Chicken or the Egg Synchronizing agency website redesigns

Chicken or the Egg? Synchronizing agency website redesigns and CMS implementations Don Bruns and Julia Begley Gilbane Conference June 5, 2007

Where to start? Managing a CMS implementation together with a web site redesign is both challenging to manage and risky. Typical “As Is” state in Federal space § Multiple sites § Multiple designs, branding, navigation § Multiple technologies Three approaches 1. Implement CMS first, then redesign 2. Redesign first, then implement CMS 3. Both at once

Why this matters CMS implementations are among the most high risk IT projects 60% to 80% of all CMS implementations fail during the first year Risks to both projects increase dramatically Failure is costly

Failed use case scenario Old design/legacy env. Department of X – A cabinet-level organization www. dox. gov A 1 B 2 New design/CMS env. www. dox. gov C 3 D 4 A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 Undertook a simultaneous redesign of public website and CMS implementation Massive two-year content migration § No content freeze § Contributors updating both sites simultaneously Two parallel sites § CMS driven with new design § Non-CMS driven with old design CMS

The Result Old design/legacy env. Both sites fell out of synch § Eventually neither site was 100% correct § No rollback strategy www. dox. gov A 1 B 2 F 6 New design/CMS env. www. dox. gov C 3 E 5 G 7 D 4 A 1 B 2 H 8 B 2 F 6 C 3 E 5 D 4 CMS and redesign abandoned after two years of work CMS

What can go wrong 1. Lack of executive sponsorship 2. Not having sufficient management expertise 3. Lack of buy-in from stakeholders at key stages 4. Not understanding your business case 5. Things the CMS vendor may have forgotten to tell you 6. Poor configuration management 7. Insufficient risk management 8. Pitfalls during content migration 9. Not planning for future growth 10. CMS limits design options

CMS publishing models And how they might affect your redesign

Baking vs. Frying Baking § § The CMS generates static content at scheduled intervals Content physically exists on the web server CMS publishes via FTP or file system transfer Typical schedule: • Incremental publish every 10 -15 minutes • Full publish every night at 2: 00 am Frying § CMS generates dynamic web content at request time § The page does not exist until the user clicks on the link § CMS dynamically aggregates a new web page by combining: • Static elements (design, content, functionality and navigation) • Dynamic elements driven by user preferences, metadata, business logic, and live data

Benefits of each Baking § § § Multiple URLs Lighter footprint in the delivery environment Better performance for content consumers Better continuity of operations Friendlier URLs CMS content co-exists with legacy content Frying § Personalization § Live data reporting § Dynamic sorting, grouping, querying of content

Weighing your options

Approach #1 – Redesign first then CMS Old design/legacy env. New design/CMS env. New design/legacy env. CMS content migration Pros § Less risk to the redesign § Only need one set of CMS templates § Easier to select the right CMS content migration automated deployment Cons § Multiplies the content migration • From old design to the new design (legacy environment) • From legacy environment into the CMS

Approach #2 – CMS first then redesign Old design/legacy env. New design/CMS env. Old design/CMS env. CMS content migration automated deployment Pros § Leverage benefits of CMS earlier § Only one content migration § CMS handles deployment of the new design § Preferable if migrating from one CMS to another automated deployment Cons § Choosing wrong CMS may limit IA options § Must develop CMS templates for both designs § Only advantageous with a baking CMS § CMS must fully separate presentation from content

Approach #3 – CMS and redesign at same time New design/CMS env. Old design/legacy env. CMS content migration Pros automated deployment Cons § Potential to complete both projects sooner § Significant cost and schedule risks to both projects § Potential to avoid some costs § More complex management challenge § May not have a choice § Will probably delay the release of the • Timing of funding redesign • New design requires CMS functionality

The Answer Situation will dictate the approach § § Existing use of technology, governance, infrastructure Business case Designs goals Ability of sponsor and stakeholders to support change However, our experience tells us… § § § Separate redesign and CMS implementation if possible Approach #2 (CMS first then redesign) is often preferable Baking CMS is often preferred in Federal sector • Can facilitate incremental migration • Can reduce some migration risks Keys to success: § § Robust project management Maintaining sponsor/stakeholder buy-in

Key strategies … for all three approaches

Obtain and maintain stakeholder support Executive sponsorship § § Understands business case Supports goals Can direct personnel Controls funding Internal stakeholder buy-in § § § Identify key stakeholders Identify stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities Establish accountability Continuous effort to maintain buy-in Give stakeholders a feeling of ownership (especially content contributors!)

Effective project management Experienced project management is critical § Effective processes (look for CMMI certification) § Experienced managers (look for PMP certification) § PMO to coordinate teams from different groups/vendors Develop project plan § § Iterative phased approach Define and obtain consensus for WBS up front Identify tasks, owners, schedule, milestones, and points of buy-in Build in review cycles for deliverables Identify risks § Assess impact and likelihood § Mitigation strategy for each

Choosing the right CMS Obtain executive sponsorship for your CMS business case Ensure new CMS does not limit design options § § Include information architecture requirements into CMS selection Require scenario-based demos during CMS selection Do not design site for the CMS Select the CMS to support the design goals Involve and support stakeholders at all junctures § Not all stakeholders will share your strategic vision § Not all stakeholders will recognize importance of each juncture § Need to keep selling the project to the stakeholders

During CMS implementation Configuration management § Baseline documents in version control system § Change control board Proactive communications management § Status reports § Continually tracking actions/issues/risks Deployment planning § Rollback strategy § Operations strategy § Test planning

During content migration Begin content inventory and clean-up before CMS is ready for migration Short content freezes – no more than 4 weeks Migration team should be tasked 100% to migration Phased approach to content migration organized by content owner § Migrate lower complexity areas first § But don’t save most complex migration tasks for last

Ensuring user adoption User adoption is not a given § § “If you build it, they will come” is not change management “Because I said so” is not change management Ensuring user adoption starts on day one Involve key stakeholders at all phases of project Smooth transition from implementation to operations § § Communication plan Training Knowledge sharing Technical support

Questions? Julia Begley Project Manager jbegley@aquilent. com Don Bruns Principal Consultant dbruns@aquilent. com Peter Fogelsanger Director pfogelsanger@aquilent. com

Sample baking environment Production Users F I R E W A L L WWW Load Balancer WWW Staging F I R E W A L L WWW Authoring CMS Database Development CMS Database

Sample frying environment Production Content Consumer F I R E W A L L CMS Load Balancer CMS F I R E W A L L Staging CMS Database Authoring CMS Database Development CMS Database