Mainstream content publishing process
Updated 13 June 2017
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These steps describe what happens when a government department or agency sends GDS a request to change content on GOV.UK. The steps show the process when everything goes smoothly.
1. The need for a change is identified
Department/agency: Someone makes an internal request for a change to mainstream content.
Department/agency: The request is prioritised against other outstanding content requests.
GDS: Respond to requests for advice, if any.
2. The request gets drafted
Department/agency: A formal content change request is drafted for GDS by the department’s content designer.
GDS: Respond to requests for advice, if any.
Department/agency: The content request form is filled in and sent.
GDS: The content request arrives as a ticket. An automated receipt is sent back.
3. Triage
Department/agency: Answers GDS’s questions about the content request, if any.
GDS: The ticket is triaged by a member of the GDS content team on the content requests rota.
4. GDS second line support
4.1 Quick fixes (quicker than 20 minutes)
Department/agency: Answers GDS’s questions, if any.
GDS: Request assessed and resolved by the second line content support team.
GDS: Content is sent to internal review.
4.2 Complex requests (things that take more than 20 minutes)
GDS: The ticket is moved to third line support, and a task is created in the relevant content team’s triage board to be prioritised.
5. GDS third line support
GDS: The content team leads look out for incoming content requests, and prioritise them.
Department/agency: The department’s content lead helps the GDS team lead to prioritise tickets, when needed.
GDS: The team lead moves the content request from their triage board to their work in progress board when it is the next most important thing to work on.
GDS: A GDS content designer starts work on the content request.
GDS: The content request is discussed with another GDS content designer and new content is drafted.
Department/agency: Answers GDS’s questions, if any.
6. Internal review
GDS: The draft is reviewed internally by an experienced content designer who hasn’t been involved in the work.
7. Fact check review (optional)
7.1 When facts need to be checked
GDS: The new and reviewed content is sent to the department to check for factual accuracy.
Department/agency: The publisher sends the new content to their subject matter experts.
Department/agency: The feedback from the subject matter experts is collated and sent back to GDS.
GDS: The fact check feedback is reviewed by the team lead.
When factual changes are necessary
GDS: The factual amendments are incorporated into the new content.
GDS: The updated content is sent to be reviewed internally.
If no factual changes are necessary
GDS: The content is sent for publishing.
8. Publish
GDS: The new content is published on GOV.UK.
GDS: The original content request ticket is marked ‘resolved’.
Department/agency: The department’s content designer tells the subject matter expert the content has been published.