By drafting a comprehensive workflow, including roles from idea generation to final publication, you can clarify the responsibilities and streamline the process. By defining roles and responsibilities and seeking necessary approvals, you can ensure efficient content development without unnecessary delays.
In the very beginning, It is important to decide how the workload is divided among your team members, who’s in charge of the different tasks, and how these tasks chain together throughout the editorial workflow (from the idea to the final publication). It’s good to draft a comprehensive editorial workflow, including the different roles from the editorial proposal to final proof and publication.
Start by Answering These Questions to Draft the Workflow:
- Who proposes ideas and topics for website content?
- Who approves?
- Who researches and writes the website content?
- Who edits?
- What topics or types of content require editorial review, and who provides that review?
- How long is the review and approval process supposed to take
- Who is in charge of final proofreading?
- Who can upload content onto the website and social media?
- How is translation managed?
- Who updates the social media content calendar?
- Who’s in charge of drafting posts (text and creative content)?
- Who can manage advertising tools and plan campaigns?
The following table outlines a sample editorial workflow. Country teams should define the focal points and responsibilities of the content teams.
| Steps | Responsibilities | Focal point |
| Topic Research | Identify current topics from different sources, like discussing with audience, social media messages & engagement, questions from Zendesk, etc. | Social Media moderators, Editorial Officers, Service Mapping Officers |
| Drafting Content | Draft initial copy for the article; incorporates feedback and edits | Editorial Officer |
| Copy Editing | Reviews first draft for tone, clarity & adherence to editorial approach; proofreads second draft | Editorial Manager/Senior Editorial Officer |
| Review/Editing | Facts checks, technical aspect checks, reviews, edit | TA, Humanitarian Content & Social Media Advisor, field expert, depending on the topic |
| Final Validation | Proofreads final copy & ensure workflow has been respected | Senior Protection Manager or defined by country teams |
Content Approval
You might be asked to get your content approved by higher management (e.g., the country director/deputy country director), which may delay the process considering their hectic schedule. That said, it's important to deliver the right information at the right time, so it is recommended to discuss this with your higher management and set a list of content for only you need their approval.
Here are some potentially sensitive contents, but the list is not exhaustive. You should define the list based on your own context:
- Financial information (either support from your organization or you are referring to any organization).
- Politically sensitive information
- Content related to human trafficking, forced labor, or exploitation
- Sensitive government decisions (e.g., camp closure)
- Information related to the army, police, and other defense force
| IMPORTANT: Not having an editorial workflow will create ambiguity and the responsibilities of different staff, and may delay the content development process. As we produce content frequently, we recommend avoiding any bureaucratic complexity that delays the content development process. |