NTC 2019: Finding the Needle

Finding the right CMS for your website feels like the classic “needle in a haystack” problem. Websites are expensive in both money and resources. Thoughtful platform selection is critical to your online success over the long term. Learn how to sort through the field of tools available to find the best fit for your organization’s needs in the long term.

Learning Outcomes
- Identify important criteria to factor into your selection process (that might not be obvious)
- Apply techniques to get the least biased information when "sifting" for tools
- Leverage a framework to perform your evaluation

Transcript

1. 1 KANOPI STUDIOS AND PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PRESENT Finding the Needle A Framework for Evaluating Content Management Systems
2. 2 I make websites effective and easy to understand. Kanopi creates open source websites that create an impact. @katherinemwhite www.kanopi.com # FINDING THE NEEDLE Katherine White Director of Engineering Kanopi Studios
3. 3 I oversee all communications efforts at PHR, including publications, media relations, and digital communications. PHR works at the intersection of medicine, science, and law to secure justice and universal human rights for all. @dededunevant www.phr.org DeDe Dunevant Director of Communications Physicians for Human Rights # FINDING THE NEEDLE
5. The Challenge WHY CMS SELECTION IS MORE CHALLENGING THAN EVER
6. There are too many options.
7. There are too few resources. FINDING THE NEEDLE
8. The stakes are high. FINDING THE NEEDLE
9. “WCM [Web Content Management] is more important than ever for digital transformation and optimization, so there is increasing pressure to "get it right this time round." FINDING THE NEEDLE
10. Apples are not oranges. PRESENTATION TITLE
11. The Players GETTING TO KNOW THE CMS LANDSCAPE
12. CMS Types Paid solutions featuring mid-market and enterprise tools. Software build and maintained by a volunteer community. Content as a Service (CaaS) and value-add open source tools. FINDING THE NEEDLE
13. Commercial “It’s reassuringly expensive -- you get what you pay for.” Examples: Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore, Oracle, IBM, Kentico, Craft CMS ⎼ Controlled environment ⎼ Robust, enterprise feature set - DAM, personalization, AI, machine learning ⎼ Dedicated application support ⎼ Strong focus on business needs speaks to decision makers ⎼ Wide spectrum of price points ⎼ Midmarket options in this category as well help serve a wide spectrum of price points FINDING THE NEEDLE
14. Commercial “It’s reassuringly expensive -- you get what you pay for.” Examples: Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore, Oracle, IBM, Kentico, Craft CMS ⎼ Economics - these get expensive very quickly ⎼ Proprietary technology ⎼ Can be difficult to scale ⎼ Can be difficult to customize ⎼ High demand talent FINDING THE NEEDLE
15. Open Source “Thousands of hours of development -- at no cost.” Examples: Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, Grav CMS ⎼ Vast array of modules and plugins offer pre-built solutions for most use cases ⎼ Architectures are designed to scale and extend ⎼ Supportive developer communities ⎼ Accessible technologies ⎼ Affordable talent FINDING THE NEEDLE
16. ⎼ Lack of formal support ⎼ Unpredictable roadmap ⎼ Inconsistent module and plugin implementations make for patchwork admin experiences ⎼ No “one way” to build something - support implications ⎼ Focus frequently on developer/technology needs rather than business/user ones ⎼ Reputation for being insecure and/or non-performant ⎼ Site is only as good as the developers who build it Open Source “Thousands of hours of development -- at no cost.” Examples: Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, Grav CMS FINDING THE NEEDLE
17. Cloud/Hosted “Monolithic CMS platforms are an antiquated idea.” Examples: Acquia, Automattic, WP Engine, Contentful, Netlify CMS ⎼ True API-first or ‘headless Content as a Service (CaaS) is an option in this category ⎼ Supports microservices-based architecture - unify your systems and let each one do what it does well ⎼ Makes it easier to swap out tools when your content is just another API ⎼ Hosted solutions provide a balance between support, enterprise features, and open source tools ⎼ Developer-first approach ⎼ API-driven content can play to internal team strengths FINDING THE NEEDLE
18. ⎼ Maintaining and dealing with multiple tools and vendors ⎼ It’s always the other system’s fault ⎼ New approach means new players ⎼ Rapidly evolving space - stability ⎼ Resources are high-demand and relatively scarce ⎼ Requires rebuilding some system functionality that traditional content management systems provide out of the box Cloud/Hosted “Monolithic CMS platforms are becoming antiquated.” Examples: Acquia, Automattic, WP Engine, Contentful, Netlify CMS FINDING THE NEEDLE
