Posts Tagged: Integrated Web Platform

Integrated Web Platform (IWP) 101: Understanding the Basics

Dear Colleagues:

This message provides essential information on the implementation of the new UC ANR website using the Drupal Content Management System (CMS).

Integrated Web Platform (IWP) Background

The IWP project will enhance UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' digital presence for both internal web editors and our clientele. In the coming months, UC ANR will transition from the homegrown Site Builder to Drupal – a more stable, flexible, and powerful CMS that will make our content more discoverable to the communities we serve. This much-needed change will bring significant improvements in how we manage and present content, as well as optimizing our content for search engines.

There have been challenges with transitioning from Site Builder and the Blog system in the past, and that is why we are now working with Kanopi, a new vendor that has experience joining projects and taking them to launch. The IWP core team is leveraging the work of previous UC ANR committees and vendors (including UC Davis IET) who provided feedback, initial planning efforts, and prototypes.

What is changing and what is staying the same?

Site Builder and Blogs will be retired; Drupal is the replacement. As part of this change, UC ANR will have a whole new navigation and look and feel for our web editors and site visitors.

As we work through the development and implementation of IWP, additional changes will be identified and communicated.

SITE BUILDER & BLOGS	DRUPAL
Discoverability / UC ANR's Web Presence
Analytics tell us that most website visitors use Google to search and find UC ANR content.	Website visitors will utilize the Content Hub, Drupal's dynamic search feature.
Site Builder crashes.	Drupal has modern and continually updated technology to reduce the likelihood of crashes.
Tags are inconsistent between Site Builder and Blogs. Anyone can add a new tag in Blogs.	Consistent tags drive relevant information to the Content Hub/search. Tags and taxonomy will be established and maintained by a governance group.
Editing Experience
Editors would create a page and populate it with text and assets.	After considering the audience and where the information would be reflected in the Content Hub, editors create content using pre-defined Content Types, rather than creating a page. Content Types allow for more flexibility in the future and improved management of UC ANR information and resources.
Anyone with ANR Portal can create a new site or Blog.	There will be an approval process to start new sites (e.g., content editors) and new procedures to add additional site managers (e.g., groups). This will reduce duplication and stagnant sites that exist in Site Builder, and ensure content is discoverable navigable, manageable, and on-brand).
Sites and Blogs are managed in different interfaces and systems.	Sites and blogs will all be managed in Drupal.

Timeline and transitions

• UC ANR Employees should begin cleaning up Site Builder now: https://ucanr.edu/sites/sb3help/bestpractices/site-builder-maintenance/. Additional reminders and resources will be forthcoming.
• Employees are invited to Zoom training sessions about cleaning up Site Builder (see link below).
• Drupal is expected to go live in December 2024. If the launch date changes, we will communicate it broadly.
• Once Drupal is live, you will no longer be able to create new sites on Site Builder.
• Site Builder and Blog content will continue to be available during the transitional period.

About Drupal CMS

Drupal is a content-oriented CMS that allows for dynamic content delivery and can provide an array of benefits:

• Improved Content Organization: Drupal's taxonomy system enables sophisticated categorization, enhancing content discoverability.
• Enhanced Searchability: Content in Drupal is structured for better SEO (Search Engine Optimization), making it easier for our clientele to find what they need.
• Greater Flexibility: Drupal's Content Types provide templates for various kinds of content, allowing for consistent but also dynamic presentation.
• Scalability: Drupal can handle large volumes of content and traffic, accommodating our growing needs and improving system stability and availability.
• Consistency: IWP will help ensure a uniform look and feel across the website, enhancing the user experience and promoting UC ANR branding.

Learn more about Drupal at https://www.drupal.org/. 

Starting Simple

Based on learnings from previous challenges, we are starting simple with a foundational build. This approach allows us to:

• Lay the groundwork for a more sophisticated platform and build future enhancements.
• Build confidence as we familiarize ourselves with the new system at our own pace.
• Test and learn Drupal's functionalities.
• Become scalable to allow for further growth and better management of content.
• Iterate and make improvements based on feedback and performance data.

We need everyone's support in this major undertaking. We will communicate when and how you can assist with the above processes for a robust, efficient, and orderly transition.

Contact Us!

