Faculty & School Sites: New Design before New Content

Opportunity

Our current approach and estimated timeline will require us to get 36 sites completed between June and December. We don't think this is realistic.

Also working on a Faculty by Faculty basis will penalise some of them as their work is scheduled during busy times e.g. when they are preparing for enrolment.

Alternative approach proposed

Once the Faculty and School templates are designed and built then content is transferred over as is. 

Alongside this process content will continue to be developed. 

Advantages

• Faculty and Schools will get the benefit of being on new templates sooner
• Content doesn't have to be tackled by Faculty and School 
  • we could instead choose to address content based on where we think we can add the most value.
  • This approach will allow us to be more flexible with our timings and better able to work about SME's
  • If work stalls we will have more freedom to pick up the next piece of work rather than getting stalled with a particular group of staff
• When December comes around everyone will be on much better templates, content will be easier to update and to reuse.
• Because they are in new templates staff are more likely to carry on with improving the sites themselves rather than waiting for their new site to be implemented.
• We will be able to migrate content within Squiz

Disadvantages

• There may not be time to address all of the content - this is the same disadvantage for both of the current approaches.
• The migration of existing content is likely to add complexity and take time we otherwise wouldn't have needed to spend.
• Because people have their new look sites they may be less likely to value co-operating with other changes we would like them to make to content.

Outstanding Issues

• This approach won't work where we are making changes to structure
  • Engineering Faculty and School is being merged
  • Education Faculty and School is being merged
  • NZSM is on a very distinct site - do we include this in the project at all. Originally it wasn't part of the project as the school was staying independent.
• New content will be being developed at the same time the templates are being built. We need to decide how and when to approach integrating the new content - before, during or after migration

The Process

1. Socialise the approach
2. Identify the requirements and scope
3. Work out how to migrate existing content programatically 
4. Building the template
5. Migrate the content / Integrate new content
6. Check the content
7. Training web publishers
8. Handover site to Faculty or School

Timing