Implementing a Content Management System System Configuration and Customization

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Implementing a Content Management System System
Configuration and Customization

• Chip Gettinger
• LightSpeed Software, Inc.
• chip_at_lspeed.com
• www.lspeed.com
• September 11, 2002

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Topics

• What phase are we at?
• Who is involved in this phase?
• Customization of the Repository
• Mapping Information and Metadata Models into
  reality
• Development of unique applications
• CMS Configuration
• How to make sense of all this planning for daily
  use
• How are different servers configured?
• Users, Workflow and security
• Integration and testing plans
• Testing, testing, and more testing before going
  live
• How do other applications tie into this process?

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Implementation Phase of Project

• This is where all your planning goes to work
• Hands-on deployment
• Most hectic time period
• Pressure to show results
• Most difficult time to make changes
• Many developers are using your plans
• Process tied together very closely
• CMS components are interdependent
• Teamwork critical as phases pull together
• Good communication critical
• Track and document decisions

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Who is Involved?

• Team Leader
• Project vision and focal point
• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
• People who have knowledge about your content
• Technical Communicators
• Folks responsible for writing
• CMS Content Experts
• Understand structure and purpose of content
• Workflow knowledge
• System Administrator
• Implementation of technical areas
• XML attributes and metadata model
• DTD or schema design
• Security and access controls
• Database backups

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Who is Involved? (cont.)

• Software Programmers
• Java or C
• Develop special applications
• Script Writers
• JavaScript, Python, Perl, etc.
• Content transformation, delivery, syndication -
  XSLT
• Web Developers
• Structure layer XML or HTML
• Presentation layer
• HTML delivery - CSS
• Print production XSL FO or others
• Integrate special applications

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Customization of the Repository

• Designed and deployed a technical infrastructure
• Improved and reworked existing knowledge
• Ensured user acceptance
• Development of special applications to fill
  vendor gaps
• Java and C - compiled applications
• JavaScript, Python, Perl scripting applications
• Content types
• Structured XML
• Documents MS Word, FrameMaker, etc.
• Others images, vector, etc.
• Schema and DTD development
• Information Model put into use
• Follow industry standards
• Content and metadata
• Controlled terms

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Controlled terms maintain consistency

• Results
• Automatic update of standard terminology
• Consistency throughout company and document sets
• Significant time savings with updates

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CMS Configuration High Level

• Question match current file system configuration
  or map to new business process?
• Most companies moving to a product-based model
• Users and Groups
• Access controls and security
• workflow design and notification
• Users CMS view
• Cabinet and folder structure
• Searching and other applications
• Document versions, history and audit trails
• Role of XML
• Structure facilitates reuse
• Metadata and attributes (semantic structure)
• Separation of content and format
• Content re-use model

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Typical CMS Configuration
Authoring, Staging and Reviewing
Production Servers
Development and Prototype
COPY
PUBLISHING
SYNDICATION

• Transformation, Assembly, Formatting and Delivery
• Content Publishing and Syndication

• Content Management
• Content Authoring, Versioning and Sharing
• Staging and reviewing
• Security and Access Controls
• User Profile and Metadata Management

• Test area for new code development
• Modification of current code in off-line
  environment
• Duplicate production environment

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CMS Server Configurations

• Development and Prototype Server
• Area for new code development and experiments
• Modification of current code in off-line
  environment
• Mirror production system for off-line testing
• Authoring Server
• Authors provide new content. content updates and
  apply metadata
• Workflow process for authoring, reviewing and
  final publication
• Close ties with Staging Server to view results
• Staging and Reviewing Server (or area)
• When content is approved, it is promoted to the
  staging server
• Reviewed by content owners or SMEs
• Core part of quality control (QC) process
• Production (Web) Server
• Consumer access to content
• Other servers for print production

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Integration and Testing Plans

• Develop testing as part of your overall project
  plan
• Define test milestones within project plan
• Test individual components and integration with
  others
• Final test before going to production
• Test functions and features
• Content, user interface and link review
• Component integration does it work?
• Evaluate that various components work together as
  promised
• Scalability and performance
• Involve people that know how to test scalability
• Weakest link really applies here
• Develop post-production testing plans
• Monitor and make adjustments as necessary
• Poor performance will push away users

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Lessons Learned

• Careful planning is critical
• You are learning along the way
• Plan for mistakes to be made
• Design a process to evaluate and accept
  modifications
• Roll out in phases and milestones
• Balancing act of management expectations and
  meeting user requirements
• Decide critical success factors for CMS
  implementation
• Business, technical and customers
• Identify skill sets required for different tasks
• MS Project or spreadsheet critical to track
• Accept that different tasks take different skills
• Examine Web statistics analyze and review
• Review feedback from customers