Choose a deliberate lifecycle action

A review checks reader need and accuracy; a date alone does not prove content is wrong.

Draft

The owner is preparing and verifying material before publication.

Published

Readers can use the current version.

In review

The owner is checking accuracy, links, audience, and continued need. Record the decision and evidence in the approved content record.

Start an earlier review

Start an earlier review when:

  • A linked process changes
  • A reader reports a problem
  • An audience or access assumption changes
  • The page no longer answers its intended task

The content lifecycle

  1. Draft and verify

    Confirm the audience, accountable owner, source information, and any specialist review needed.

  2. Publish and assign

    Publish a useful version and record its owner role, review cadence, and event-based triggers.

  3. Review and decide

    Check accuracy, links, audience, and continued need; select keep, repair, archive, or retire.

  4. Apply and record

    Complete the chosen action and record observable evidence and the next review point when the item remains active.

Choose the review outcome

Record the decision and evidence in the organization’s approved content record.

Details Outcome When to choose it and what to record
Keep Still accurate and needed Record the checks completed, owner role, and next review point.
Repair Useful, with a fixable gap Correct the specific issue; record what changed and how the result was checked.
Archive No longer current, but useful as history Use an approved archive location, label its status, and record where readers should go for current information.
Retire No continuing reader or reference need Unpublish or remove through the local process; check and update incoming links.

Worked example: repair an outdated request route

Finding: Northstar’s fictional “Request a work device” article links to a retired request route. Its audience guidance and explanation of what information to prepare are still useful.

Decision: the IT Knowledge owner asks the relevant service role to verify the current route, updates the single link, and checks that the destination opens for the intended audience. The obsolete route is removed rather than repeated in a second article.

Why repair rather than retire: employees still need the article’s preparation guidance. The owner records the corrected destination, the check performed, and the next review point in the approved record.