Completed Project: Content Management

XIST recently completed a project for a large government organization to review network file shares organization, develop a sustainable taxonomy and implementation strategy to migrate legacy content.

• network file shares analysis
• taxonomy development
• strategic planning

Completed Project: Web Site Development

XIST recently redeveloped the web site for a Canadian builder of world-class rowing shells and single racing sculls. The project included a broad range of integrated services:

• online marketing strategy design
• application development and content management system design
• content development
• user interface design
• multimedia podcast development
• search engine optimization

The site's content was written specifically for the web to improve search engine optimization and integrate with the online marketing strategy. Development work also included redesigning the site's information architecture and creating an original, graphical user interface design with advanced CSS controlled HTML presentation. XIST developed a customized content management application to assure content consistency, simplify the administration of the site. This CMS also separated the creation and management of the content from it's presentation on the site, allowing the site to be maintained without the intervention of technically skilled administrators. Video and audio format podcasts were also created to provide richer product information.

Completed Project: Document Management Systems Analysis

XIST completed a project for a national institution to identify, analyze and recommend publishing systems and strategies to collect, manage, and distribute documents over the Internet. Technologies and systems reviewed included extranet applications; document management systems; web content management systems; and collaborative software, such as groupware, wikis, blogs, and discussion forums. The goal of the project was to identify and rate potential systems - identify their advantages, differences, ideal uses, costs, and resourcing requirements to successfully implement. The final report is intended to help this organization make an informed decision about the appropriate course of action to pursue. Project activities included:

• User needs assessment
• Software evaluation & research
• Strategic planning

CMS market fragmented?

Trends: Still fragmented, after all these years
This is a link to an article from last spring about the fragmentation of the CMS market. It notes that there is more variety in content management systems than in other software types. At some point the market will consolidate, or perhaps it already has at the enterprise level.

The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work

I came across the phrase "The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work" italicized in a recent Tim Bray Ongoing post. Although the topic of the post was not too relevant to my work, I appreciated the concept that some solutions can be perfect and unusable. I liked the phrase itself so of course I googled it. It turns out it is associated with the Extreme Programming movement. A quick search on Wikipedia and I'm exposed to an interesting approach to solving problems with technology.

I had a professor at Library School that would often say The best is the enemy of the good. Looking back on various information management projects it is clear that the simplest solutions, even when some functionality is sacrificed, are the best. I have seen many more projects fail by making them overly complex than by adding more features and functions "just in case".

Top 10 Requirements For A File Management System

This is a summary of http://www.intrack.com/intranet/10_requirements.cfm
This document reviews file management systems as a separate class of applications but I think it is more relevant for evaluating small scale electronic records management and document management systems. For these types of systems the key features for building a sustainable system will be the selection and application of metadata, in coordination with strong indexing for accurate retrieval. Although folder structure is important for network drive file management, the fact that a file can only exist in one location at a time is a severely limiting factor for effective search and retrieval.

1. Version Control - ability to maintain multiple versions of files and an audit trail of changes.
2. Metadata - ability to create and store metadata about files.
3. Security - ability to set security by users/groups and folder/files with varying security permissions.
4. Check In - Check Out - ability in coordination with version control facility to lock and control the viewing and editing of files.
5. Search and Indexing - ability to automate indexing and facilitate fast, accurate search and retrieval.
6. File Interdependencies and Groupings - ability to create linkages between related files such as embedded spreadsheets in wordprocessed files.
7. Interface - ability to direct the user through a simple, intuitive user interface built upon common technical conventions such as a web browser.
8. Folder Structure - ability to create heirarchical folders and subfolder storage structures for grouping files.
9. File Type Support - ability to contol different standard file types such as Word, Access, Excel, Text, JPEG and HTML.
10. File Retention Management - ability to set expiration dates for automated file review, archival and deletion.

What's next?

TheStar.com - National Web library do-able, affordable, visionary

This article by Michael Geist outlines a plan to digitize all Canadian published material. While this may not happen tomorrow, it is clear that this is no longer in the realm of science-fiction. It also shows how creative we can be when our thinking is not limited by existing technology and intellectual property laws.

This column is one of a series Michael Geist writes for the Toronto Star. A list of columns is available here

Intranet Trends to Watch For

Line56.com: Intranet Trends to Watch For

A quick link to an article about intranets I found this summer. A few key points that are worth highlighting.

1) employees will demand better. Better aesthetics, better applications, more timely information, etc...

2)The growing tension between the intranet becoming a proper corporate tool, with the corresponding interest from the legal department and records management and even more distributed publishing.