Building a Content Management System (CMS)

• Analyze your organization’s information architecture, content management processes, and content types used.
• Define the content management needs and CMS goals (e.g., simultaneous content management across dozens of websites, faster content development and publishing, more efficient storage and management of large files, compliance with region- or industry-specific regulations like GDPR or HIPAA).
• Outline the solution’s scope (e.g., customizable content templates, AI-based content personalization, built-in SEO tools, multilanguage support).
• Specify the future CMS users and their roles (e.g., content authors, content editors).

Deliverables: a CMS vision and a project scope.

• Decide on a content governance strategy, including content life cycle workflows, file naming conventions, metadata management, frequency of content updates, user roles and permissions, content retention/deletion, regulatory compliance.
• Define the core CMS features depending on your content management needs. E.g., if you need a CMS to manage websites used for selling products online, it will need built-in ecommerce functionality (e.g., product description pages, product recommendations, promotional banners, shipping and payment information). Alternatively, a CMS can be integrated with your existing ecommerce solution.
• Define the target KPIs for a CMS solution (e.g., +50% traffic volume on the website, +25% user engagement with the web content, +60% invoice processing speed).
• Create a CMS requirements specification.
• Choose a suitable platform (for platform-based CMS implementation) or a tech stack (for custom CMS development).
• Plan CMS integrations (e.g., with CRM, intranet, ecommerce, marketing automation software).
• Plan a CMS development project, including the project duration and budget estimation.
• Draw up a business case, including cost-benefit analysis, NPV and ROI calculation, etc.

Deliverables: a content governance strategy, a CMS feature list, a CMS requirements specification, the list of target KPIs, a CMS development plan.

• Create an information architecture, i.e., categorize the content to ensure easy content search.
• Design content management workflows (e.g., content approval, publishing) for each content type.
• Create personas and user journey maps.
• Create CMS prototypes.
• Conduct usability testing of the prototypes.

Deliverables: the content architecture, workflows, CMS prototypes.

Carry out your CMS development project in line with the chosen implementation approach:

• Build a platform-based content management system. This option is recommended if the default set of CMS features (e.g., multi-type content support, a WYSIWYG editor, content approval workflows) can fully meet your content management needs.
• Develop a CMS from scratch. This option is recommended if you need a flexible and scalable CMS tailored to your specific content management needs (e.g., built-in SEO tools, AI-based content personalization, multisite and multilanguage support, custom branding, integrations with legacy software).

Deliverables: a CMS solution.

• Create a CMS test plan, test scenarios and test cases.
• Conduct the required types of CMS testing (e.g., functional, integration, performance, usability testing).
• Fix the defects detected during the testing (e.g., slow page loading, errors in the content workflows).

Deliverables: a CMS test plan, test cases, reports.

• Create a thorough data migration plan.
• Define the content eligible for migration to the new CMS.
• Check the legacy content for errors and duplication, outdated or inconsistent data.
• Conduct content migration.
• Test the transferred data and content for consistency, accuracy, completeness, etc.

Deliverables: a CMS data migration plan.

• Create documentation on the CMS use (including a style guide that describes the content formatting rules) and hand it over to the CMS users.
• Conduct training sessions for CMS users on content creation, approval, publishing, and updating.
• Perform user acceptance testing.
• Collect user feedback and implement relevant CMS improvements (e.g., in navigation, workflows).
• Launch the CMS to the production environment.

Deliverables: CMS user guides.

• Resolve user issues and fix the newfound defects in the CMS, if any.
• As time goes on and your organization grows, adjust the solution to the changing business needs (e.g., create custom CMS add-ins or plugins).
• Monitor and improve CMS compliance with the region- and industry-specific standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).

Deliverables: defects reports, performance reports, compliance reports.