Content Management System Charter V2

University of Waterloo Web Content Management Systems

Project Proposal - Draft March 30, 2008

Definition

Originally, a website was simply a collection of web pages. Elements of content, visual design, and web technology were intertwined on each page. As the web advanced in complexity, touching any single page required a broad expertise on the part of the web page author or editor. As websites grow in size, the handcrafted approach to content management can become unmanageable.

A content management system provides the tools for these elements to be managed separately by relevant experts and to be automatically combined into pages viewed on the site. The people responsible for what is said on a web page can edit it without knowing HTML and attendant languages and technologies. The people responsible for the visual design of pages can change that in one place and have it propagated to the rest of the website.

Goal

To study Content Management Systems (CMS) and make recommendations about their implementation and potential use in the context of the requirements of the University.

Objectives

  1. Identify basic principles of managing the content of our Web space. These would include, for example:
    • separating presentation from content
    • ease of maintenance
    • ability to implement and respond to changes in branding (i.e. Common Look & Feel)
    • distributed administration
    • agility in responding to changing environments and requirements
    • ability to achieve an integrated web presence for the University rather than one that is divided along organizational lines.n
    • ability to implement more advanced functionality (RSS feeds, blogs, search, calendars etc.)
    • ability to optimize reusability of content to ensure consistency of information presentation
  2. Identify the different types of website maintenance that exist on campus and assess our current ability to achieve these basic principles (See CMS Final Report (DOCX))
  3. Learn about content management systems and how they work by reviewing documentation, hosting talks or demonstrations and, where possible, running trials of content management systems.
  4. Assess the maturity of the Content Management market place and their acceptance and successful use, especially within academic institutions.
  5. Identify the different contexts where content management systems might best be used and where they would not be applicable.
  6. Identify the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing content management system(s).

Assumptions

  1. The University of Waterloo web presence is of vital and growing importance to the image projected by University of Waterloo and to the conduct of its business.
  2. The University of Waterloo web presence must be able to respond rapidly to the changing needs and expectations of the organization and the communities it serves.
  3. The management of the University of Waterloo Web space reflects the decentralized organizational structure of the University. Content management solutions must fit within this organizational environment.

Scope

  1. Vendor supplied systems such as Angel and the Peoplesoft Human Resources and Quest applications are outside the scope of this project.
  2. Investigations into portal solutions are considered to be outside the scope of this project.

Risks

  1. The move to a Content Management System would be substantial undertaking, financially and in the effort required to implement such a system. Web site administrators may be reluctant to support this change after having completed the transition to the current Common Look and Feel within the last two years. They may also resist the possible loss of autonomy in their Web site administration.
  2. Technologies currently used to develop and deploy websites may limit the University's ability to respond to changing requirements and achieve a world class web site.
  3. Several organizational units on campus have already moved to Content Management Systems. In the absence of a University-supported solution, this proliferation of solutions will likely continue. It has the risk of hindering our ability to present a unified web presence.

Deliverables

Present a report to University Committee on Information Systems & Technology which will:

  1. Outline options for selecting and implementing content management systems and migrating current web content to those systems. This should include a list of criteria for selecting appropriate systems and scenarios for implementation in the University of Waterloo environment.
  2. Recommend whether or not the University proceed with the selection and implementation of content management systems.

Project participants

Eva Grabinski (chair), Megan McDermott, Mary Lynn Benninger, Terry Stewart, Pat Lafranier, Gary Ridley, Chris Gray, Guillermo Fuentes, Paul Snyder.