Content Lifecycle Management in Confluence – how to keep your content up to date

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One of the biggest challenges in Confluence is keeping content updated. Confluence is often used as a repository for a wide range of documentation and articles that contain valuable information. Unfortunately, this content is not always up to date.

While the manual for the coffee machine will likely remain unchanged, information related to People and Culture or Finance can quickly become outdated. Function descriptions for apps also undergo frequent changes and should therefore be regularly reviewed and updated.

Depending on the structure and organization of the content, however, it can easily happen that these updates are overlooked. So, how can we ensure that our content remains current? One option is to schedule regular reviews and updates to ensure that all information is accurate.

Another strategy is to visually mark older or less relevant content, or archive it if necessary. The principle "If not needed, get rid of it" is a valid option here. Content that is no longer up-to-date or relevant should not remain in the system to avoid confusion and improve the user experience.

How to visually highlight content

To visually highlight the relevance of a page, all it takes is one word: status. A status can be attached to any page, either using predefined or custom statuses.

This status can then be changed using a rule.

Prerequisite for automated content updates

Of course, you’ll need Confluence, specifically the Premium version. Why Premium? It’s simple: this version offers a wide range of automation features, which are the core of our solution. These automations not only simplify the maintenance and updating of content, but also help boost your team’s efficiency and reduce manual tasks.

For those who do not have access to the Premium version, there are alternative approaches. Later in this post, we will introduce a method that doesn’t require Premium and uses third-party apps to provide effective automation features. This way, even with limitations in the Confluence version, you can still take advantage of automation and optimize your workflows.

Setting up the automation

1. Define content and timeframe

Let’s imagine we want to review and keep all Confluence pages up to date. We'll start small and ideally have just three spaces with ten pages each – manageable, even if it seems tedious. Remember: the coffee machine manual is unlikely to change frequently. Nevertheless, there are both external and internal triggers reminding us to make regular updates.

So we ask ourselves: Do I want to update my cafeteria menu weekly? Do I need to regularly review and adjust legal requirements for workplace safety or training materials? The key is to align the goal of keeping content up to date with the legal or regulatory requirements that might oblige us to do so.

Long story short: labels.

Labels are an excellent way to categorize the different "lifecycles" of content. Not every piece of content requires the same update frequency. Yes, we can define how often we want to update the content we wish to keep current. We can use labels like "6months," "12months," or even a custom interval. In our example, we choose the label “keep_current.” This label allows us to specifically identify the pages that need regular review, creating a clear overview of our content maintenance.

By strategically categorizing content, we create a structured approach that not only increases efficiency but also ensures we meet the requirements for both relevance and compliance. After all, our goal is to ensure that all information available to our employees is always relevant and up to date.

2. Build rules

We’re keeping it simple in our example: there’s a clear assignment. Our goal is simply to notify the page creator, and that’s it.

While Confluence Automations aren’t quite at the level of Jira Automations yet, new triggers and actions are continuously being added to expand the possibilities. For our example, we choose a time-based execution. We select a daily frequency, though this can vary depending on the customer and content.

At first glance, this sounds straightforward, but as with most things, there are many nuances. Behind this simple idea are further considerations: When should the notifications be sent? Should an email be triggered for every notification? Do we need to set up different notifications for various types of content? These questions prompt us to further optimize and tailor the automation system.

We let the rule run continuously so that it executes every morning, ensuring that employees are notified by the morning. In our example, we don’t include weekly planning or editorial teams.

Next, we add a branch to define the conditions:

Very simple. Additionally, there are two more criteria: the author and the creation date. Since these aren’t important to us, we simply choose "Updated" and set the timeframe to six months.

Since we don’t want an email to be triggered for every page or content type, we also add an “if block”:

Here, we check the label. We chose "keep_current": (short disclaimer, that funny looking text is german but it means "keep_current")

You can also use additional criteria, ranging from "Views" to "Unique Views." This ensures that frequently visited pages are always kept up to date. However, in our example, these are not relevant.

Finally, we define the action – the notification:

In our example, we use "Send email," since there is always an email address available and we are dealing with a direct 1:1 relationship (one page, one creator). You could also use group mailboxes, but we’ve opted for Smart Values:

Under “More Options,” you can customize the sender and similar settings. Of course, our example is quite simple: we send an email when the time and label match. However, there are many other possibilities. We could integrate other messaging services like Teams, Slack, and Twilio, or even use a webhook. It’s also possible to create a Jira ticket if there’s an editorial team or a project involved.

What if I don’t have Confluence Premium?

No problem, there’s a solution for that too: the app Workflows for Confluence allows you to use similar automations without relying on Premium features. With this app, you can set up workflows that automate tasks, send notifications, change statuses, and much more. It provides all the necessary tools to make your document management efficient and smooth – without a Premium plan.

Enjoy current content

And that’s it! From now on, you can relax knowing that the authors will be notified. If an author no longer has a license, the rule will not execute. In that case, you can take care of the pages and use the “Change Page Owner” feature to assign a new person responsible for the content.