workshop: ensuring dx project success -- scope, alignment & common pitfalls

Ensuring DX Project SuccessScope, Alignment & Common Pitfalls

Somecommonpitfalls

• Nottakingabroadenoughview• Peopledon’tknowwhattheyareagreeingto• Notbeingorganization-specificenough• Makingproblemsworseandnotagreeingonstructuresearly

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Somecommonpitfalls→Today’sagenda

• Nottakingabroadenoughview→Breadthandcoherence• Peopledon’tknowwhattheyareagreeingto→Alignment• Notbeingorganization-specificenough→ Anorg-specificvision• Makingproblemsworseandnotagreeingonstructuresearly→Timeandtiming

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Breadth and coherence

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An example: before

Weak contextual information

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Dead ends

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Project islands

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Center islands

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Soifavisitorhappens tostartonapagewithinacenter(whentheymaynotspecificallybeinterestedinthecenter),thenclicksfromtheretrapthemonthatisland

Topical islands (Energy topic)

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Topicalislands:subtopics

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Nolinkagebetweentherelatedtopicandinitiative

Blog & rest disconnected

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RFFspendsefforthere

Butthatdoesn’thelppeoplewhostartonthispage

Site visitor may not even know there is an issue — they may just think your org stinks

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An example: after

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Strongcontext

Consistent

Connected

Consistent Connected

Coherence

Why digital coherence?

Reason ImportanceBe more definitive Very high

Provide a complete understanding of the brand High

Ability to change over time High

Reward site visitor for being close High

Cross-selling Medium

Enforce quality Medium

Lower risk of redesign train wreck Medium

Ability to drive toward specific desired behaviors Medium

Cost Low

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section whole site

we are usually focused narrowly

but critical problems are

here

We need to CONSIDER how much of our real digital presence is changing.

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http://hobbs.direct/extent-number

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Make sure this is the real number.


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All pages in digital presence (2,500)

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Pages included in the DX project (1,750) Pages NOT included in project (750)

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2,500

1,750 70%


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Attempt to INCREASE this number.


How you may think about things

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http://hobbs.direct/extend

How your visitors see it

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Ineffective option 1: changing main site


Ineffective option 2: adding one-off

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NOT in the vision: Solely customizing some shallow and narrow pages

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NOT in the vision: Shallowly demonstrating uniqueness across the whole sitemap

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VISION: Somewhat customizing even the content well for every page (without requiring significant customization by publisher).

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Alignment

Alignment isn’t just about talking more. It’s approaching engagement effectively.

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Gettingalignment

1. Focusonthestructureandextent2. Illustratetheproblemswiththecurrentsituation3. Illustratethepossiblenewstatesandwhatitwilltaketogetthere

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Focusonstructureandextent

No Yes

Flexibility orlocked-down Controlledflexibility

Template lookordetailedrequirements Broadtemplatestructure: whatisinherited,etc.

Laundry listofrequirements Big,structuralrequirementsthatmattertoward vision

Thestatic, surfaceview Dynamic view:integrations, APIs,contentsharing

Single discipline(expertiseyouhappentohave) Multi-discipline(expertiseyouneed tomeetvision)

Narrowextent Broad extent

Assumed extent Explicitextent

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Whatisabig,structuralquestion?

q Importanttoattaining(ordefining)yourvisionq Contentious— probablysome“loss”willoccurq Answernotobvious— probablysomethingthathasexistingalongtime,diggingtheproblemevendeeper

Note:thequestion probablyisnotobviouseither— perhapsit’sneverbeenasked

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Structuralquestion:Isitworthmaintainingmorestructuredinformationaboutbenchmarksandplatforms?

Backend complexity might be required for front end simplicity and coherence.

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http://hobbs.direct/visualize-impact

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An organization-specific vision

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Time

bit.ly/hobbs-add-no

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http://hobbs.direct/add-innovation

bit.ly/hobbs-add-no

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Site visitor may arrive anywhere (and be ready to leave immediately)

Your jewel of a page may be “close” but it is of no use if the site visitor doesn’t know about it

The front door barely matters

The user may want something else entirely even if they start at what you think is your jewel content


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Time ravages coherence

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Type1:Streamlined

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http://hobbs.direct/four

Type2:Regularworkprogram

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Type3:Redesigns

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Type4:One-offs

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We want to spend our time on the left side

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Streamlined

• Is something that should be fast

• Is something that is fast• Clear standards (including

whether to streamline one at all)

• Optimized for quality

Routine work program

• Working on the machinery itself

• Only the next phase is planned

• The schedule for the next phase is clear

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Streamlined

• Is something that should be fast

• Is something that is fast• Clear standards (including

whether to streamline one at all)

• Optimized for quality

Routine work program

• Working on the machinery itself

• Only the next phase is planned

• The schedule for the next phase is clear

The goal is often to optimize something

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Many organizations are stuck at the bottom

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This is where we need to operate to staunch the bleeding

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This is where we go to dig out

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Use a one-off checklist

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workshop: ensuring dx project success -- scope, alignment & common pitfalls

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