Making Content Management work for you

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If you're already looking for a content management system, the sales and marketing promises that you've read will no doubt include the following:Reduced IT involvement in content creation Fresh, high quality content Consistenc...

If you're already looking for a content management system, the sales and marketing promises that you've read will no doubt include the following:

• Reduced IT involvement in content creation
• Fresh, high quality content
• Consistency in layout and appearance
• Workflow to assist in the approval processes
  
• and most importantly ... Reduced cost of operation

That's all well and good, but there are a few matters to consider before you run out and implement a CMS. We've simplified it to three Ps:

1. Planning
2. People
3. Process

Planning

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As is the case for all IT implementations, you have decisions to make during the selection process. Good decisions will make life easier, but the bad ones could affect your organisation for some time to come. Carefully identifying what you need is critical.

Ask yourself:

1. What are my business goals and needs?
2. How would I like to achieve these goals?
3. Will this system support current processes within my organisation?

We emphasise the fact that you should carefully identify what you really need. The reason for this is that on more than one occasion we have heard someone say that they implemented a CMS with incredible functionality only to find that they only use about 20% of the features. The result was that many staff found the system complicated and therefore avoided using it. You need to prevent such a scenario.

The information gathering can start in an informal setting. You'll find yourselves talking about a wide range of issues and learning new things in the process. You will soon start to identify what people want and don't want as well as how they think the solution should fit in with their daily working style.

TIP - By all means talk about the technical aspects of the implementation but do not get bogged down. Stick to specifying your business needs. The time you spend deliberating on a technical point could be handled by a consultant in a shorter and more economical timeframe.

The volume of information you collect is going to be up to you. The resources available and the size of your organisation will obviously play a factor.

Now it's time to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and start collating the data in a structured manner. You need to do this so that you have a set of requirements as a reference and a list against which you can evaluate various content management systems.

Evaluating a content management system is a subject not within the scope of this topic, but we'll be writing about it in time to come. In the meantime use this resource as a guide.

People

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By now you probably have the idea that there are many aspects that need to be addressed, and most of them don't involve technology. This 'P' is no different. At various stages of deployment, a successful implementation will require the involvement of many staff - content editors, administrators and management. People will make or break the entire process.

Imagine that management has paid for a brand new CMS. The last things you want to hear is, "It's too hard to use", "It's not how we work" and so on.

TIP - The success of a solution lies with its acceptance and uptake. The larger the organisation, the more simple the system should be to use. In your search for a CMS, look for easy-to-use interfaces and the separation of content from design.

It is highly probable that most of your work is accomplished using email. Look for a CMS that supports collaboration and task delegation using email and you'll be slotting in already familiar concepts with little to no learning curve for your end user.

TIP - Do not change the way people work (and leave their workflow processes alone) unless absolutely necessary. Only 10% of companies require stringent, controlled workflow due to legal and quality control requirements. For example, pharmaceutical companies.

Remember that the CMS is a tool and a means to an end. It is the people in your organisation who use the system to try achieve the goals of your website and it will be them who define its success.

Which brings us to the third P.

Process

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Once your implementation is complete and your users have accepted the system, It's time to establish a set of processes and procedures that should be followed by your staff in order to publish content.

Sounds like quite a task but in most cases the solution is simple. It can be accomplished like so:

1. Put editors in charge. Only they can publish and approve content.
2. Through the CMS, these editors receive content from users within the organisation.
3. Editors can then publish the content or send it back for corrections.

For the curious, here is a more detailed explanation of collaboration and task delegation in workflow.

TIP - Web authors and editors should only be focused on one thing - Content. To guarantee quality and consistency, ensure that your chosen CMS is template driven, allowing editors to approve content and not worry about the look and feel. This will in turn allow your processes to be streamlined, saving time and money.

CONCLUSION

Investing a little bit of time in the three P's will:

• Ensure you have a web strategy that includes your business goals
• Deliver to your staff a tool with which they can effectively and efficiently publish web content
  
• Deliver to your audience high quality, consistent information they can rely on time and again

Remember to focus on your business goals and choose your CMS to support them.

For any help or assistance in content management matters, feel free to call us.