Keys to CMS Project Implementation Success - Part 1

Part 1: What to think about before embarking on a project implementation

As manager of the Professional Services division of Hannon Hill, which works with clients to perform Cascade Server implementations, site migrations, site redesigns, and pilot site projects, I get to communicate with a variety of different Cascade Server users. Our team is determined to make each implementation of Cascade Server a smooth transition, a pleasant experience for our customers and their organizations, and an opportunity for better end user adoption.  During the implementation and integration processes, our clients often ask if there is anything that they can do in order to make the project successful. The answer is yes.

One of the most crucial steps your organization can take to ensure project success is to achieve early buy-in from end-user stakeholders. After all, it is the users for whom the investment in a CMS is made in the first place. Therefore, it is important for these content contributors to understand the many benefits of the new CMS and for these users to become actively engaged in the planning, implementation, and user acceptance testing processes. To help streamline this process, we recommend that you identify a project sponsor prior to embarking on a services project with Hannon Hill. The project sponsor should facilitate the process early on by understanding current content management challenges and needs.

Stay tuned for the second part in this series where we'll discuss how to approach selecting the project scope and planning for implementation.

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