October 21, 2025 •Ricky Patten
If you feel like your organisation’s content world is chaos, you’re not alone.
Almost every team we meet — from marketing to IT to comms — is juggling disconnected systems, overlapping tools, and creative assets that seem to vanish into thin air. Everyone’s working hard, but the process still feels fractured.
Here’s the truth: most organisations already have everything they need for digital content transformation. The problem isn’t the lack of tools — it’s how those tools connect. Digital Content Transformation 2.0 (DCX 2.0) is about finding order in the chaos you already have.
The Golden Thread: Joining What's Already There
When we talk about DCX 2.0, we’re not talking about starting from scratch. We’re talking about discovering the “golden thread” — the common workflow that already runs through your teams and systems, even if it’s buried under years of patches, updates, and shortcuts.
One of my favourite examples comes from Chris Lang at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Chris shared his experience at the DAM Sydney Conference in 2024, showing how he took a complex, scattered content ecosystem and slowly built a unified model. He called it “Finding Order in Chaos.”
It’s a perfect DCX 2.0 case study: not reinventing everything, just connecting the dots with purpose and patience.
From Chaos to Structure: Building Blocks That Work
Chris approached digital transformation like building with LEGO.
Each piece — DAM, CMS, brand portal, approvals, analytics — was a block. Instead of forcing all the blocks into a giant, rigid system, he looked at how they could be rearranged to create value.
That’s the DCX 2.0 mindset: simplify, connect, and iterate.
He used a method that anyone can apply — the PDCA cycle:
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Plan — Identify your core goals and pain points.
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Do — Implement in small, achievable steps.
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Check — Measure where friction remains.
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Adjust — Refine the process and evolve continuously.
It’s the difference between chasing perfection and building momentum.
Quick Wins Build Long-Term Change
DCX 2.0 projects aren’t about giant, headline-making launches. They’re about steady progress.
When UNSW began, they focused on quick wins: one department, one process, one improvement at a time. By showing early success, they built internal trust and paved the way for larger transformation.
That’s what I call “the art of visible success.”
If people can see the improvement, they’ll believe in the process. If it’s hidden behind complexity or jargon, adoption dies before it begins.
Read my other articles on DAM project scoping and why why most DAM projects fail.
A Measured, Human Approach
DCX 2.0 is not just a technology framework — it’s a cultural framework. It acknowledges that people hold the knowledge, the habits, and often the resistance. The transformation succeeds when it includes them, not when it’s imposed on them.
As I often say:
“Find order in chaos. Your organisation already has the pieces—you just need to connect them.”
Next Steps
If your digital content ecosystem feels like a tangled web, start small. Map your current processes, identify overlaps, and look for patterns that repeat across teams. That’s where your “golden thread” lies.
Then use the PDCA mindset to turn those insights into incremental improvements — ones your teams can see, feel, and adopt.
DCX 2.0 isn’t about new technology. It’s about smarter use of what you already have.
Learn how to turn complexity into clarity and create a digital content ecosystem that lasts.
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