Project management is normally associated with jobs such and construction or architecture but it is actually varied, and project management and their principles is carried throughout every industry and trade. As an expanding business can outgrow an office; the same can be true of a website for example. For one reason or another, you may decide that it is time to migrate onto a new web system; equipped with more features to facilitate needs. In any given situation where this may occur, a strong plan of action is needed and a strong delivery is required and this comes down to project management. When it comes to a website migration, preparation is vital in executing a smooth transition.
Why A Web Migration?
A web migration may be called upon for a few different reasons. One of the main causes for web migrations is to simply move to a brand new CMS (Content Management System) and this may be because the current CMS you are using is a little old or has been hacked. Updating your current CMS is a possibility for a quick cure but is not the long term fix. Buy migrating over there are lots of new features you can unlock in newer versions of a CMS which treat handling digital data very differently and secures your system better. And the migration does not just stop at a new CMS you have to consider the transfer of data, content and traffic too. If you are making a change to the structure or framework of your website, your current content needs to be migrated to fit in with the newest web structure and this will need thorough project management skills to make sure all is transferred correctly.
Project Managing A Website Migration
When it comes to project management, project managing a website migration is no different to any other project. Planning and preparation plays a key part in overseeing a successful migration. A web migration should never be the part of another task; it is a task in itself. You as the leader and your team should be able to analyze the core migration tasks and focus in on the crucial elements which are as follows:
Vision
One question you should be asking yourself from the get go is what are the reasons for you requiring website design? It can be a time consuming task and lengthy project for your team, so make sure you have valid reasons for it. What do you want to achieve with a website migration in terms of design and functionality for visitors? Like with any project management work, get all your thoughts out by drawing up a brainstorm and looking at the strengths it can bring, the weaknesses it may have, the opportunities it could deliver and the threats it may encounter. By doing all this you will provide your team with a gentle reminder why they are doing this migration and the vision of the project goal.
Planning
Take your vision and make it into a concrete plan. Finalize your brainstorm into an effective flow chart to demonstrate what you will achieve over the length of the project, and how you will go about it (this will also give you a timescale for the project).
Consider such things as your website’s content, metadata and social media impact; how you want to redesign the new relationships to allow a different kind of functionality and attract a new audience. You also need to think about having the right team with the right skills for the job, and how to communicate yourself effectively to them. Like with any project, you need to select the right tools for the job – and by choosing the right team they will come up with a solution and creativity of what your project migration really needs rather than just a lot of technobabble. Finally, the architecture of the pages needs to put under the microscope, which is one of the most crucial elements to any website. A plan needs to be put in place as to how you are approaching each page in design and technical access to networking.
Delivery
When the time comes to take the plunge; if you have taken every single detail into consideration – you have nothing to worry about. From a project manager’s perspective, if you have stuck to your budget, drawn upon the desired resources, corresponded not only with the content management team, but set up a clear communication line with the IT department and shareholders you are setting yourself up for success. Any project when it comes to website migration always has the element of failing from a technical perspective, so by coordinating, corresponding and sticking to a plan to a high degree you can achieve successful delivery.
Author: Jennifer has an academic background in engineering and science. Throughout her careers she has been able to deliver large projects and to tight timescales. Her Telegraph courses in project management helped her improve her project skills and improved her confidence and leadership on sites.
