Information governance and content management have become two of the more critical aspects of business ownership and leadership in recent years, as companies are becoming increasingly fueled by the data they generate, store and analyze as time goes on. Although information has long been held as the lifeblood of any organization, there is no denying that a wider variety of industries are starting to see more of their competitive advantages come directly from data.

Content management must be a concise, consistent and efficient undertaking for all involved, while certain types of automation tools can help companies reach and sustain optimal levels of governance in these regards. The trick is to first develop a sound strategy to guide all provisioning, planning and execution within the content management life cycle, then align each investment and policy with specific objectives in a comprehensive and cohesive fashion. 

Now, it is worth noting that the strategies once most prolific in content management are simply not going to be relevant today, nor in the near future, as the rules of engagement continue to evolve rapidly amid the explosion of data diversity and volume. At the end of the day, it will be up to decision-makers to ensure that they are setting their organizations up for success, and this begins with modernizing the frameworks and policies in place to be relevant to current and future demands. 

With enough foresight, flexibility and planning, optimal content management can be achieved, leading the firm to greener pastures with respect to the ebb and flow of data generation, collection, analysis and digestion. The following list includes five considerations that leaders will want to keep in mind when trying to modernize their content management strategies and maintain relevance in this regard over time. 

1. Throw out the old
Again, information governance and virtually every management requirement that comes along with data-related tasks have changed significantly in a relatively short period of time. If the firm has not updated its policies in more than a year, chances are the old plan needs to be completely overhauled to deal with the expanding diversity of endpoints, resources and user preferences, and leaders will want to focus on the IT side of matters. 

From various communication and collaboration tools to reporting analytics and data storage, policies must adequately reflect both the objectives of the firm and the paths by which it intends to reach those goals. 

2. Identifying vulnerabilities, shortfalls
Another major consideration in the conversation of content management modernization is the evaluation of which components within the strategy are performing best, and which are not holding their weight. This is a useful activity for firms in a wide range of positions with respect to their prowess in the information governance arena, and can benefit security, efficiency and productivity when diligence is sustained throughout the project. 

Look for areas in which the content management plan went wrong, where old technologies might be holding the firm back from optimal functionality and how users are interacting with the strategies themselves. 

3. Leverage new technologies
Automation solutions can drive not only productivity and efficiency in content management, but, perhaps more importantly, these technologies can significantly improve accuracy and employee engagement. For one, when the more monotonous and arduous tasks are either completely taken care of or partially supported by automation tools, employees will be able to focus on more strategic matters, leading to increased staff engagement and all the benefits this sentiment yields. 

On the other hand, automating these arduous tasks – many of which are the root cause of errors and inefficiencies in reporting – will bolster accuracy and strengthen the firm's responsiveness to client, regulatory and employee demands. 

4. Nothing is ever perfect
This is not to say that trying to reach and sustain optimal content management performance is an impossible or fruitless battle, but rather that companies must not be lulled into a false sense of accomplishment when the policy is functioning at the highest levels. Again, the speed with which content management best practices, relevant technology and user preferences are evolving continues to accelerate, meaning that policies must be agile. 

Once a strong foundation has been built by way of a strategy, ensure that there are plans in place to continuously monitor, evaluate and refine the various components for optimal success over time. 

5. User-enabling processes
Perhaps the most effective way to use automation software in the content management arena is to support users through their daily routines and responsibilities. As such, any policies – or points contained therein – that do not keep the user in mind are generally going to be sub-optimal, and should be avoided at all costs. Get user buy-in and employee involvement in the planning stages, and watch how quickly investments begin to show strong returns. 

By focusing on meeting the demands of employees who are involved in the content management strategy, agility, engagement and productivity can be maximized.