Best Practices for CMS Web Teams

Before acquiring a CMS, it's critical to identify the individuals involved with administering, managing, supporting, and contributing to your organization's content management efforts. This involves documenting current Web team roles and anticipating new roles that will exist as a result of CMS acquisition.

The exact roles and number of people involved will vary on a per-case basis, and depending upon size, many organizations can successfully implement a CMS solution without every role listed below. This is intended to serve as a guide to get you thinking about the typical roles that you may need for your content management implementation.

In addition to one person responsible for overall management of the site, typically referred to as a Webmaster, the ideal post-CMS acquisition Web team is typically comprised of two sub-departments or teams:

1. System Administration & Development Web team
2. Content Web team

**Please note that the size and structure of your ideal Web team may differ; many organizations can and have successfully implemented and integrated their CMS with fewer or more positions than we list here.

System Administration & Development Web Team

This is the team that manages the back-end of your web site, including everything from database, server, and application management to server-side scripting and knowledge of languages such as PHP, Java, and ColdFusion. Programmers and back-end technical specialists familiar with the right languages for your system are critical for effective maintenance and management of your CMS solution. On the design side of things, you may have a template and site-design guru, a graphic designer, and even a programmer for implementing items like SWF (Shockwave Flash) and JavaScript on your site.

Those who support and administer your CMS implementation will also be included on this team. Your CMS support specialists are the ones who oversee the use and processes associated with your content management system. The support team will often include a project manager or Webmaster, who is responsible for the general oversight of your site and implementation. This person serves as the go-to contact for any concerns, ideas, or issues related to your site and your content management system. A System  Administrator will also be part of this team, and serve as the point person for managing the technical aspects of your CMS implementation.

Content Web Team

Content Web specialists are responsible for things like your site's ease-of-use and accessibility, design, and content. On the content side, roles such as content contributors, marketing writers, and copy editors are all typical content-focused positions dealing with client-facing site materials. By taking on the responsibility of content development, contributions and improvement, this team allows the developers and system administrators of your organization to focus on the set-up and management of your site.

This team should be made up of experts on the messaging of your organization -- those who can effectively contribute valuable content to your site and use appropriate keywords to ensure relevancy when content is searched. Content contributors can include faculty and staff updating course listings, marketers creating and editing 'About Us' content, and rich media experts who can upload and place files and graphics in the necessary areas of your site.

Aside from ensuring adequate staffing when taking on a CMS implementation, being technically prepared is of equal importance. For a breakdown of technical requirements, please visit our WCM requirements page.

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