How to MAXIMISE your ROI from your CMS investment

by Angus McDonald

@elcomCMS

Who am I?

Angus McDonald

Technical Director, Elcom

@elcomCMS

What should your CMS do? • Run your website (or intranet) • Make … – your website easier to use – content easier to manage – content easy to find and re-use

• Manage … – content for you (SEO, links) – your online users

major CMS challenges

Using It Properly

CHALLENGE #1

It must be used to be

useful

A vendor-neutral consultancy from Sydney providing specialist advice on content management.

“Success depends entirely on staff being able to use the CMS” James Robertson Step Two Designs

“Usability is a major factor in whether staff will be able (and willing) to make use of a new technology.”

James Robertson Step Two Designs

What is “usability”?

Easy for Everyone

Not just easy for “casual” authors

Easy for power users!

Easy for designers & developers too!

parts to

good usability

Learnability

Efficiency

Memorability

#/Effect of Errors

Satisfaction

Learnability

Efficiency

Memorability

#/Effect of Errors

Satisfaction

2 days

2 days

No training required

Wrong Solution

CHALLENGE #2

Is a new CMS really the

solution you need?

“We use the new CMS as a way to re-implement the same problems on a new platform!”

Rick Yagodich Think Info

@elcomCMS

Changing Behaviour

Your CMS won’t suddenly encourage users to publish their own content if someone’s always done it for them.

@elcomCMS

Process Failure

If your CMS selection process doesn’t ensure the real needs are identified and matched, then your project will fail.

@elcomCMS

Two examples

Central person to distributed web

Email publishing

Scope Creep

CHALLENGE #3

Is your CMS project biting off more than it needs to?

“Sometimes technology projects are just excuses to address more systemic issues”

Seth Gottlieb Content Here

Merging User Logins

Vendor Support

CHALLENGE #4

There comes a time when

everyone needs the vendor

@elcomCMS

Vendor Support

@elcomCMS

Vendor Support

• Can you get hold of the vendor’s 2nd level support quickly and easily?

@elcomCMS

Vendor Support

• Can you get hold of the vendor’s 2nd level support quickly and easily?

• How committed is the vendor to your success?

@elcomCMS

Vendor Support

• Can you get hold of the vendor’s 2nd level support quickly and easily?

• How committed is the vendor to your success?

• Can you get visibility of and influence their roadmap?

@elcomCMS

Elcom’s Support

• Sydney-based

• Melbourne user group 2x/year

• Local product developers

• Local hosting support

Performance Issues

Configuration Failures

Changing Technology

CHALLENGE #5

Changing Technology

CHALLENGE #5

Changing Technology

CHALLENGE #5

Changing Technology

CHALLENGE #5

Using a new CMS for every

website is a waste

@elcomCMS

When Technology Changes

• Power users not so powerful

• Support issues

• Learning curves all round

• Hosting headaches

• Increased training costs

@elcomCMS

Familiar Technology

• Old lessons apply

• Less re-training

• Power users can help

• Greater internal support

“you don’t want to customise the CMS at the outset of the project, before you’ve understood how it’s going to work in practice”

James Robertson Step Two Designs

Reusable not Customised

How did they re-use it?

First

Intranet Then

Website Now, considering

Learning

Management

System

How did they re-use it?

Website

Client Portal

LMS

Performance Management

Intranet?

@elcomCMS

Maximising CMS ROI

In Conclusion

solutions to 5 challenges

1. Your CMS must be usable

2. Get the process right

3. Avoid scope creep

4. Make sure the vendor can/will

support you

5. Re-use your CMS

(where possible)

@elcomCMS

Questions & Answers

@elcomCMS

Thank You!

Angus McDonald Technical Director

angusm@elcom.com.au

www.elcom.com.au

blog.falkayn.com