20 practical tips for a successful internationalisation project
DESCRIPTION
Short presentation about success factors for international website projects. Held first during RedDot User Conference London May 2009 by Paul Smith, ecomplexx UK.TRANSCRIPT
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ecomplexx
Internationalisation
20 Practical tips for a successful internationalisation project.
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Who we are
Ecomplexx Facts and Figures
Founded 1995
Turnover ca. 5 M€ (2008)
Employees 80
Executive Board Christoph Mause, Helmut Nachbauer, Klaus Oberlehner
Branches Leverkusen (Deutschland), Reading (UK), Wels (Österreich)
Sales offices München, Oldenburg, Paris, Wien
Segments Strategy, Design, Technology, Marketing, Services
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ecomplexx and Open Text – RedDot
ecomplexx is Europe‘s leading RedDot partner
• Most successful RedDot Partner 2005
• RedDot Integration Award 2005 / 2008
• Own ECM department
• over 30 trained RedDot developers (CMS, LiveServer, XCMS)
ecomplexx is one of the most experienced partners
• Experience with large scale CMS projects
• Main focus on internationalisation, integrative solutions, LiveServer/J2EE
• Over 400 successful RedDot projects
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Key Clients
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Tip 1 – Experience counts
A good project manager should :
Not participate in company politics
Be armed with enough competencies and authority
Be good at communicating
Be assertive
Be a good negotiator
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Tip 2 – Get your project structure right
Language variants
Project copy
Master/Child
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Tip 3 – Start simple
Start simple!
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Tip 4 – Test thoroughly
Mistake x (No. of countries)
=
BIG Problems!
!
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Tip 5 – Build an intelligent structure
Keep publication packages, permissions and workflows simple and to a minimum
Develop a project prototype with all the requested functionality first
Have everyone involved speak the same language
Carefully plan your asset manager structure, using as few folders as possible
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Tip 6 – Keep the template count down
Define the templates set up front Test all these in the prototype project Stick to them
A modular approach offers greater Flexibility than one catchall content class
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Tip 7 – No static content in templates!
.modul-460-text div.top, .modul-460-text-right div.top {
height: 30px; width: 460px; overflow: hidden;
background-image: url(<%img_bg_modul_460_190_top%>);
background-repeat: no-repeat; }
.modul-460-text div.middle, .modul-460-text-right div.middle {
width: 460px; overflow: hidden; min-height: 160px;
background-image: url(<%img_bg_modul_460_190_middle%>);
background-repeat: repeat-y; }
html .modul-460-text div.middle, * html .modul-460-text-right div.middle {
height: 160px; }
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Tip 8 - Develop documentation as you go
Detail the steps involved to set up a new country project
What elements need to be translated?
What needs to be configures in LiveServer? (If anything)
What parts need to be re-tested?
…
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Tip 9 – SmartEdit usability is the key
Carefully plan your interface
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Tip 10 – Workflows seldom flow
Keep it simple!
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Tip 11 – Don’t use locales
Why use individual projects?
Easier to maintain/support
If a project has a problem, only one country will be affected
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Tip 12 – Be organised
Keep everything in the CMS; save heartache
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Tip 13 – Use LiveServer functionality
Project 1
Project 2
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Tip 14 – Translate centrally
Central translation of the complete content by one service provider
Provision of content in finished web projects using RedDot
Proofreading loops via clients in participating countries
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Tip 15 – Set up a training schedule
Training Timeframe Contents
Base training Day 1 Introduciton to RedDot and project
Day 2 Work on final project and coaching
Online Training 30-60 mins as needed at start. Every 4 weeks thereafter
Online training using Webex (or similar) with the ability for people to ask questions
Advanced Training
1 day (after about 4 months)
Review of previous work, coaching, future development requirements
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 week
Tip 16 – Devise a realistic roll-out plan
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Tip 17 – International means 24/7
Decide what hours you will cover
Plan backup and maintenance schedules
Use a publication server to improve performance
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Tip 18 – Take analytics into consideration
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Gather analytics from the start
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Tip 19 – International SEO is tricky
Decide what is important to you
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Tip 20 – Plan your international support
How much cover do you need?
Document common issues
Find the resources
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© by ecomplexx Juni 09
This presentation and all it‘s content are the property of ecomplexx
The transfer of documents to third parties or publication, reproduction, dissemination, reproduction or other exploitation of the ideas and solutions, without the prior consent of ecomplexx is not permitted.
ecomplexx are always at your service when it comes to implementing the ideas and solutions presented
- Thanks for listening! Any questions?