19. Real Talk with PHR PHR’s experiences in the transition from a commercial CMS to an open-source alternative. FINDING THE NEEDLE
20. Getting Started RECOGNIZING REALITY
21. Know thyself. Every team is unique, and every organization is unique. Know how yours will honestly play into your CMS decision. PRESENTATION TITLE
22. Respect your limits. Every project faces real constraints. It is important to be up front about yours before you start looking at systems. PRESENTATION TITLE
23. Define your needs. Be honest about what you must have versus your ideal state. PRESENTATION TITLE
24. Real Talk with PHR PHR’s candid evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses helped inform their selection process. FINDING THE NEEDLE
25. Defining Success WHAT DOES AN EFFECTIVE CMS MEAN TO US?
26. What would you like to inherit? FINDING THE NEEDLE
27. Think human. Then quantify. FINDING THE NEEDLE
28. “It is critical that the CMS is easy to use.” FINDING THE NEEDLE
29. 29 … What does that actually ? # FINDING THE NEEDLE
30. Let’s break it down. As an author, I can create, change, and publish content without knowing how to code. As an author, I can keyword search our DAM system and directly insert files into my content. As an author, I can visually create or preview my work in a way that mimics my final product. As an admin, I can update the CMS with downtime of 20 minutes or less. FINDING THE NEEDLE
31. Considerations AREAS TO THINK ABOUT AS YOU BUILD REQUIREMENTS.
32. Platform ecosystem What kind of support model is there? How responsive are they? Is it a big developer community? Are they active and enthusiastic? How active is ongoing work on the platform? Do they have a plan? Is it as easy to get out as it is to get in? If you leave this tool, what can you take with you? FINDING THE NEEDLE
33. Feature set Do your email, commerce, and relationship tools work out of the box? Are there special, industry-specific tools for your organization that this system offers? Can other applications “talk” to your website? How easy is it to add things on? How big is the pre-built selection? Can you build your own? FINDING THE NEEDLE
34. Content management How important is a visual representation of the content? WYSIWYG? Preview? Do you have a lot of users? What sections of the site do they edit? Do they need to schedule content? Guided vs free-form? Storytelling? Data? Layout? Does your CMS power other applications? FINDING THE NEEDLE
35. Brand standards How deeply does your site need to integrate your assets? Are there other tools that access your website content? How complicated are your publication workflows? What roles to people play? How do you want your site to incorporate your look, feel, and voice? FINDING THE NEEDLE
36. System security What’s the reputation for security? Attack vectors? And what’s the reality? Who hosts this platform? What are their practices? Can you use your CAS? TFA? Pick your acronym. What about passwords? What tools are available to augment site security “out of the box?” FINDING THE NEEDLE
37. Maintenance How easy is it to upgrade the CMS? How hard are major version changes? Does the system let you know when there are security updates? Who handles them? Do you have team members who know the tech? How reliable is support? Is this specialized tech? How available are resources? FINDING THE NEEDLE
38. Real Talk with PHR A focus on the core business goals and clear plan on how to create a roadmap for their content needs has helped PHR maximize their project impact. FINDING THE NEEDLE
39. Evaluation FINDING THE CMS THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU.
40. Do your homework. Don’t take things at face value. ⎼ Demos are nice. Trials are better. ⎼ Come with questions. Don’t just hear the pitch. ⎼ Review example sites. ⎼ Don’t rely on the marketing materials. ⎼ Read the forums. ⎼ Think about integrations. ⎼ Leverage your network. FINDING THE NEEDLE
41. Collaborate. Involve the real stakeholders. ⎼ Time-based trials ⎼ Invested employees ⎼ Content creators ⎼ Developers ⎼ Flex the workflows ⎼ Engage the doubters FINDING THE NEEDLE
42. Document. Keep notes and team alignment. ⎼ Line item requirements ⎼ Focus on the most important things ⎼ Document workarounds ⎼ Engage others ⎼ Yes/no = more consistent feedback ⎼ http://bit.ly/ntc19-cms-eval-sheet FINDING THE NEEDLE
43. Real Talk with PHR Balancing requirements, constraints, and stakeholder expectations helped PHR make a successful transition to their new CMS. FINDING THE NEEDLE
44. Thank you! #19NTCCMSEVAL @KATHERINEMWHITE @DEDEDUNEVANT
45. Questions?