Australian Government departments and agencies are increasingly using content management systems (CMS) to streamline the management of a variety of materials on their websites. Content management is a complex area. The success of any given CMS will largely depend on how it is introduced, configured and supported.

Why should I?

Implementing a CMS presents a number of benefits, which may include:

• workflow management
• decentralised content authoring
• reduced technical hurdles for content authors
• scheduled publication of content
• automatic conversion of content for alternative formats
• dynamic rendering of related content
• using existing back-office systems as content sources
• structured, predictable input and output
• separation of content from presentation
• reduced administration burdens
• increased auditability of content.

While the benefits of a CMS are well recognised, the challenges of implementation introduce project risks which must be managed.

What should I do?

There is no single best CMS. Instead, each CMS product has a mix of strengths and weaknesses that are derived from its underlying architectural model or market position. This applies equally to products in all price ranges, from small-scale CMS offerings to large ‘enterprise’ products.  The challenge for agencies is to select a product that best matches their business needs, while mitigating the risks inherent in the current marketplace.

Implementing a CMS presents a number of challenges, which may include:

• considering a range of issues associated with content management, including usability, information architecture and information management
• actively involving many staff throughout the organisation in content management, as reviewers and administrators
• requiring extensive participation from staff to be successful and sustainable
• integrating with (or modifying) many business processes
• implementing the CMS as part of a broader information or knowledge strategy
• implementing a relatively new and immature product within the administration of the agency
• interrelating to other information systems, such as document and records management
• ensuring long-term viability of the system and supporting processes.

How do I?

You need to approach the selection of a CMS as you would any other project: consider the range of products on the market, with their strengths and weaknesses. Confirm whether existing or desired functionality can be implemented with the range of available systems. Evaluate each CMS on other factors such as usability, the implementation implications and the total cost.

Once the CMS has been chosen, you will need to implement it. Use the opportunity to do a content audit on the website to confirm that all content is used, up to date and in shape to be migrated. Also use this time to look at content management processes, your content strategy and the governance model. You may need to redesign some of or the entire website depending on the functionality of the new CMS. The CMS will need to be made ready for the new content, migrating the site design, information architecture and navigations. Then you can migrate the content across. Lastly, put in place processes for ongoing maintenance and development of the content within the website to ensure it remains accurate and current.

Subjects:

• Content management systems
• CMS
• IA