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No budget? No team? No problem!The Big RESET
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Daniel FowlerWeb ManagerCollege of EducationUniversity of Georgia
fowlertown.com@danielfowler
linkedin.com/in/danfoslides:
e.uga.edu/rock
for an enterprise website
What’s in store•About me•Context of our project•Before & After snapshots•Timeline rundown•Key lessons•Q&A
ABOUT ME
About me•First timer @ Rock Eagle
About me•First timer @ Rock Eagle•7+ years @ University of Georgia
–4 massive redesign projects•First ever web manager at UGA’s COE•Background in static web dev•Passion for user experience•Instinct for efficiency/optimization
CONTEXT
COE in a year>2M pageviews>370K visitors~3⅓ pages viewed per visit~58% from organic search25% from mobile/tablets24% start from homepage
7% organic
COE in 201365+ WordPress multisite120+ “one-off” websitesNo documentationNo strategic architectureNo consistent brandNo formal processesNo “no”
Unify the look & feelMassive consolidationOverhaul information architectureSwitch from WordPress to StatamicSeparate internal resources
Project goals
DESTROY
ALL THE
ACRONYMS!
More goalsAdd faculty/staff profilesAllow fac/staff to edit own profileAdd master calendarShut down obviously defunct websitesUnique page titlesStay minimal, and then grow
First things firstTicketing systemGoogle Analytics6,000+ broken linksStabilize the homepage
BEFORE & AFTER
2011 - 2014
old WP homepage
2014 - 2015
2014 homepage
2011 - 2014
old WP directory
2011 - 2014
old WP directory
2014 - 2015
2014 directory list
2014 - 2015
2014 directory profile
2011 - 2014
old WP department hub
2014 - 2015
2014 department hub
2011 - 2014
old WP degree program
2014 - 2015
2014 degree program
TIMELINE
Timeline: vMe
Timeline: vDean
PLAN B
20% project fat•No imagery•No content review pre-launch•No testing phase•Hire a vendor (this is the 20%)
20% project fat•No imagery•No content review pre-launch•No testing phase•Hire a vendor (this is the 20%)•Launch party: YEP
KEY LESSONS
Don’t do this7-month timeline
•Barebones isn’t enough•Important phases will be sacrificed•Deliver a polished product
Do thisBosses: Trust your project manager
•Hire a good one•Cast organizational vision•Define approval checkpoints•Let them work
Do thisEmpower project manager to say NO to faculty/staff AND administration
•Process overhauls•Culture shock (entitlement, autonomy)•Modern best practices•Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
Do thisDevs: Defer to your project manager
•Know your role•Stick to the plan•Document all approvals
–It’s their head•It’s okay to ask for more/less
Do thisClearly define project objectives
•Start a blog•Make a weekly post•Share blog with stakeholders early & often
Do thisEstablish a group of stakeholders for web governance
•“Web warriors” or “web liaisons”•Meet regularly•Open up the silos and feed the people
Don’t do thisSkip stakeholder review phases
•Push the deadline if you must•Never promise that feedback will affect the final product
•Big changes require communication
Don’t do thisOutsource the project
•Invest in your existing resources•Hire a project manager if you must
–2 years minimum•Hire entry-level skills for fresh eyes & ideas
Don’t do thisLollygag in the early phases
•Set micro-goals (weekly)•Focus on weekly tasks, not final deliverable
•Maintain urgency•Assess monthly progress
Do thisKeep a paper trail of buy-in
•Define approval checkpoints•Insist on text approvals via Basecamp or email
•Prevent backtracking
Do thisKeep a backup of all the old things, but...
•Keep it private•Keep it for at least a year•Promote “looking ahead”•Offer regular training on the new things
Do thisKeep it simple and evolve later
•Barebone features•Single-page approach•No add-ons
ASK A QUESTION
Wanna Go Deeper?@danielfowler
fowlertown.comlinkedin.com/in/danfo
slides: e.uga.edu/rock
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