Web Governance

Jesse Hopps

Last week, I received a request from a client of ours based out of Australia who was asked to create a web governance document and framework for his company’s corporate website.

When I get a request like this I usually reach out to our network of experts for advice and direction. However, this time I decided to look at Demand Metric’s internal process and governance structure. After all, we are a content based business that deals almost exclusively on the web.

This was a very timely request as we recently created an excel spreadsheet that outlined our research, posting and syndication process. Unfortunately, we overlooked the fact that this was only a small part of the overall governance picture.

Website governance is an important topic that tends to fall off the radar. Sometimes we have an informal process in place and don’t even know it. Formalizing your website process can have many advantages; some of which include:

• Facilitating communication & collaboration across the organization
• Creating a better managed and maintained website
• Decreasing the amount of time it takes to train new employees
• Helping to building a more “Customer Centric” website
• Increasing the speed at which decisions can be made
• Controlling the quantity & quality of content for the website

Like so many other projects, one of the key challenges you’ll run into if you're looking to create a website governance document is getting started. We are currently in the process of developing a template that our clients can use. If you have any information and/or templates you would like to share with us, feel free to send us an email at info@demandmetric.com. Also, check out our website related templates at www.demandmetric.com.

At the highest level, your website governance document is intended to address the following areas:

• Governance Goals
• Governance Structure
• Governance Process
• Website Roles & Responsibilities
• Implementation Timeline
• Website Training
• Website Funding Model
• Website Metrics
• Continuous Improvement

Of course, we’ll have a template that you can use in the near future. In the meantime, check out these great resources:

Mass.gov
Web Governance on LinkedIn
Web Governance Wikipedia

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