Commonwealth of Massachusetts Statewide Strategic IT Consolidation (ITC) Initiative ANF IT Consolidation Website Publishing / IA Working Group Kickoff September 17, 2009

- Agenda TimeTopic 12:30 – 12:40Introductions 12:40 – 12:50Project Background and Recap of Phase I 12:50 – 1:10 Web Content Publishing / IA Industry Best Practices and Case Studies 1:10 – 1:50Benefits and Perceived Challenges 1:50 – 2:00Next Steps

- Project Background: Overview of IT Consolidation IT Consolidation Framework IT services in-scope for the consolidation effort

- Current Challenges with Decentralized Web Publishing –Infrequent Use Makes Toolset Cumbersome: Hard to use tools for those who use them infrequently –Not Enough Staff or Time to Dedicate: For many web staff, upkeep is roughly 10% of their weekly work. This results in the potential for web content not being:  Current  Usable  Findable  Accessible –Staff Lack Appropriate Web Publishing Skills: Because the web is a secondary job for most, they lack the skills to maintain a best in class website. These skills include:  Creating accessible content  Writing for the web  Search Engine Optimization  Information Architecture –Difficulty Maintaining Consistency and Standards: Decentralization makes it difficult to ensure that web guidelines and standards are being followed. –Unclear Content Approval: Agencies are concerned that management is not involved in the approval process. Several lack approval workflows. Findings gathered from the Agency “listening tours”

- Recommended Web Publishing/ IA Model for Secretariats from Gilbane Strategy (2009) Based on Gilbane’s Proposed Governance Model for Web IA Management Why is this the recommended model? Reduce total time/cost to post Create central group of power users Keep content current Improve Usability Maintain Accessible Content Create consistency & adherence Monitor content to ensure it is written for the web

- Case Study: Web Governance Centralization Project(s) – Roles and Responsibilities Ongoing Roles and Responsibilities of Agencies and CoE Teams Agency Liaison Responsibilities (members of CoE) –Bridge communication and process support between CoE and Content Owners –Enforce & facilitate agency-wide use of Content Submission Form –Regularly debrief Content Owners and Business Users on any Portal changes and issues –Assist teammates with content creation, publication, and longer-term strategy Agency Liaison Responsibilities (members of CoE) –Bridge communication and process support between CoE and Content Owners –Enforce & facilitate agency-wide use of Content Submission Form –Regularly debrief Content Owners and Business Users on any Portal changes and issues –Assist teammates with content creation, publication, and longer-term strategy Content Owner Responsibilities –Evaluate agency content on a regular basis –Communicate content updates to designated Agency Liaison(s) by completing and ing the Content Submission Form to Agency Liaison –Collaborate with Agency Liaison and CoE Team to target audiences most effectively Content Owner Responsibilities –Evaluate agency content on a regular basis –Communicate content updates to designated Agency Liaison(s) by completing and ing the Content Submission Form to Agency Liaison –Collaborate with Agency Liaison and CoE Team to target audiences most effectively Center of Excellence (CoE)Team Responsibilities –Provide quality service and partner with agency to achieve agency ’ s strategic goals –Update the Agency Liaisons on portal changes and technical issues –Document feedback and respond to suggestions or concerns –Recommend solutions to best serve all Agency Constituents Center of Excellence (CoE)Team Responsibilities –Provide quality service and partner with agency to achieve agency ’ s strategic goals –Update the Agency Liaisons on portal changes and technical issues –Document feedback and respond to suggestions or concerns –Recommend solutions to best serve all Agency Constituents

- Case Study: Web Governance Centralization Project(s) – Communications The CoE Team uses a variety of communication channels to inform agency teams from content creation through maintenance. –Centralization Kick-off with Business Users: With the goal of getting everyone on the same page earlier, organizations invite a broader audience from each agency for the project kickoff. –Phone & Communication: Frequent and phone communication between the Agency Liaison and the CoETeam should be used to discuss technical and content related issues. –Portal Newsletters: A best practice is for the CoE Team to provide updates on work being done to include site maintenance, Usability Testing and efforts to improve content including Helpful Hints and Updates. –Portal and Content Management Training : Periodic training sessions will be conducted to educate agencies with processes and technologies used for editing and publishing web content. –Web Liaison and User Group Sessions: Forums for providing functional and technical updates on the portal and gathering feedback from agencies; User-driven sessions that will provide informal training, knowledge sharing, and consensus building across all portalized agencies. Effective communication is vital to the success of the Web Governance Centralization Project(s).

- Case Study: Sample from HHS Centralization Project – Communications Secretariat-wide Portal Newsletter Provide regular updates to the Secretariat on Web updates Communicate policy and standards changes Share knowledge and solicit feedback from user community

- Centralization Benefits and Perceived Challenges Benefits for Web publishing: more efficient Core team members: deeper skill set Content: better coordination, consistency & integration Staffing: enables economies of scale Agencies: provides front line support Outcomes Richer web experience for your constituents Compliance with state and federal laws Enables agency staff to focus on core job functions & responsibilities Improved marketing of your agencies services A best in class website

- Centralization Benefits and Perceived Challenges Perceived Challenges How will we ensure there will be adequate central content preparation team resources & skills? What will this cost (in terms of staff and chargeback)? How do we prevent the central team from becoming a bottleneck for posting? Inadequate turn around times What about in an emergency? Will my agency lose control over our website? How soon can we get this done? What does it mean for me? Whats Next? This is just the beginning....

- Next Steps and Project Plan ActivityAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJan-June Needs Assessment Staff Inventory Content Inventory Web CoE Kickoff Define Scope Define Roles Define Governance Model Define Training Needs Define Implementation Plan Activate Governance Team Develop Staffing Model Web CoE Team Formed/Active Define SLOs ANF Web Publishing Summit Begin Centralized Content Pub Website Analysis One Per Month