You most likely live in a world that demands constant improvement in the information and services you provide to your audiences... citizens, clients, prospects, students or what have you.
The most common response to this growing demand is bigger, better and more capable technology, but when you think about what new database, content management system or other technology you will need to deliver those new and improved services, don't forget this...
The success or failure of major changes in your technology will be determined more by how well your organization, staff and management strategies can handle the impact than by the technology itself or how much you spend on it. Indeed, if you get the organizational and human parts right, a wide range of technology and cost can be successfull, but if you don't, no amount or technology or money will guarantee success.
Every new information product and service is likely to require new or upgraded content and the resources to create and manage it. And that is likely to create an entirely new set of challenges for your organization, generating a virtual wave of impact throughout your organization, budgets and staff, often requiring new skills, more complex authoring processes, more or different funding in the groups that create and manage your new information content... and the list goes on, right up to the executive decisions about where your funding will be spent; who gets to make key decisions and who has to go along.
It's not rocket science, but it cannot be ignored if success is important to you. So as you think about the technology resources and support you will need, don't forget the human side.
Your most effective way of avoiding these pitfalls and assuring success is to have someone on your team who has successfully faced the human and organizational challenges that will confront you; who knows what works and what doesn't; knows how your organization and staff will react to change; and knows how to keep your effort moving in the right direction, dealing with challenges as they arise and, when appropriate, dealing with a vendor community in which every candidate believes his solution to be just what you need.
Content Life-cycle Consulting is led by Barry Schaeffer, a pioneering planner and project manager. Barry has more than 40 years experience in the structured information and content management fields, including work with SGML beginning in 1979 and with XML from its first publication in 1996. He has led planning and development of major automation projects for clients of all sizes, from small firms on tight budgets to the largest firms in multiple industries and government agencies at federal and state levels,
As an Associate Senior Analyst with the Gilbane Group of Cambridge, MA, Barry is backed by a staff with the component skills and experience to understand and master challenges in every phase of your effort.
With CLcC on your team, you can count on the experience you need, from strategic planning to "in the trenches" project management, backed by a unique and unequalled commitment to your success.