No budget? No team? No problem!The Big RESET

Button

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