This document discusses content strategy and information architecture as key components of customer success. It provides an overview of each topic and how they work together to support effective content delivery from subject matter experts to end users. Content strategy defines business needs and user requirements to guide content systems and experiences. Information architecture establishes structured content, metadata, and taxonomy to enable delivery. The document outlines a process for content strategists and information architects to collaborate on assessing current state, envisioning future state, analyzing requirements, designing solutions, and implementing improvements.

1. 1
CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
CONTENT
STRATEGY
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE+ =

2. 22
CHRIS HIBBARD
VP Content Strategy
AMBER SWOPE
President

3. 33
CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
CONTENT
STRATEGY
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE+ =

4. Words matter

5. Customer Success

6. 6
Long
production
release times
Manual
processes
Multiple CMS
systems
Multiple
disconnected
delivery systems
Hundreds of
instances of
redundant
content
2 million
legacy
content units
CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
Challenges
SAMPLE CLIENT

7. 7
Efficient
production
release times
Automated
processes
One, central
CMS system
Integrated delivery
systems
Single instance
per language of
each content unit
Redesigned
essential
content
CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
SAMPLE CLIENT
Goals

8. 8
Content
SMEs,
Governance
Management
& Workflows
Approved
Content
Content Repository
“Single Source of Truth”
Content
Consumers
Web Content
Experiences
Publishing
& Delivery
Analytics &
Feedback
CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
Content Ecosystem

9. Customer Success
When people, processes, and technologies all work together to
support the flow of content from subject matter experts all the
way to the end users who need it to take action.

10. Content Strategy

11. 11
CONTEXT
SUSTAINMENT
CONTENT
CONTENT
STRATEGY
WHAT & WHY?
Business Value
Categories & Topics
ContentTypes
Quality Metrics
WHO, WHEN,
WHERE?
Users & Scenarios
Targeting & Globalization
User Access Points
Digital Experiences
HOW?
Governance
Content Lifecycle
Content Systems
Roles & Responsibilities
CONTENT
STRATEGY
Methodology

12. 12
IMPLEMENTATION CONTENT
STRATEGY
Project time horizon, focus on
improvements to realize business goals
and measures.
Two Kinds
of Content
Strategy
ENTERPRISE CONTENT STRATEGY
Longer time horizon, focus on
organizational transformation goals
and measures.
CONTENT
STRATEGY

13. Content Strategy
Defines how content will meet your business needs and
satisfy end users, guides your investments in content
systems and publishing capabilities, and informs
transformation plans and performance metrics.

14. Information
Architecture

15. Information
Architecture
Foundations of modular, structured content,
combined with metadata and taxonomy, to
power effective delivery of information and
knowledge to end users.

16. 1616
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
CONTENT TYPES
& STRUCTURE
DELIVERABLE
TYPES &
STRUCTURE
+ =+
METADATA
VALUES &
APPLICATION
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE

17. 17
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
CONTENT TYPES
DELIVERY TYPES
METADATA
TAXONOMY
PUBLISHING
Scope of
Information
Architecture

18. 1818
CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
CONTENT
STRATEGY
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE+ =

19. 1919
+ =
SUCCESSFUL
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT

20. 20
Content Strategy + IA Process
Define Success
Assess Current
State
Envision
Future State
Analyze Future
State Content
Requirements
Develop Initial
Design
Validate
Design
Deploy Initial
Implementation
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

21. 21
Define
Success
S T E P O N E CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

22. 22
Define Success
S T E P O N E
Scope & Priorities Assessment
Business Opportunity Presentation
Content Strategy Action Plan
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

23. 23
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
S T E P T W O
Assess
Current
Status

24. 24
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
AssessCurrent Status
Preliminary Audit
Quality & Design Review
Content Performance Evaluation
Cost Savings Assessment
Content Strategy Roadmap
S T E P T W O

25. 25
Envision
Future
State
S T E P T H R E E
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

26. 26
Envision Future State
S T E P T H R E E
Content Matrix
User Context Map
Sustainment Plan
Interaction Model
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

27. 27
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
Envision Future State
S T E P T H R E E
Prioritized Content Deliverable File
List
DeliverableType Requirements
Documentation
CUSTOMER

