Context
The Project Planning phase translates the insights gathered during Discovery into actionable steps, defining the project’s scope, timeline, roles, and resources to create a roadmap for achieving the desired outcomes. A key challenge in this phase is the need for reliable initial estimates to accurately forecast project costs and timelines. These estimates are essential for setting clear expectations on delivery and aligning stakeholders on achievable goals.
Execution
This roadmap provides a high-level overview of the phases involved in implementing Sitecore Content Hub, designed to align stakeholders and offer clear guidance on timelines, tasks, and goals. Each phase is structured with defined objectives, key milestones, and critical tasks essential for a successful implementation project—from initial discovery through post-launch. By ensuring effective planning, the roadmap minimizes delays, optimizes resource alignment, and fosters smooth project progression. A well-structured plan reduces uncertainty, enhances collaboration, and instils clarity and confidence among all stakeholders.
Phase 1: Kick-off
The first portion of this phase begins with the Customer, Partner and Sitecore Kick-off meeting. This is the formal meeting between customer, partner & Sitecore and takes place once the internal handover has been completed and is considered a key milestone in this phase.
The meeting is used to introduce and validate key stakeholders, discuss customer strategy, and team communication plans, and review high level requirements and expectations for the Content Hub project. During this call it is suggested to validate the project scope, licensing , and confirm provisioning & systems access for all team members.
Before gathering detailed requirements it is important to first determine with the client who are the right people are on the client side who will help define these goals and work with the team to determine requirements.
Customer stakeholders will have a large role in the success of the implementation. Responsibilities of these team members usually include:
- Provide requirements and attend workshop.
- Define domain model and user rights.
- Provide branding guidelines and IT requirements (SSO, security).
- Validate configuration and assist in metadata and asset preparation.
- Execute user acceptance testing and provide final metadata files.
- Manage change and gather feedback from end users.
This will allow you to determine which stakeholders will complete Content Hub training, including Administrator training.
In order to ensure key stakeholders understand what is possible to achieve within Content Hub, it is highly recommended that key stakeholders become familiar with the tool at a high level by taking training. Whomever will own the implementation, as an Administrator, will also need to take the Content Hub Administrator training— and will need to pass the certification test. The earlier in the project this can be completed, the more value will come to the team as having a knowledgeable Administrator included in requirements conversations and testing will make the project move along much more smoothly
Phase 2: Discovery and Initial Set-up
The Discovery phase is a critical component of a successful Sitecore Content Hub implementation. This phase involves defining data requirements through the creation of a domain model, which outlines entities and their relationships within Content Hub. The initial configuration is performed in a non-production environment, incorporating client-provided branding guidelines and sample data to create a custom theme.
A key activity in this phase is the requirements workshop, where stakeholders review the domain model and basic workflows, discuss additional requirements, and prioritize needs. The final output of the Discovery phase includes a formalized requirements document and a project plan, both reviewed and signed off by the team, ensuring a clear roadmap for the implementation.
Phase 3: Custom Configurations
Based on the requirements gathered in the Discovery phase, the team can now begin custom configurations. These configurations can include:
- Security policies and user groups
- Business workflows
- SSO configuration
- Renditions and media matrix configuration
- Content Hub Connector and integrations
- Custom logic
For further details on Custom Configurations, refer to the Content Hub Implementation recipes section.
The implementation team should prepare a deployment plan as part of this phase and execute it to ensure all configurations are aligned within the testing environment, and that the process works. This will be important as during the Data Migration and Quality Assurance phase, it is expected that some configuration changes will be needed as a result of testing and the team will need to have a defined process on how to move changes between environments.
The key deliverable for this phase is the completion of all agreed custom configuration within a lower Content Hub environment. The intention is that the configurations have been tested internally and align with the project goals and defined requirements, the lower environment should be ready for User Acceptance Testing at this point.
Phase 4: Data Migration and Quality Assurance
Data Migration
Data Migration is a joint effort between the implementation team and the client stakeholders. Often access to existing assets and data mapping must occur—to map any existing fields and data to the domain model.
If any adjustments to the domain model have been made since the initial draft, those should be reviewed to confirm that no further major adjustments will be made as changes to the data model at this point have a direct impact on the data migration process.
