning
I searched the Internet for Product Development Lifecycle diagrams that included content development.
I couldn’t find any that included “content” development but I did find some that included “documentation,” so let’s start with those.
What’s wrong with this diagram?
http://www.meierit.com.au/approach/process
It shows documentation at the end of the product development lifecycle
Better, but—
http://riskianawulan.net/2011/09/system‐development‐life‐cycle/
Content development is stillseparate from product development
Plus Documentation is on the outside looking in
http://www.pddnet.com/articles/2009/05/project‐plan‐bible
And this one, what’s right?
Technical Publications is part of the Product Team—Yay!
What’s wrong with this diagram?
Development Strategy
Design
Information Architecture
Design
Develop
Develop
Test…
Content Strategy
Test…
Content Plan
Product Plan
3
4
1
2
5
4
5
1
2
6
6
3
System Architecture
Content development is stillseparate from product development
Development Strategy
Design
Information Architecture
Design
Develop
Develop
Test…
Content Strategy
Test…
Content Plan
Product Plan
3
4
1
2
5
4
5
1
2
6
6
3
System Architecture
34
12
5
45
12
6
6
3
That’s how content development looks today.
How should it look?
CONTENT!
ReqmntsDef’n
Design
Sales
Test
Build
Usability Test
P’type
Deploy
Support
Product Mgmt
• Total User Experience• Total Info Experience• User Interface Design• Embedded Content
‐ Field Names‐ Embedded UA‐ Error Messages
• External Content‐ Online Help ‐ User Manuals ‐ Training Materials‐ Support Site
• Developer Docs• Content Management• Translation Management• Controlled Language and
Vocabulary Management• More
DESIGN
CONTENT!
ReqmntsDef’n
Design
Sales
Test
Build
Usability Test
P’type
Deploy
Support
Product Mgmt
So if we can’t have a content‐centric development process, at least we can influence the product development process,every step of the way
Dev Strategy
Design
Develop
Test…
Product Plan
System Architecture
Information Architecture
Design
Develop
Test…
Content Strategy
Content Plan
Especially if you are an embedded member of a Agile team, working side‐by‐side with the developers
http://tinyurl.com/k5znhlq
So how do you build a business case for content projects?
Business Basics
Companies exist to make
PROFITSfor the owners/shareholders
To make PROFIT, companies must make more
MONEYthan they
SPEND
Thus
MANAGEMENTfocuses on
generating REVENUEreducing COSTS
So how does this apply to
CONTENTprojects?
You have to show how your
EXPENDITUREwill
INCREASE REVENUEor
DECREASE COSTS
EXAMPLES
STRUCTURED AUTHORINGImplementation
“Reducing the amount of time spent on formatting should translate into an increase in production, of course, but the 200% increase in our output surpassed all of our expectations.”
Keith Schengili‐Roberts,Documentation & Localization Manager
AMD
http://www.ixiasoft.com/casestudy/case_study_AMD.pdf
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
“Live‐agent customer service interactions costs between
$25 (for consumer electronics) and $150 (for complex B2B software).”
Jeffrey TarterExecutive Director
Association of Support Professionals
http://www.asponline.com
CMS+SOCIALImplementation
400% growth in user self help51% reduction in costs per ticket/case50% reduction in documentation costs47% reduction in mean time to resolution37% deflection rates in support cases
Corey GanserCustomer Experience Manager
MindTouch
http://mndt.ch/2brief
CONTENT MANAGEMENTImplementation
“GMAC used the Microsoft CM Server to support two key initiatives: transferring the content publishing function to content authors and freeing up formerly burdened IT resources to support more dynamic and personalized customer‐facing Web portals. ROI: 87% Payback: 1.2 years”
Nucleus Research, Inc.ROI ANALYSIS YOU CAN TRUST ™
http://nucleusresearch.com/library/microsoft‐roi/d96.pdf
More
COST AVOIDANCEStories
“GMAC used the Microsoft CM Server to support two key initiatives: transferring the content publishing function to content authors and freeing up formerly burdened IT resources to support more dynamic and personalized customer‐facing Web portals. ROI: 87% Payback: 1.2 years”
More
COST AVOIDANCEStories
TARGETAccessibility Story
HOME DEPOTSnow Blower Story
One survey estimated that the annual cost of searching for information and creating, recreating, and publishing
information is over $30,000 per worker per year.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090506005284/en/Hidden‐Costs‐Information‐Work‐Enterprise‐Exposed‐IDC#.U3T4GCiowyo
LOST REVENUE
While you should
ABSOLUTELYchase cost reduction, lost potential revenue
DWARFSsimple cost savings
LOST REVENUE
Air
CARGOStory
INCREASING REVENUE
INVITROGENCost‐of‐Sale Story
HTCAutomated Marketing Story
So where can you get NUMBERS
for your BUSINESS CASE?
FINDonline, from vendors, etc.
PROTOTYPErecord in a historical database
What PROBLEM are you solving?
State the problem you are solving, the cost of the solution, and the ROI.
State why it’s a problem for the company, not why it’s a problem for you.
Give options, including the cost and risk of doing nothing.
RECAP
Position your department as a integral part of the product development team
Show how your expenditure will increase revenue/decrease costs
Find numbers to support your case
State why it’s a problem for the company, the cost (offer options), and the ROI
Do you have an example of how you fiscally helped your company? Let me know!
[email protected]@JackMolisani
