Speed up content approval with defined workflows, roles and permissions

There’s a lot of pressure on organisations to create and publish high quality, accessible and usable content. Often they are publishing across multiple channels, with various content formats. Add to this a lot of people involved in the process, multiple tools and other tasks and priorities and it can make for a stressful situation where the quality and impact of content is affected.

• The challenges of a slow or undefined content approval process
• Benefits of defined workflows with clear roles and permissions for approval
• Setting up effective workflows in Contensis
• Tips for optimising workflows for even greater efficiency

A streamlined content process is essential for maintaining momentum and ensuring that high-quality content reaches its audience promptly. An important part of that process is the approval of content. Read our article for insights, practical advice and examples about how your content workflow can help increase efficiency.

This article explores how clearly defined workflows, roles, and permissions can accelerate approvals, providing teams with confidence and clarity without compromising on content standards. By assigning responsibilities and automating steps, organisations can reduce bottlenecks and boost collaboration.

We’ll also look a little bit at how the Contensis CMS is designed to support these capabilities, helping teams work more efficiently.

An undefined or inefficient content approval process can cause significant delays and frustration. Lots of people may be involved in content but if they aren’t clear on what their role and responsibilities are within that process, then it can cause a lot of confusion and delays. Nobody likes to feel like they don't know what they're doing or what their contribution is. Defining roles and related remits is essential for any sort of process or workflow to be efficient.

Without a structured approach to content production and delivery, teams encounter these common issues:

• Delays in feedback: Waiting too long for input from stakeholders slows the process.
• Unclear responsibilities: No one knows who is accountable for approvals, causing confusion.
• Bottlenecks with multiple approvers: Too many people involved in decisions lead to contradictory feedback, conflicting priorities and prolonged discussions.
• Overlapping ownership: Either no one takes ownership, or too many do, leading to a lack of focus.
• Ineffective communication: Feedback and approval statuses are scattered across emails or chats, making tracking progress difficult.
• Version control chaos: Teams struggle to identify the latest draft, resulting in redundant edits and errors and leaving teams unsure which draft is final.

Consider a content team working on a major campaign. Each piece of content must go through several rounds of approval, with feedback arriving late or conflicting with earlier suggestions. Multiple stakeholders weigh in, creating confusion over priorities and diluting the message. Weeks pass as the team struggles to address all feedback, slowing publication and negatively impacting the quality of the final product.

There can be variations to this scenario, but ultimately, any content project can involve a large number of people, which has the potential to cause a lot of challenges. These only compound the longer the delay goes on, and the situation is made worse if the team is working to a fixed deadline and pressure builds as that deadline gets nearer.

Defined, role-based workflows provide a clear solution:

• Assign specific responsibilities to individuals or teams.
• Limit the number of approvers to essential stakeholders.
• Centralise feedback and approvals in one system to improve transparency and communication.
• Implement clear version control to eliminate confusion over drafts.

A streamlined, role-based workflow can transform chaotic processes. A centralised system helps teams deliver high-quality content on time.

Implementing defined workflows with clear roles and permissions can improve and speed up the content approval process.

A structured workflow provides a clear roadmap for content approvals. By setting defined steps and deadlines, it reduces ambiguity and ensures tasks are completed promptly. Instead of chasing feedback from multiple stakeholders, the process flows seamlessly, ensuring that content moves forward without unnecessary delays.

When roles such as creator, editor, and approver are clearly assigned, it eliminates redundant reviews and confusion over who is responsible for each stage. For instance, a CMS that designates a single approver for each piece of content reduces back-and-forth and streamlines decision-making. Each team member understands their part, resulting in a smoother, more efficient process.

Permissions are a critical element of maintaining accountability within a team. By restricting editing rights, unauthorised changes can be prevented, safeguarding the integrity of the content. For example, a CMS can ensure only assigned editors make revisions, while the approver’s role is limited to final sign-off. This not only protects the quality of the content but also creates a clear record of who made changes and when.

With a platform like Contensis CMS, teams can leverage these features to improve efficiency, maintain clarity, and deliver content confidently.

A well-designed workflow in a CMS like Contensis can streamline content approvals, improving efficiency and giving you confidence in the quality of the content.

Workflows, roles and permissions are applied on a content type basis. So a news article content type might use the basic workflow but only users in the Communications Manager role have the create and publish permissions for a news article entry.

Here’s how to set up effective workflows using the built-in tools and features of Contensis.

Contensis offers two out-of-the-box workflows:

1. Basic workflow: Content can be published or unpublished without an approval stage, with content existing in one of three states—Draft, Published, or Unpublished. This is ideal for teams that need a straightforward process without review bottlenecks.

2. Approval workflow: This adds an approval stage, ensuring content moves through the following states: Draft > Awaiting approval > Published. This workflow is better suited to teams with more complex needs or regulatory requirements.

For teams with unique processes, custom workflows can be created in Contensis. While there isn’t a visual editor, workflows can be customised using JSON, and the Contensis Professional Services team often assists with these setups. To avoid delays, set milestones for each phase like drafting, reviewing, and approving, to create a transparent, trackable system.

Roles and permissions in Contensis should align with your team’s structure and skillsets. For example, with a custom workflow:

• Editor: Can draft and edit content but cannot publish.
• Reviewer: Has the authority to review and approve content but not publish.
• Publisher: Holds publishing rights and ensures the final product meets organisational standards.

By clearly defining these roles, teams can reduce confusion, avoid overlapping responsibilities, and maintain accountability. For instance, if an editor’s permissions only allow content creation, the final approval rests solely with the designated approver or publisher.

To keep workflows moving efficiently, Contensis enables automated notifications. These notifications can be configured to alert team members about pending tasks, ensuring deadlines are met.

Additionally, webhooks allow notifications to integrate with tools like Slack and Teams, providing flexibility beyond email. For example, a webhook can notify a reviewer via Teams when a piece of content is awaiting approval.

By combining these features—structured workflows, clear roles, and automated reminders—teams can streamline their content approval processes and reduce bottlenecks, delivering high-quality content with confidence.

Even with a structured workflow, there are always opportunities to refine and improve processes. Here are some practical tips to optimise your content workflows for maximum efficiency, and how Contensis can help:

Deadlines are crucial for ensuring that each phase of the workflow progresses on schedule. In Contensis, you can streamline notifications for approval tasks by specifying roles or individuals linked to a particular content type.

For example, if you’re submitting a maths course entry for approval, you can configure notifications to alert only members of the ‘Maths course approvers’ role. This targeted approach avoids unnecessary delays and ensures the right people are promptly informed. Setting clear deadlines for each approval stage also helps prevent content from stalling at any point in the process.

As teams evolve, workflows should adapt to reflect organisational changes. Regularly reviewing and updating roles, permissions, and workflows ensures they continue to meet your team’s needs. For example:

• If your team expands, you may need to introduce new roles or adjust existing ones to balance workloads.
• As priorities shift, permissions may need refining to maintain efficiency and accountability.

By routinely assessing workflows and permissions, you can identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies and make proactive improvements.

These effective strategies can ensure your workflows remain agile and efficient, allowing your team to focus on delivering high-quality content.

Streamlining the content approval process is essential for teams aiming to deliver high-quality work efficiently. By implementing defined workflows, assigning clear roles, and setting appropriate permissions, you can reduce bottlenecks, eliminate confusion, and speed up approvals—all without compromising content standards.

A CMS like Contensis can help in this process, offering the functionality to design structured workflows, assign tailored roles, and automate notifications. These features ensure that teams work cohesively and maintain accountability while meeting deadlines. Request a demo of Contensis.