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CMS Implementation Checklist

4.8/5 with 313 votes
Table of Contents

Introduction

Our CMS Implementation Checklist is designed to guide you through each critical step of the content management system rollout. From assembling your implementation team to developing a comprehensive content management policy, this template covers all necessary tasks to ensure a smooth and effective implementation process. Utilize our Checklist App to save and customize the template, enabling you to track progress and collaborate seamlessly with your team. Sync across devices for real-time updates, making sure everyone stays on the same page throughout the project.

Save the full checklist and customize it later.

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  • Build An Oversight Committee
  • Upper Management
    At least one high-level manager to give you executive input and buy-in.
  • Unit Managers
    For departmental input and prioritization.
  • Information Technology
    Guidance for high-level technical decisions.
  • Vendor Management
    Committee member who communicates directly with any related vendors.
  • Impartial Party
    Someone who is not directly involved with implementation, for improved perspective.
  • Customer Advocate
    Represents customer concerns in strategic decisions.
  • Legal Counsel
    Helps to make sure that your new site does not set you up for legal problems.
  • Assemble Your Implementation Team
  • Project Manager
    A team leader who can talk to various parties and drive the project.
  • IT. Key IT staff members who are vital to resolving technical issues and integrating systems.
  • Content Managers
    Business unit experts who will develop the individual CMS pages and posts.
  • Web Designer
    Someone with an eye for detail and aesthetics to make your website appealing and user-friendly.
  • Vendor
    Maintain regular contact with your CMS vendor contact for training and guidance.
  • Build Your Project Plan
  • Structure
    How will you run your project? Waterfall? Scrum?
  • Scope
    Determine the overall goals of your CMS implementation project.
  • Backlog
    Build a catalog of all known tasks that need to be completed.
  • Estimate
    Develop a rough idea of how long each task will require to complete.
  • Risk assessment
    Determine which tasks are foundational to success and prioritize them first.
  • Prioritize
    Determine the relative importance and risk of remaining tasks.
  • Organize
    Group tasks to be done by related functionality and to fit into your implementation time blocks.
  • Communication
    Decide how and when you will communicate with project stakeholders.
  • Progress tracking
    Agree on mechanisms for tracking project progress.
  • Develop Your CMS Implementation Schedule
  • Target
    When do you need to have the entire project completed?
  • Start
    When can work on CMS implementation begin?
  • Milestones
     What major tasks do you need to have completed by which dates to stay on track?
  • Fill the calendar
    Complete your schedule with grouped, prioritized tasks until all available time is filled.
  • Re-evaluate
    Are there tasks that did not fit into your schedule? Do you need to re-prioritize?
  • Publish
    Make the implementation schedule available to all members of the implementation team and oversight committee.
  • Develop Your Content Management Policy
  • Access
    Who will be allowed to create content on the new site?
  • Design
    What design standards with content creators need to follow?
  • Appropriate use
    What type of content is appropriate (or not appropriate) for the site?
  • Images
    What types and sources of images will be used on your site?
  • Social media
     Will you include social media components in your site content?
  • Deliver the Content Management System Implementation
  • Build
    Complete the foundational, high-risk tasks.
  • Evaluate
    Does the foundation function as you expected?
  • Implement features
    Build on the CMS foundation by completing other tasks in priority order.
  • Test
    Does your site perform correctly, and does it look the way you want?
  • Track progress
    Meet regularly with the implementation team to make sure that you are on track.
  • Report
    Meet regularly with the oversight committee to report progress and get feedback.
  • Refine
    Adjust your project plan as organizational priorities shift.
  • Policy
    Review and adjust content policy as your site takes shape.
  • Train
    Engage administrative users to make sure they can use the new CMS efficiently.

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Presented by:

Adam Hughes

Adam Hughes
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Tags

BusinessSoftwareProject ManagementInternetManagement

Details

Content Management System (CMS) Implementation Checklist Tips

  • If possible, market testing your site and design as you build it can be very helpful in solidifying your content management system implementation.  Customer feedback about visual appeal, navigability, and usability can help you head off major problems down the road.
  • While modern CMS software makes it easy to build nice looking websites, enlisting a web design professional early in the process can help you produce a more polished and better-performing final product.
  • Developing a clear content policy near the beginning of your project will help you focus your design and implementation efforts, and it will also inform your training material later on. A solid, consistent policy also helps maintain a consistent voice and look-and-feel as your site evolves, and it can help avoid undesirable posts from popping up.
  • While the ultimate design of your new CMS site is up to you and your organization, it is generally best to avoid adding in too many complicated features.  Especially since the advent of nearly ubiquitous mobile computing, most of the best and well-read websites maintain a simple and elegant design.

Who it's for

This CMS Implementation Checklist is for teams that want consistent execution, less rework, and clear ownership.

  • Standardize quality - run the same CMS Implementation steps every time, regardless of who executes
  • Save time - reuse a proven CMS Implementation workflow instead of rebuilding processes from scratch
  • Improve accountability - assign owners and see what's done vs. what's pending
  • Onboard faster - use the CMS Implementation checklist as the SOP and training guide
  • Coordinate across roles - handoffs are clear and everyone works from the same source of truth

How to use it

How to use this CMS Implementation Checklist:

  1. Start by saving it - save as a Template if you'll reuse it, or as a Checklist if it's a one-off project.
  2. Customize it once for your workflow - remove what doesn't apply and add your team-specific steps.
  3. Assign ownership and execute - set owners/due dates where needed and track completion as work happens.
  4. Reuse without rebuilding - when CMS Implementation comes up again, start from your saved version and run it with clear ownership.

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