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Behaviorally Speaking Behaviorally speaking: Content Management -The argument against process!
Behaviorally Speaking Behaviorally speaking: Content Management -The argument against process!
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| Maintaining a website is getting more complicated each day. The needs for Content Management highlight the difficulty of updating a complex framework on a day-to-day or even minute-to-minute basis. Websites frequently suffer from embarrassing problems with bad links to non-existent URLs or pages of information that are obviously not working properly. The need to keep information updated frequently places tough demands on the Webmaster and contributing professionals who are responsible for the content. This demanding environment is a perfect example of a situation that requires just enough process. Deciding what the process should be and how much the procedures should be controlled is an important issue. Read on if you would like to share some guidelines on how to define just enough process to meet the needs and demands of fast paced content management.
Define the problem and risks of the task I often hear people discussing whether or not we need to define and implement a well-defined process. I'd like to be able to advocate for strong processes (e.g. CMM/ISO 9000/Six Sigma etc.) but the truth is that there have been many times when I have seen very effective teams with little or no process. Sometimes the Culture of the group just does not fit well into a regimented procedure. Yet the first time that the company looses money because of a mistake is a little late to convince people to implement Content Management procedures. The challenge is to define a process that meets the needs of the group and in my industry the corporation who we all work for. The only way to really define a process properly is to focus on the problems that need to be solved and the goals that need to be met. Managing Risk... Defining a process is really specifying the tasks, roles and responsibilities that need to be fulfilled in order to do the job. Any good process also has some "tests" to confirm that the process is being adhered to properly. Most of all process is about managing risk. Imagine if a Unix PHP website developer had to fill out forms and review his proposed changes before a change control review board, before he could write the code to create an online bulletin board. The extra work is hardly justified when the only risk is an online bulletin board malfunction. Unjustified verbose processes can negatively impact productivity and more than likely will be just ignored. On the other hand, Military and Medical systems will employ these detailed procedures when the risk is the potential loss of life. It's the Culture that counts... The most common mistake is to fail to consider the corporate culture when designing and specifying process. The second mistake is to miss creating different processes for different groups within the same organization. The goals need to be the same for each group, but it is often not possible to make all of the groups adhere to the exact same process. The culture of the group is those characteristics that govern how the group behaves and operates on a daily basis. Some groups play fast and loose and others need some rigidity and they have the group expectation that everyone on the team will play by the rules (often set by the group itself). These expectations become cultural norms and will enjoy compliance more than a large document that sits on someone's bookcase. The task of Content Management ... The task of Content Management is a prime example of where groups need different levels of formal process steps based upon their business needs. Two Content Editors, working closely together, may be able to successfully management their online material with less structure than the PHP developers who are writing the screens. If the Content Editors are also the coders writing the PHP then they need to understand that their process is based upon which role they are performing. The Unix Administrators who need to complete system modifications and then reboot the system must obviously notify everyone affected and schedule the reboot in advance. (As a Unix SA I realize that this takes all the fun out of the job...) What needs to be considered The needs of defining a process require that you first consider your goals and the problems that you need to solve. The Culture of the group must be considered carefully and you need to define just enough process to get the job done. Content Management is a prime example of where you may need to define your change control processes based upon the role that is being performed and the risks that be addressed. A well-defined process is just a tool. Keeping our focus on the business helps to define effective process models that will be followed and add value to our organization! Bob Aiello is a Senior Contributing Editor for Crossroads News and an Associate Director at Bear Stearns & Co. where he is engaged in Software Process Improvement on a large-scale basis. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Organizational Development Network of Greater New York (ODNofGNY) and a member of the Steering Committee of CitySPIN in New York. Mr. Aiello has a Masters in Industrial Psychology and a BS in Computer Science. You can reach Mr. Aiello by email at http://www.cmcrossroads.com/administrator/raiello@acm.org
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 April 2008 11:13 |
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