Continue to grow and mature by using confluence - best practices

[Tobias Kuechen]

Guys,

one of our huge growing area using Confluence had following question:

Could you help advise me on best practices for Confluence? In a year, we now have over 300 users with about 50 being editors. The team has created over 600 pages of content. We have an audit process setup but it is very manual. It is key for us to keep the content current or users will not be able to count on this as our Knowledge Base. I am looking for ways to keep the enthusiasm for Confluence going. The past year was focused on getting content in and reviewing/updating existing content. What should we be considering for phase 2 as we continue to grow and mature?

Thanks greetings Tobias

[Levente Szabo [Midori] · Accepted solution]

@Tobias Kuechen 

First of all, I want to congratulate you on your decision to start dealing with this issue this early! We at Midori has been advising the largest Confluence customers since 2008 (think thousand of spaces and millions of pages) and almost all of their pains could have been avoided, had they implemented a content lifecycle management strategy this early. So well done, already! 🥇

Our Better Content Archiving and Analytics solutions addresses these very concerns of you and automates the ways to handle them. It allows you to automatically classify content into your own statuses, send out notifications when and to whom it makes sens and autoamtically archive/delete content that reached its end-of-life:

I suggest you:

Read our manifesto on how to do Confluence content lifecycle management

I also read our best practices I collected similarly to others based on our 15 years of experience.

Continue learning about the key features through hands-on tutorial articles:

1. Better Content Archiving and Analytics implements its own automation engine available for all tiers, including free. You are not restricted by any limitation of Automation for Confluence.

2. The app allows you to simply create your own statuses, up to 20 instead of the 5 built-in.

3. You can create your custom rules for what is not viewed, not updated, to review, etc status. The statuses are updating automatically or can be adjusted manually.

4. You can automate archiving or delete actions within the app that will take action based on your statuses and the schedule you specify.

5. It's not exporting, but the app delivers an advanced notification system that automatically sends emails to the designated recipients (based on roles like page owner, group membership, or individual email addresses). Note that the app also implements its own page owner concept that has advantages over the built-in one. The email content can be customized, but there are many templates built in.

6. There is also a comprehensive Confluence Analytics solution built also in the app that gives insights similar to Confluence Analytics and even more as it contains content lifecycle-related information, like statuses and status changes over time, status overview, and more. Watch this overview about the reporting dashboards available for all tier

I'm available for a consultation anytime to look at your CLM needs and how we can address them today. Reach out to us here or shoot me an email directly at levente.szabo@midori-global.com

(I'm part of the Midori team developing Better Content Archiving and Analytics since 2008.)

[Yulia Lenina _AppFox_ · Accepted solution]

Hi Tobias and welcome to the Community!

We’ve faced similar challenges with growing documentation in Confluence, both internally and through feedback from our customers who use our apps for their Knowledge Management and Quality Management processes.

Based on our experience, here are five key areas to focus on as you move into phase 2 of your Knowledge Base journey:

1. Improving Structure

As your Knowledge Base grows, structure becomes critical to avoid chaos. Consider:

• Using Page Trees effectively to create a clear hierarchy for topics.
• Standardizing templates for content creation (e.g., FAQ, how-to guides, troubleshooting articles).
• Defining ownership for each section or page so that updates don’t fall through the cracks.

2. Enhancing Searchability

Even with the best content, if users can’t find what they need, they won’t use the Knowledge Base.

• Regularly clean up outdated or redundant content to reduce clutter.
• Add metadata, labels, and keywords to make pages easily discoverable.
• Leverage Confluence’s built-in search analytics to identify gaps in search terms and create content accordingly.

3. Keeping Track of the Status of Documents

It's critical to always know where a document stands: Is it a draft? Awaiting approval? Approved? Outdated?

We recommend using tools like Workflows for Confluence to streamline this process. With this app, you can:

• Define workflows for content (e.g., draft > review > approval > published).
• Assign approvers and track pending tasks.
• Set document expiration dates to flag outdated content automatically.

This ensures your content remains up-to-date and reliable for users.

4. Managing Access

Organizing access based on document status is a game-changer. We recommend separating spaces for:

• Drafts (accessible to editors).
• Approved internal documents (visible to relevant teams).
• Customer-facing content (accessible externally).

Workflows for Confluence can automate publishing to different spaces upon approval, simplifying access management and ensuring everyone sees the right version at the right time.

5. Making Docs Look Polished

For external-facing documentation, we’ve had great success using Scroll Viewport by K15t. This app allows you to create professional, user-friendly documentation sites directly from Confluence content. It helps you maintain version control and present a polished Knowledge Base to your users.

These steps will help you maintain enthusiasm for Confluence, reduce manual effort, and ensure your Knowledge Base continues to grow as a valuable resource.

Hope this helps 😊

[Dave Mathijs · Accepted solution]

Hi @Tobias Kuechen welcome to the Atlassian Community!

