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European Commission DG Development Websites restructuration, redesign and publication access improvement WebDev Project July 2006 – December 2007. Florence NOEL Senior Functional Analyst. Where do we come from? Where are we going?.
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European CommissionDG Development Websites restructuration, redesign and publication access improvementWebDev ProjectJuly 2006 – December 2007 Florence NOEL Senior Functional Analyst
Where do we come from? Where are we going? • Global context: General Directorate for Development and Relations with African Caribbean and Pacific States • Project: three main chronological stages • Stage I: global analysis (August 2006 – January 2007) • Stage II (intermediate): execution of a « temporary » Web site within a specific contract (February – April 2007) • Stage III: detailed analysis and implementation of the final Web site including I-Center, in the continuity of the contract covering Stage I (April 2007- December 2007)
Stakeholders • OPOCE (Contracting Customer for Stages I and III) • DG DEV IT Service (Information, Communication and IT Unit) (real stakeholder for all stages and Contracting Customer for Stage II) • I.R.I.S. for Project Management, Analysis, I-Center and Consultations development, Web editor (Stages I, II and III) and Tagora for all graphical aspects (Stages II and III)
DG DEV Web sites • Two web sites : a “dgs” web site and a “Thematic” web site • More than 25,000 files listed in the existing Web sites • “Marked archaeological sedimentation” (old layers always present) • Erratic navigation, “patchwork” stylestructure reflecting : • A defective external communication on DG DEV identity, • A centralization of the updates by the IT Service, • A lack of motivation of Web correspondents…
Confusing navigation - Overloaded - Not up to date - Not user friendly
Main constraints and stumbling blocks • Upper management not committed to the process of web site redefinition and communication • Organization Changes: change of DG DEV project leader, change of Head of Unit, DG DEV internal reorganization, real customer is not the contracting one… • Change of perspectivein the course of project : addition of a temporary site • WCMS (Web Starter Kit) :policy within Europa versus its effective use in the context of reactive web sites and shared work…
Methodology • Global inventory of existing web sites • Methodology • Contents typology • Web components typology • “Issues / themes matrix” • Questionnaire • Workshops • General analysis report Maintenance Ergonomics Look and feel Content Structure Communication
Stage I : results • Analysis of the existing situation = Inventory encircled by statistics, targeted surveys and censuses • A Web components typology and a contents typology • A themes / issues Matrix (existing headings and themes to envisage according to the development policies promoted by European Union) • A general structure specified to the third level • A set of ergonomic recommendations concerning the interactions between the users and the Web site
Stage II : the temporary Web site (end of March 2007) • Context • Triggering factor: 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome • Challenge: six weeks to publish a informational web site • Goal: to provoke internal services and Management for a start of pride • Difficulties: WCMS integration unrealistic • Radical editorial and technical choices: facility and availability
Stage II : the temporary Web site (end of March 2007) • Results • Web site available on the envisaged date • General structure installation • Global « Look and Feel » clearly defined and implemented • Content: recoverable pages partly redistributed and available (more pages than initially envisaged)
Stage III : detailed analysis and implementation (April 2007 to Dec. 2007) • Enrich the graphical aspects • Improvement of the graphical aspects of the existing site • New CSS integration with new under-level menu • Enrich the ergonomics • Definition of the structure’s secondary navigation • Improve of the functional aspects of the “service” pages • IPG rules compliance • Definition of the priorities for the pages recovering • Definition of the metadata’s for the static pages, complying with the IPG rules • Add a Public consultation module
Stage III : detailed analysis and implementation (April 2007 to Dec. 2007) • Enrich the Content • Enrich the links’ density • Add French version for navigation levels 1 and 2 • Analyse, implementation, development of i-Center application • Existing documents migration with metadata assignation • Sub-sites harmonization and integration • Europe cares • IQSG • Energy initiatives • Press-Forum • Media Library
I-Center : an on-line documentation center • A document profile with 15 metadata and authority lists • Multilingual versions management • Full text search on textual metadata • Metadata assigned to more than 4000 documents (importation) • Web based indexation and administrative management • Orientation space to find references and services
Conclusions • Successful collaboration between the stakeholders • Lessons learned from the intermediate project (Stage II) • The general analysis allowed a consistent temporary realization • The rate of work acceleration will have as a consequence : • A better allocation of the priorities and definition of the detailed analysis • The realization of a final site while increasing the internal and external motivation • Difficulties for Stage III • Shared updates of the contents • Multilingualism: translations hunting • DG DEV still has to integrate some specific contents or graphical templates • Lesson learned from Stage III • A good structure allows multiple extensions • Efficient analysis of the I-Center allowed a relevant application