Michigan Medicine

In pursuit of achieving their mission, which revolves around improving the value of health care, sharing transformational knowledge, effectively stewarding resources, and igniting strategic growth, Michigan Medicine recognized the need for a unified digital presence. The goal was to amplify brand positioning and messaging to diverse audiences. Phase2 collaborated to undertake the monumental task of consolidating over 300 siloed websites into a single digital ecosystem that embodies One Michigan Medicine. A digital front door and dedicated sites for the enterprise, clinical, research, and education branches now serve as a testament to Michigan Medicine’s commitment to seamless integration.

To achieve the vision of One Michigan Medicine, a shared framework is essential. Through discovery, Phase2 identified two key internal operational goals: increasing efficiency by streamlining digital property management and enhancing the quality and consistency of external digital content. These goals guide the development of Michigan Medicine’s unified digital ecosystem, ensuring brand equity across diverse website categories and effectively catering to varied audiences and goals.

Our Freedom within a Framework approach includes: 

• Foundation of brand elements, visual guidelines, and a well-defined content strategy tailoring the Michigan Medicine brand story to diverse audiences and organizational goals.
• Easy-to-use, flexible component-based design system providing creative freedom while ensuring adherence to brand guidelines and accessibility best practices for content teams.
• Content publishing considerations, including site taxonomy and COPE (Create Once Publish Everywhere), streamlining editorial workflows.
• Extensive user research and testing conducted across multiple stakeholder groups to inform our approach, addressing various use cases and identifying pain points.

In implementing our Freedom within a Framework approach at Michigan Medicine, widespread enrollment and adoption were crucial for success. Equipping the organization with powerful tools was only part of the equation; the effectiveness of these tools hinged on ensuring that individuals across the organization knew how to use them correctly.

Collaborating closely with Michigan Medicine, Phase2 developed a comprehensive content governance plan. This plan delineated editorial roles, outlined detailed processes, and delivered standardized training on essential aspects such as brand guidelines, web writing, and accessibility and DEI best practices. Simultaneously, we supported a holistic change management campaign throughout the organization, rallying individuals under the shared vision of One Michigan Medicine. This initiative dissolved silos, fostering a sense of unity within the team as they embraced a common framework, utilized the Drupal 10 CMS (content management system), and leveraged uniform training and tools to effectively tailor their content for diverse goals and audiences.

Empowering Michigan Medicine to communicate its unified mission as One Michigan Medicine, we successfully created a distinctive presence in a competitive landscape. Enhanced search engine optimization, an accessible user experience, and targeted brand messaging facilitate easier access to vital content for patients, families, faculty, researchers, and target learners. Concurrently, our support extended beyond communication objectives, aligning with Michigan Medicine's operational goals and fostering future growth. By consolidating their 300+ sites into a unified ecosystem with a shared CMS and streamlined processes, we facilitated a substantial annual expense reduction of over $1.7 million. This financial efficiency empowers Michigan Medicine to further impact lives through groundbreaking research, expert clinical care, and cutting-edge medical and scientific education.

Michigan Medicine is a leader in life-saving medicine, delivering excellence in clinical care, research, and education. United under one mission, their cross-functional team changes the lives of millions of people, from patients and their communities to clinicians, staff, and researchers.