There are several paths for the next phase in your knowledge management journey:

Structuring and Standardizing

• Organize content
  • Categorize and tag content consistently (use Labels or Databases)
  • Establish an intuitive hierarchy or navigation structure (review the Page Tree, add Headers and Footers to your pages, provide Backlinks to parent/child pages)
  • Identify gaps or redundancies and address them
• Develop standards
  • Create templates for entries (How-to vs Troubleshooting guides)
  • Establish naming conventions and formatting guidelines
  • Define a taxonomy or tagging system for easy retrieval
• Assign ownership
  • Identify subject matter experts (SMEs) to oversee specific sections.
  • Assign roles for content approval and updates

Automation and Integration

• Automate Updates
  • Use Atlassian Intelligence to suggest updates for outdated content.
  • Set reminders for periodic reviews based on content age or usage trends
• Integrate with Tools
  • Discover other Atlassian products like Loom to easily record AI-powered how-to or instruction videos
  • Embed the knowledge base into daily tools like Slack, Teams or CRM platforms.
  • Enable single sign-on via a connection to and identity provider in Atlassian Guard
• Track Usage
  • Implement Confluence Analytics (Premium) or the Content Manager (Premium) to monitor what content is being accessed, by whom and how often.
  • Use insights to prioritize updates and improvements.

Engagement and expansion could be another phase:

• Encourage contribution
  • Provide easy ways for users to submit feedback or suggest edits.
  • Introduce a reward and recognition system for frequent contributors (just like the Community Kudos), like points, leaderboards or badges for contributing
• Expand scope
  • You could add multimedia formats like videos, diagrams or interactive content.
  • Incorporate user-generated content where appropriate
• Build Awareness
  • Run workshops or lunch-and-learn sessions to encourage adoption
  • Share examples of successful problem-solving using the knowledge base.

Maintenance and evolution

• Regular Audits
  
  • Conduct quarterly or semi-annual audits to ensure relevance and accuracy.
  • Rotate the SMEs or bring in fresh perspectives to keep content dynamic
• Foster Feedback Loops
  • Actively seek feedback from users to identify pain points and improvement opportunities.
  • Use surveys or open forum to gather insights.
• Adapt to Growth
  • Scale infrastructure as the organization and contents grow.
  • Stay ahead

Cultural Integration

• Embed in decision-making
  
  • Ensure the knowledge base is the go-to resources for problem-solving
  • Make it mandatory for onboarding and ongoing training.
• Celebrate success
  • Highlight the benefits and show how an up-to-date knowledge base saves time, reduces redundant work, and enhances collaboration
  • Recognize expertise by emphasizing that contributing reinforces their reputation as experts
  • Share stories of how the knowledge base drives innovation and efficiency (via newsletters, team meetings or Confluence Blogs)
  • Continuously show value to sustain enthusiasm
• Foster a collaborative culture
  • Lead by example by actively contributing to the knowledge base
  • Encourage peer reviews by promoting collaboration and having colleagues validate and improve each other's entries
  • Create communities of practice (CoPs) or guilds to discuss and refine articles.
• Provide training and support
  • Offer onboarding to teach new knowledge workers how to use and contribute to the knowledge base effectively.
  • Host workshops to train employees on new features or best practices
  • Provide feedback by acknowledging and improving submissions to make contributors valued
• Make it essential
  • Embed it into KPIs
  • Use id daily
  • Emphasize the "why"

I hope these tips can help you deciding your next path.

[Cyrille Martin · Accepted solution]

Hi @Tobias Kuechen 

It is a good think confluence has been adopted by the users.

I think you should named one or several Wiki gardeners.

Create some community off best practice around confluence by identifying your top contributors and ask them if they want to work on this topic.

Create a Guide to all new contributor to insure homogenous content.

Here was my 3 cents :)

But the main idea is the keep the spirit of sharing content.

Regards,

[Cyrille Martin]

Years ago I wrote a Dodecalog for Wikis (in french) I translate it below.

1. Make references to other pages This allows the reader to navigate through all the information present on the Wiki.

2. Use labels Adding labels to a page or news item facilitates its search and classifies the information present on the page.

3. Use page templates Templates provide structure to the page content and improve readability.

4. Correct typos When reading, if you see mistakes in a page, take the time to correct them.

5. Add / Complete content Complete the pages when you have additional information, even if you are not 100% sure; others will correct it if it is wrong.

6. Subscribe to pages Subscribe to content that interests you to stay informed about its updates.

7. Do not create empty pages Always put a minimum amount of content in a page you have created so that people arriving on your page are not disappointed.

8. Do not restrict access Try to leave as much content accessible to everyone as possible.

9. Do not make pages too long Do not hesitate to split the content of a page into several child pages to improve readability.

10. Do not rename attachments If you have modified the content of an attachment, attach it to the page with its original name; Confluence also manages versions of attachments.

11. Do not spend time on graphic customization The most important things in a wiki are its content and the organization of that content.

12. Do not be shy or reserved Give your opinion on the content you read by making comments.