Executive Summary
Executive Summary
In 2023, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds directed a comprehensive assessment of Iowa’s government structure, the first in nearly 40 years. The goal was to simplify operations, reduce costs, and improve service delivery to constituents by aligning agencies based on shared missions and functions.
This realignment was not only a structural overhaul that consolidated agencies, saved millions, and aimed to improve service delivery, but consolidated agency websites making it easier for constituents to find, apply for, and receive the information or services they were seeking.
New websites were created, often combining two or more agency websites into one. Under a deadline, new and old content was categorized and reorganized. A constituent-centered experience led to new menus and navigation created to make websites easier to use and help people find what they need. 51 new agency websites were created through this process on a new platform supported by the Drupal content management system.
In June 2025 Iowa launched a new initiative called the Iowa Website Content Gardening Project- the idea that a website and its content are things you plant, grow, and care for over time. Content Gardening was designed to support agencies in improving their websites through better content strategy, governance, and accessibility. This project followed a phased cohort model and involved collaborative training and improvement efforts alongside our vendor Lullabot, the Iowa Digital Experience Team, and stakeholders from each agency.
The results are websites that align with agency goals and meet the needs of their target audiences, delivering a more effective and impactful constituent experience.
