# Content Retirement Decision

Decide whether to retain, refresh, merge, redirect, archive, unpublish, or remove an asset while protecting reader tasks, evidence, links, rights, and history.

## Usage note

Use this worksheet before removing or redirecting published content. Low traffic, age, or a stakeholder preference alone does not show that a reader task has disappeared.

## How to use this template

1. Document the asset, reader task, versions, ownership, evidence, risks, and current condition.
2. Confirm whether the need still exists and where else, if anywhere, it is fully served.
3. Compare retain, refresh, merge, redirect, archive, unpublish, and removal against explicit criteria.
4. Map affected links, files, locales, systems, rights, records, communications, and rollback.
5. Approve, implement, validate the reader journey, monitor effects, and preserve the decision record.

## Blank template

### Asset and reader-need review

- **Decision ID, owner, and date:** [Enter]
- **Canonical URL, page ID, and locales:** [Enter]
- **Original/current purpose:** [Enter]
- **Audience and reader task:** [Describe]
- **Accuracy, usefulness, and evidence condition:** [Assess]
- **Performance and qualitative signals:** [Enter]
- **Internal/external dependencies and links:** [List]
- **Risk or burden if retained unchanged:** [Describe]
- **Evidence the need remains or ended:** [Enter]

### Options and decision

- **Retain:** [Fit and limitation]
- **Refresh/rewrite:** [Fit and effort]
- **Merge:** [Destination and unique material]
- **Redirect:** [Equivalent destination and reason]
- **Archive/unpublish:** [Access, label, retention]
- **Remove:** [Justification]
- **Rights, privacy, legal, and records review:** [References]
- **Selected action and rationale:** [Enter]
- **Approver and confidence:** [Enter]

### Implementation and validation

- **Affected links/navigation/files/locales:** [List]
- **Redirect/archive/index behavior:** [Enter]
- **Reader explanation or communication:** [Enter]
- **Analytics annotation and monitoring:** [Enter]
- **Implementation owner/date:** [Enter]
- **Old-URL and destination QA:** [Results]
- **Errors, reports, or unexpected effects:** [Enter]
- **Rollback plan:** [Enter]
- **Next review or closure:** [Enter]