“Change is hard. A lot of this work is really just change management. But once you implement a clear process, you create visibility, reduce stress, and show the value of your content team.”—Amy Higgins
In this #ContentChat recap, Erika Heald is joined by Amy Higgins, director of content strategy at Cloudflare, to share how she transformed a chaotic content marketing operation into a high-functioning content engine in just six months. If your team is overwhelmed by ad hoc requests, duplicative work, and unclear processes, this discussion is your blueprint for content operations success.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube or read the highlights below.
Diagnosing Content Operations Dysfunction
Amy and Erika opened the conversation by highlighting the symptoms of dysfunctional content ops: no documented workflows, unclear roles, and disjointed communication. Teams often suffer in silence, overworked and unable to push back because there’s no centralized intake or project management.
“If you can’t say how long it takes to create a piece of content, or worse, you say you can do anything in a few days, you clearly don’t know the actual process.”—Erika Heald
Amy emphasized that the first step in fixing this is to document your content operations. Service-level agreements (SLAs) help establish realistic expectations for the time it takes to create content, especially when resources are limited.
“A lot of times, people don’t understand why something takes so long. If you have documented SLAs and a workflow, you can explain that and manage expectations.”—Amy Higgins
Erasing Bottlenecks with RACI and Project Management
One of the biggest roadblocks for content teams is approvals. Amy recommends using the RACI model—Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed—to clearly define roles and reduce the risk of last-minute derailments.
“Without a RACI, you run into situations where someone wants to become a consultant the day before launch and completely shift your plans.”—Amy Higgins
Another underrated fix? A project manager. Erika and Amy both agreed that a dedicated project manager is vital for any scaled content operation.
“Without a project manager or even a system to track work, it’s impossible to operate efficiently.”—Amy Higgins
“Project managers don’t get the credit they deserve. They’re the glue that holds content teams together.”—Erika Heald
Implementing Tools & Processes to Streamline Work
When Amy joined Cloudflare, content was being requested in emails, chats, and hallway conversations. Once they logged all requests into JIRA, they found the team was 60% over capacity. That insight helped Amy secure buy-in for implementing better processes and a new project management tool.
“People were requesting work through DMs with no context. We had no idea how overloaded we were until we got everything in one place.”—Amy Higgins
Creating a single source of truth is key. Erika noted that having a project management tool everyone uses—even if it’s not perfect—is better than scattered workflows.
“Even if it’s a spreadsheet, having one place where you can see your priorities is essential.”—Erika Heald
Scaling Content With Strategy and Templates
Amy stressed the importance of a documented content strategy as the gateway to scalable operations. That includes defining your brand voice, standardizing messaging across the funnel, and building templates for common content types.
“We have a definition sheet for what an eBook is, how it’s different from a white paper, and templates for each asset. That consistency allows us to scale and test what works.”—Amy Higgins
Erika noted that consistency in format also enables meaningful performance comparisons:
“If the only variable is the topic or talk track, you can actually test what’s resonating instead of guessing.”—Erika Heald
Driving Global Collaboration with Operational Clarity
With a global team, operational clarity is even more important. Amy explained how a well-documented strategy allows teams across regions to collaborate, localize content earlier in the process, and reduce redundant work.
“Now that we have a centralized strategy, I can bring in the APAC team well in advance to align on what they need and localize content before launch.”—Amy Higgins
Erika added:
“Without that visibility, you end up with last-minute requests that derail timelines and create chaos.”—Erika Heald
Empowering Teams Through Pods and People-First Ops
Amy’s team at Cloudflare is structured around cross-functional pods aligned with themes like security, applications, and networking. This structure enables better focus, stronger collaboration, and increased accountability.
“We built pods based on market priorities. Each writer knows who to go to for what. It reduces chasing and increases subject matter expertise.”—Amy Higgins
They also create team agreements that document how team members prefer to work, give feedback, and receive praise.
“Knowing how your team works helps keep them engaged and supported. Content people often need space to learn and stay curious.”—Amy Higgins
Final Takeaways: DElivering Content Ops Success in 6 Months
To wrap the conversation, Amy summarized what made her content operations transformation successful:
- Document everything—strategy, SLAs, workflows, roles
- Create templates for common content types
- Invest in the right tools and ensure everyone uses them
- Use data to show wins and secure stakeholder support
- Focus on people and process equally
“The biggest win isn’t just shipping more content. It’s giving your team breathing room, visibility, and support to do their best work.”—Amy Higgins
“Content operations is the foundation. Without it, you can’t scale, no matter how talented your team is.”—Erika Heald
