Building the right web teamMatt Herzberger

The GoalGetting the right people in the right room at the right time

Define: teamA unified group of people, intentionally working together to achieve a common defined mission.

Where do we start

This is about finding RIGHT team for YOUR institution Similar to selecting a CMS, I can’t give you the

answer. You must find what works for you

I can give you advice on how to get there.

No plug and play

There is no off-the-shelf solution; you need to spend time really looking at the needs of your campus.

There is no “easy” button.

Look at your organization

Is there central web leadership?

Do you need a web service team?

Is there talent around campus?

Has organization leadership drank the Kool-Aid?

Do you have a governance model?

What skills are you needing / missing at your organization?

State your goals

Based on your analysis, what are the gaps on campus? Your goals can center on a mission to plug those holes.

Mission Possible

Initiative-driven

Services-driven

Leadership/strategy-driven

Hybrid

Initiative driven

These teams deal with and build high-profile sites. Examples include:

Univ. homepage Brand campaign sites Capital campaign sites Virtual tours Social media hub Feature based sites Etc

Services driven

These teams tend to provide services to units across campus, including:

Web design Web development Editorial/ content strategy System administration CMS implementation

Leadership/ strategy driven

These teams tend to guide central standards and policies for the university at large; they may or may not have direct oversight:

create policies provide templates/ web standards, work on best practices/ governance sit on and lead committees provide campus wide communication

about the state and direction of web step back and look at the big numbers

Hybrid driven

These teams will work across all the above mentioned areas.

They tend to be the largest teams and have many roles and specialized team members

Funding needs

Many times the funding source or structure will directly dictate the types of services or function of your team

Central funded

These teams tend to be more initiative and strategy driven. They are there to focus on the big picture and provide other units with the tools to be successful on their own.

The centrally funded teams that do services tend to have oversight from a committee or leadership as to what projects are taken since they can’t expand to meet demand.

Revenue generating

These are teams that need to make money to pay staff, therefore most revenue funded teams tend to be services based teams.

Similar to how lawyers have to focus on billable hours.

They can grow whenever demand increases and provide more staffing flexibility.

Hybrid funding

Similar to the hybrid team, a hybrid funding tends to lead to a team that serves many purposes.

Hybrid funding may be a result of the hybrid team mission mentioned earlier.

Positions

Web designer – talent in web standards, graphic design, accessibility, interface design and usability

Web developer – talent would range from coding to basic sys administration, database administration and interface design

Content strategist – with skills in editorial, web writing, communications and information architecture

Project manager – ability to juggle all the teams projects and keep things on point as well as work with clients for the best outcomes, usually these are used for services driven teams or at times large initiative driven teams

Positions

CMS administrator – a person to lead and drive the CMS implementation across campus

Interactive web marketer – a person with a bit more of a marketing background not 100% from a technology background, many times the department leader fills this role, they tend to be involved in creating interactive initiatives

Support staff – these people provide support to all the moving parts of the web team, many times there are used on service driven teams. Tasks can include QA, production, support and maintenance

Others – here are some positions that may or maybe not always fall on the web team, but may be included based on your teams function sys admin, social media coordinator, photographer/ videographer

Right people

Talented

Happy

Helpful

Curious

Motivated

Courageous

Accountable

Governance, part of team success

• Establishes authority and accountability• Defines the role of all campus units as it relates

to the web and establishes how they will support web efforts

• Involves senior leadership• Involves line management• Is not a one-off process

Graduate from a production shop to a strategic shop

Challenges

Leadership

Accountability

Trust

Culture

Balance

The bigger picture

Align everything you do to business goals

Fit into the corporate culture

Have a champion for what you do

Plow around boulders

Be a leader

Be open and honest

Have intuition

Pay attention to people’s needs or concerns

Make sure everyone knows how to win

Be a good coach

Find consistent and clear communication plans

Measure performance not time

Set a vision and get out of the way

In the end

Be flexible

Have reviews and get feedback

Find the right people

Set them up to win

Bring people together

Don’t worry, be happy