28. 28
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
Analyze Future
State Content
Requirements
S T E P F O U R

29. 29
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
Analyze Future StateContent
Requirements
S T E P F O U R
Content Gap Analysis
Context Delivery Model
User Research Plan
User Interviews Schedule
Sustainment Analysis

30. 30
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
Analyze Future State
Content Requirements
S T E P F O U R
Deliverable IA Structure Diagrams
Content: Deliverable Matrix (same deliverable type)
Content: Deliverable Matrix (different deliverable types)
Deliverable Analysis Summary
Questions

31. 31
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
Develop
Initial
Design
S T E P F I V E

32. 32
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
Develop Initial Design
Content type requirements
Content type structure diagrams
Content type relationship diagrams
Metadata/taxonomy proposal
Prototype XML files
Proposed content model
Generated sample output (from OOTB
transform)
S T E P F I V E

33. 33
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
Develop Initial Design
S T E P F I V E
Develop Initial Design
S T E P F I V E
Content Delivery & Interaction Requirements
Facilitated Stakeholder Alignment Meetings
UserTesting Results Analysis

34. 34
Validate
Design +
Plan Work
S T E P S I X
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

35. 35
Topic Metadata
Content Type
Glossary
Overview
Process
Task
Identifiers
Internal Unique ID
User-visible ID
Audience
Internal
External
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
Validate Design +
PlanWork
Updated Design (based on feedback)
Refined Metadata Proposal
Reuse Documentation
S T E P S I X

36. 36
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
Validate Design +
PlanWork
ImplementationTeam Handoffs
Transformation Work Plan
Staffing Proposal
S T E P S I X

37. 3737
Implement +
Iterate
S T E P S E V E N
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

38. 38
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
Implement + Iterate
Formalized Content Model
Formalized IA Documentation
Formalized Metadata Implementation
Final XML File Samples
AuthoringTemplates for XML Editor
Validation Rules
Element-2-Element Migration Rules
Spreadsheet
S T E P S E V E N

39. 39
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
Implement + Iterate
Content Transformation &
Migration Activities
Content Quality Reviews
ProjectTracking Reports
S T E P S E V E N

40. 4040
SUCCESSFUL
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
+ =

41. 41
How Content Strategy benefits from a proper
Information Architecture design:
How Information Architecture design
benefits from a proper Content Strategy:
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
CONTENT
STRATEGY
Information architecture….
• provides reusable content components
• creates opportunities to solve business needs in new
and better ways
• enables contextual content delivery, at scale
Content strategy….
• defines context of content producers and consumers
• anchors IA decision-making in the real world
• provides guiding principles for structured content
Content Strategy +
InformationArchitecture

42. 42
Action Items
Information
Architecture
Find the people who
perform this role in
your organization
Collaborate with them
to determine how
IA can best support
the organization’s
content strategy
Find out how metadata
is being managed
and leveraged
Content
Strategy
Define content strategy
at two levels –
enterprise & project levels
Lean into all parts of the
content ecosystem…
and collaborate
Promote the
importance of content
authoring experience
and tool set
INFORMATION
ARCHITECT
CUSTOMER
CONTENT
STRATEGIST

43. 4343
Q & A

44. 44
Chris leads the Content Strategy consulting practice at Tahzoo. He is an
interdisciplinary practitioner and serves as a client partner and trusted
advisor by providing thought leadership, solution vision, and business
rationale for enterprise digital strategies and solutions. As a team
leader, his recent work includes personalized employee knowledge
portals, student engagement apps, global brand micro-sites, and
streaming retail promotions serving mobile apps and in-store displays.
Chris lives in Seattle and is an avid golfer.
CHRIS HIBBARD
Amber Swope is an internationally recognized information architect and
expert on the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA). She
specializes in helping teams develop their information architecture and
implement DITA. With more than 20 years of experience in the
information development field and 15 years of DITA expertise, Amber
helps teams design and optimize their environments to improve efficiency
and reduce costs. When she’s not busy helping to change the world with
XML, she can be found playing soccer and enjoying Portland.
AMBER SWOPE
Thank
You!

45. 4545
CONTENT STRATEGY + I NFORMATION ARCHITECTURE =
Customer
Success
© Tahzoo LLC and DITA Strategies, Inc.