Digital Framework release plan

Cadence note: Each release will be accompanied by blogs to provide context and lend a voice to the highlights of the release.

Release 1 - March 2021

Introduces the biggest aspects to how Shelter delivers digital work. These include our working principles, our model for devolving content publishing, and our content guides - the first wave of digital guidelines and standards which underpin our commitment to quality.

Release 2 - September 2021

This release will feature the tools of Shelter’s design and new brand, as well as additional guides:

• Our new brand guidelines, including logo, colour, typography, tone of voice and more

• Accessibility guides covering the background and details of making our sites fully useable by people with disabilities

• Video guides for staff, agencies and freelancers

• Our digital lifecycle, which gives Shelter a sustainable mechanism for all of our digital output

Release 3 - February 2022

Introduces the fundamentals of our planning at various levels, and the evidence-based culture that plays a huge part in planning.

This focus includes:

• our goal-oriented approach to product planning

• the key skill of roadmapping - at the product/service level, team level and for all Shelter digital plans

• how we do release planning

• the crucial elements of measurement and audience research

• the roles that drive our digital governance

Release 4 - June 2022

This release introduces a key piece in our digital delivery: content operations.

Our new content ops section will cover:

• what we mean by content operations and why it’s important

• why content governance can make or break our content operations

• how we decide what to do, content-wise…and what not to do

• the impact that user journeys have on our content planning and delivery

• the lifecycle of a piece of content

• why content retirement is crucial, and how to do it right

Release 4 will also feature Shelter’s design thinking, led by our UX team.