For the latest updates on the IWP project, please visit our Integrated Web Platform (IWP) Project Webpage or email us at iwp@ucanr.edu.

Site Builder Cleanup Office Hours

As part of Site Builder cleanup efforts, Stephen Dampier is holding a weekly open office Zoom Sessions to answer your questions.

When: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. PST

Zoom Link: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/97937501529?pwd=Zm1PaGRuc0htcnVZbmZQaGcya3oxQT09

IWP Core Team
Kit Alviz
Dustin Blakey
Stephen Dampier
Linda Forbes
Mike Hsu
Scott Leaf
Andrew Waegli

IWP Project Sponsor
Tu Tran

Integrated Web Project (IWP) status update

Over the last several months, the IWP project team has faced unanticipated challenges with vendors, contractors and resource constraints. These challenges have impacted the timeframe for building the core infrastructure of the new platform. 

The IT team is now working in partnership with another vendor to complete the development of the new site's core technical structure. They are currently developing a revised timeline and will share it as soon as it is finalized and approved. The team will solicit additional feedback from UC ANR content owners on specific content and needs once the core structure is completed.

We are also recruiting a trainer to help UC ANR content owners learn about the new platform and to provide support for content management. In the meantime, the project team is planning a series of IWP orientation meetings that will launch soon.  

You can stay up to date on the IWP project by attending the forthcoming IWP Orientation sessions or visiting the web page for updates.

As a reminder, here is a brief outline of the goals of the IWP project:

Why does UC ANR's Site Builder need to be replaced?

• Aging technology with security challenges, maintenance issues, poor user experience that lags behind industry standards
• Lack of a content model with no consistent standards for content organization, management and branding, and many redundant and outdated pages and sites

What will IWP bring to UC ANR? 

• Resolves technical issues and provides stability with modern technology
• Improves discoverability and availability of UC ANR content and knowledge
• Provides structured content model for better organization (makes it easier to find!)
• Facilitates outreach with members of the public
• Advanced search in the content hub
• Provides E-Commerce opportunities
• Promotes UC ANR branding consistency

Guiding principles for shifting from Site Builder to the IWP

• Consistent structure and framework with dynamically displayed content instead of hundreds of difficult to maintain bespoke pages
• Content curation and standardized tagging instead of unlimited and unmanageable tags

Core challenges of the migration

• Site Builder pages are not structured consistently, so some manual review will be required to migrate content to IWP
• Migrated content needs to be appropriately tagged to be published and findable

Please send IWP-related questions or comments to iwp@ucanr.edu. 

Sree Mada 
Chief Information Officer

 

Integrated Web Platform

We are pleased to announce that the Integrated Web Platform (IWP) project has been approved and implementation work has begun.

The purpose of the Integrated Web Platform (IWP) is to unify and modernize the UC ANR web platform in order to:

• organize the division's educational information and make it more discoverable via proven, taxonomy-driven content strategy principles
• drive increased engagement with UC ANR's programs, services and fundraising efforts
• bring an appealing, modern, user-friendly design to our web presence
• improve the organization and discoverability of internal-facing (UC ANR employee) information

The IWP will replace UC ANR's current web platform, Site Builder. The project represents a major technological transformation for our organization that helps us expand the reach of our programming and improve information delivery. It will be developed in phases, with the first major phase expected to launch in summer 2021.

The project is led by Sree Mada and Jonathan Wilson (UC ANR IT) along with Jim Downing and Linda Forbes (content management), and is expected to take approximately 2 years to complete all phases. The project leaders will work with a steering committee to establish and implement a detailed project plan. Steering committee members include:

Academic Community - Mark Bell, Dustin Blakey, Bruce Linquist 
Research & Extension - Mark Lagrimini 
Development Services - Lorna Krkich 
Program Support Unit - Sherry Cooper 
Human Resources - John Fox 
UC Integrated Pest Management - Jim Farrar 
UC Master Gardeners - Missy Gable

Details of the phased project plan are included in Goal 5 of the 2020-2025 UC ANR Strategic Plan. We encourage you to explore the development site at http://iwp.ucanr.edu/ for project updates throughout the implementation.

Please feel free to share any input or questions you may have by emailing iwp@ucanr.edu.

Tu Tran, Associate Vice President, Business Operations 
Wendy Powers, Associate Vice President

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