In 1999, I worked on my first big project plan on a million dollar project for a marquee client. The plan included the smallest details for a new website, infrastructure, support, and monitoring. It was the perfect project plan, as much as any plan can be at the start of project...or so it seemed.

During a routine project meeting, someone asked about the plan for the content. By that point in the project the, IA (information architecture) was complete, design was done, and development was well underway. Called “content development” at the time, not even the contract referenced a content plan, which meant any time put toward content was immediately out of scope.

Example of a really bad project plan for content
Figure 1: Example of a really bad project plan without time for content strategy. 

After much discussion, the decision was made to export the existing content and import it—untouched—into the new content management system. The results were just as you would expect: over-budget, delays, client dissatisfaction, and that's just the start. The site eventually launched, but the content clean-up went on for months afterward.

Much has changed to improve planning for content. More knowledge, tools, dos and don’ts are available to us than ever before. Yet for some, it’s still 1999 when it comes to effectively planning for content at the project management level.

It starts with how a company values content strategy as a whole, and how a project plan is put together.

What does Your project plan say about Your value of content?

It says a lot.

A good indicator of how a company values content is to look inside the project plans they create and execute.

When Does Content Strategy Begin?

If content strategy begins toward the end of a project, say, after design is complete, the value of content strategy within that organization is low. This is a project destined for disaster because smart companies have figured out that content planning starts on Day 1, if not Day 0.

If content strategy is a single task squeezed between other tasks then the value of content strategy is extremely low. This can indicate that a company doesn’t understand the importance of content or that content strategy is an afterthought. The road ahead is long and complicated for these companies, not to mention expensive.

If content strategy is a series of tasks fully integrated with UX, design, SEO, and technology then the value is extremely high. A project plan is most successful when the project manager views content as a critical strand of DNA and not just an arm or a leg. This indicates a mature organization with a good understanding of the role content plays within a project.

How Often Is a Content Strategist Engaged?

A company’s value of content can also be determined by how often a content strategist (or team of content experts) is engaged during the project lifecycle.

Content strategists are often durational resources, which means their work is rarely isolated to a set of deliverables and then they are gone, on to the next project. Content needs to be monitored during a project as it rolls from one discipline to another. A more effective method is to plan for content strategy oversight throughout the project with routine check-ins built into the schedule. This little trick ensures budget and resources are allocated to address the many unknowns surrounding content that can plague a project.

Project plans and, therefore, project managers that plan for content early and often say a lot about your organization's priorities. Integrating content strategy into the DNA of a project is something I wish I had known back in 1999 with that first, big project plan that seemed "perfect" in every way.  Don't suffer the way I suffered. Make content part of your project DNA.