Wednesday 28 November 2012

Organisational relationships are essential for good website management

Paul Boag explores the real reasons why projects don't deliver and websites turn bad - people and politics. Thankfully he also provides great suggestions to help overcome these problems.

Paul is a developer and a designer, and his articles reflect this - speaking primarily to people working in web agencies - but it all applies equally well to those of us who deal primarily in content management and are working as part of internal web teams.

The first article looks at projects - developing new websites primarily. "Collaboration is the secret" says Paul, and this is exactly how I've found it too. Whereas Paul talks about involving the client throughout the project - treating the agency and the customer as a team - I've always put most effort into collaboration during the early stages of a project. But I think it's essentially the same - you can't deliver an effective website if you don't understand the  business. And sometimes this involves coaching the client to really think about what they want, express it coherently and agree it among their stakeholders.

Collaboration is the secret to change - blog post by Paul Boag

Moving beyond the project and into ongoing management, Paul suggests the responsibilities and processes needed for effective website governance. Again, great advice that can be applied to websites large and small, Paul covers the tricky topic of avoiding committee management and two aspects that I think are fundamental and often overlooked: KPIs that monitor objectives, and content management and removal.

An Organizational Structure That Supports Your Digital Presence - article by Paul Boag for Smashing Magazine

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