For more details on the data migration process, refer to the Migration Guide.
Quality Assurance
The Quality Assurance portion of this phase revolves around user acceptance testing (UAT), it is recommended that some data migration has occurred—the purpose is to ensure realistic data exists in the system to support User Acceptance testing. If the data migration process is not yet in a state to populate a small set of data into the testing environment, manual addition of some data samples can suffice.
Client stakeholders, identified earlier in the project are good candidates for assisting with UAT. If additional users, who have not been part of the project to this point, will be brought in for testing some lead time is recommended to give them an overview of Content Hub and the goals of the project.
If is recommended that a test plan be developed which the UAT team can work against. The test plan should cover all of the project requirements including workflows, security and permissions, and integrations.
Issues, inconsistencies, or changes identified during testing should be logged with details on the expected outcome versus the actual outcome. Items should be prioritized and aligned with the client team on which items must be address for go-live and which can be added to a backlog for later consideration
For further details on Quality Assurance, refer to the Testing and Quality Assurance recipe.
The main outcome of the Data Migration and Quality Assurance phase is a Content Hub environment that has been tested and signed-off by the UAT team and client. Depending on the Go-live plan, data migration should either be fully completed in a lower environment or at the very least the process should be validated to ensure migration readiness for Go-live
Phase 5: User Training and Change Management
The objective of this phase is to drive user adoption and ensure that all users are equipped to effectively utilize Sitecore Content Hub in their daily workflows. Key milestones include the completion of role-based training sessions tailored to specific user responsibilities, the delivery of comprehensive user guides and support documentation, and obtaining stakeholder sign-off on user readiness. These steps are critical to empowering users, fostering confidence in the platform, and ensuring a smooth transition to Sitecore Content Hub.
Key tasks in this area include -
Training Program Development: Create role-specific training materials, including documentation and video tutorials for hands-on learning.
Feedback and Adjustments: Incorporate user feedback from training to refine configurations and workflows as needed.
Change Management: Implement change management strategies to encourage adoption, including ongoing support and clear communication.
Phase 6: Launch and Post-Launch Support
The objective is to successfully roll out Sitecore Content Hub across the organization, ensuring a smooth transition supported by continuous monitoring and optimization. Key milestones include the completion of a pilot launch to validate the platform's readiness, the full organizational rollout to all users, and the generation of initial KPI reports to evaluate performance. A post-launch review will follow to identify opportunities for optimization and address any challenges, ensuring the platform continues to align with business objectives and user needs.
Key tasks in this area include -
Pilot Launch: Conduct a pilot launch with a smaller user group to validate functionality and address any remaining issues.
Full Rollout: Deploy Sitecore Content Hub organization-wide, ensuring all users have access to training and resources.
Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Track KPIs and gather initial feedback to gauge the platform’s effectiveness, identifying areas for further improvement.
Insights
After the implementation of Sitecore Content Hub, the focus shifts to ongoing management and optimization. This continuous process ensures that the platform evolves in line with changing business needs while maintaining its value and efficiency over time. By proactively monitoring performance, refining workflows, and staying updated on new features, organizations can maximize the long-term benefits of their Content Hub investment.
A key aspect of ongoing management is tracking and reporting KPIs. Regularly monitoring metrics such as asset usage, metadata completeness, and workflow efficiency provides valuable insights into how well the platform is performing against organizational goals. These insights help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the platform remains aligned with business objectives. Sharing reports with stakeholders keeps everyone informed and aligned, fostering transparency and collaboration.
Another critical task is workflow optimization. As business requirements evolve, workflows may need to be adjusted to remain efficient and user-friendly. Periodic reviews help identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies that could hinder productivity or user satisfaction. By making necessary updates, organizations can ensure that workflows continue to meet the needs of their teams and support overall operational goals.
Lastly, keeping the platform up to date with regular updates and feature enhancements is vital for maintaining competitiveness. Sitecore Content Hub frequently releases new features and updates, and staying informed about these developments allows organizations to assess their relevance and potential impact. Integrating useful features or enhancements not only expands platform capabilities but also ensures the solution remains modern and effective.
Continuous optimization is the key to long-term success and operational excellence with the platform.