Chapter 4. Planning a Content Management Server Engagement

Just because this is a planning chapter doesn't mean you can skip it, OK? It always seems that the planning chapter is one that people tend to read last in a book, primarily because these chapters are viewed (wrongly) as so boring as to not possibly be of any benefit. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Although this chapter might not be as exciting as watching a sporting event or tending to your garden, this chapter is important. If there is one thing you can count on, it is this: A poorly planned CMS deployment will lead to a poor CMS implementation.

As with everything else in information technology, you'll need to do your due diligence in planning your Web site before implementing it. Often, a pilot program is used to help with the planning process, but you also need to understand that the pilot alone cannot create your plan: You must do this yourself.

In this chapter, we'll discuss how to plan your CMS 2002 deployment. We'll discuss four key areas:

• Envisioning the project

• Planning the project

• Developing the project

• Stabilizing the project

If you are developing a site for a customer and acting as a consultant on the project, be sure to read this chapter with an added element: You'll need to pay very close attention to document specifications. Usually, it is the customer's IT department that is responsible for setting up the environment into which the site is deployed. A poorly written specification will lead to a poorly deployed CMS site.

There's much to discuss, so let's get going!