Introduction

Over the past couple of weeks in the course we have learned about the discovery process of a content assessment, specifically planning out the project. The focus of this week is starting work on the project. Thanks to our client we have enough information to get going, such as what our client’s goals are for the content and which KPIs they use in determining the success of their content. This project is starting to take form now.

Know What You Got

The lecture provided for module 3 was very informative and described very well where we should start our project. Creating a content inventory for the client provided content is a crucial first step in a content assessment. In order to determine the direction that the content should go, we first have to understand what is there in terms of descriptive, quantitative, and qualitative data characteristics. Understanding this type of data about content provides key insights into how well the content is working to achieve company goals or targets, typically something to do with increased revenue or profits, which in turn identifies opportunities for improvement and redirection as necessary.

KPIs

Based on information in the lecture, my understanding of what a KPI or Key Performance Indicator is, has grown. Having spent about 15 years of my life in the retail industry, I’ve heard KPIs tossed around quite a bit in the offices and even some in our huddle meetings on the store floor and on the weekly conference call. In my current role in manufacturing, I’ve seen KPI in some of the documentation and have overheard parts of a managers’ meeting discussing KPI, though never in detail. I keep seeing and hearing the term in multiple industries and across different lines of business and never fully understood what they are. At some level I knew that it had to do with very important performance data, but I was never exposed to the term nor the idea behind the term enough to develop any sort of real understanding.

The way that I understand it is that KPIs or Key Performance Indicators are metrics that measure whether or not an organization is on track to reach their target goals whether it be increased product market share or more effective content. Knowing this information is highly valuable to an organization as it can connect directly to an organization’s bottom line; if the content isn’t measuring up to established KPIs that align with established goals, a shortfall in revenue or profits could result. Knowing how content is helping an organization achieve its goals or if it’s hampering them, can lead to better business decisions. Because content can have significant impact on the bottom line, all content owned by an organization is a business asset to some degree.

Project Management

During project planning in the discovery phase of our project, we started deciding how our project will flow and which team member is responsible for what. Using Trello(R), my team and I broke down each deliverable into tasks and subtasks to better manage the workload of the project. Just using Trello to create a Kanban Board is a highly marketable skill in industry because it shows that I know how to use project management tools or can learn them.

I definitely intend to keep using Trello to manage other personal and professional projects. If for no other reason than to gain more experience with the functionality of the tool.

Looking Forward

I am really excited about having the opportunity to gain industry level experience in content management and content strategy. I am enjoying learning about content and can see myself in a content management role for an organization. I really think that I found my happy place within technical communication.