Joe Gollner: Tales from the Crypt
1 like121 views
The document discusses several content projects that went horribly wrong. It describes projects in the energy regulatory sector, legal department, and Canadian federal government that spent millions on content management systems but delivered no benefits. The common problems were a failure to understand users' needs, an overreliance on complex technologies, and a refusal to acknowledge problems. However, the document ends on a hopeful note that content solutions can work when applied properly to information problems as sustainable systems aligned with users.
More Related Content
Similar to Joe Gollner: Tales from the Crypt (20)
Joe Gollner: Tales from the Crypt
- 1. Tales from the Crypt Content Projects that went Horribly Wrong Joe Gollner | @joegollner Managing Director Gnostyx Research Inc.
- 3. The Content Horror Show Content Pipeline Rupture A Perfect Failure A Digital Boondoggle The Slow Descent And a glimmer of hope @joegollner | @gnostyx 3
- 4. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here – The Inferno @joegollner | @gnostyx 4
- 5. It sounded like a good idea Content Pipeline Rupture
- 6. Regulatory Information for the Energy Sector ss @joegollner | @gnostyx 6
- 7. Canadian Energy Sector Regulatory Agency @joegollner | @gnostyx 7 Regulatory Agency was responsible for: Regulations Process Documentation Submissions Public Consultation Outcomes Judgments Pressures: Growing volume & complexity of regulations & submissions Growing complexity of the consultation process Pressure to bring costs under control or even reduce them Pressure to shorten the process cycle times
- 8. Off to a Great Start – No Expense Spared @joegollner | @gnostyx 8 Top Tier Management Consulting Firm Conducted a comprehensive process review Collaborated with stakeholders to re-envision the future A Leading Content Management Solution Provider Facilitated a wide-ranging analysis & modeling activity Developed target content models with rich semantics CMS & Publishing Technology Vendors Engaged to tailor their tools to support The re-envisioned business processes Fully customized authoring environments (XML Editors & Office Suites) Sophisticated management & publishing services
- 9. Excitement was Building as Things Moved Ahead @joegollner | @gnostyx 9 So how do you think this turned out? Who could blame them Business-focused consulting methodology Best-of-Breed Content Technology partners engaged Stakeholder involvement funded Tools customized to fit the business Big Budget
- 10. The project was an unmitigated… @joegollner | @gnostyx 10 Disaster
- 11. How Bad? Project killed after 10 years of work Over $10M spent Real cost was higher System Never really worked Never deployed Industry Went political @joegollner | @gnostyx 11
- 12. What went wrong? Technical Failures Too fancy by half Semantic markup taken to the extreme The Linda Blair of Schemas All Tools challenged Customizations were doomed to failure System demands spiraled out-of- control @joegollner | @gnostyx 12
- 13. What went wrong? Enraged Users User Experience Beyond Diabolical Instability just made it worse Key User Group Lawyers! Automated Publishing Replaced industry formatting of submission reports Lawyers: “No Way!” @joegollner | @gnostyx 13
- 14. What Really Went Wrong? Lesson Learned Fundamental Error Made Regulatory processes are information exchanges Authority over & responsibility for exchanges was everything Content Technologies do not address those types of problems Agency did not have a “content problem” at all @joegollner | @gnostyx 14
- 15. IT Group has this covered A Perfect Failure
- 16. Major Government Legal Department @joegollner | @gnostyx In an online forum, someone said “Surely every CMS project delivers some benefits” 16 I could not be silent…
- 17. Project Context Ministry of Justice Oversees legal process Government’s legal arm User Community Mostly lawyers Stakeholders Pretty much everyone Some real content problems @joegollner | @gnostyx 17
- 18. Chief Information Officer (CIO) Leaps into Action Content Management System (CMS) was what was needed Project chartered Big Budget secured Team assembled Requirements gathered Technical architecture defined Candidate CMS identified from a Key Technology Partner Fit into Enterprise IT architecture @joegollner | @gnostyx 18
- 19. Somewhat Predictably Disaster Ensues Litany of issues Layers of security prevented lawyers from logging in Once set, the CMS could not be modified No one could use the system @joegollner | @gnostyx 19
- 20. CIO was not the Listening Type Users tried hard Sought answers IT Group Macho culture Did deals Valued partnerships Refused to admit failure @joegollner | @gnostyx 20
- 21. The Perfect Failure QED Massive CMS Infrastructure Zero Users Zero content assets Technology Partner Cancelled product Provided no migration path Decommissioned Complete write-off @joegollner | @gnostyx 21
- 22. What went wrong? What didn’t go wrong? Staunch refusal by IT to Acknowledge that content is different They just needed to design the right (perfect) system Consider expanding their knowledge or skill sets Acknowledge the problem Even when it was obvious @joegollner | @gnostyx 22
- 23. When Design becomes the Problem A Digital Boondoggle
- 24. Naming Names: Canadian Federal Government Government information & services available online Over twenty years of heavy investment Big Budget Literally billions of dollars spent @joegollner | @gnostyx 24
- 25. Always Invested in the Best: Tools, Techniques, Experts @joegollner | @gnostyx 25
- 26. The Result: An Online Horror Show From Bad to Worse Regular redesign efforts undertaken Web CMS projects always underway Best-of-the-best consultants engaged Every UX standard & innovation adopted & Things just got worse @joegollner | @gnostyx 26
- 27. What Went Wrong? Example of Accessibility Accessibility a Priority From the very start Policies & Procedures mandated Accessibility Technologies Deployed Web CMSs Accessibility Validators Accessibility Achieved: 0% @joegollner | @gnostyx 27
- 28. Classic Illustration of Barnaclization Barnaclization The accrual of individually advantageous innovations That collectively degrade, and ultimately destroy, the overall system Canadian Federal Government Online presence Steaming pile of innovation @joegollner | @gnostyx 28
- 29. What Really Went Wrong? Misguided Effort It is a Content Problem Consistency & currency cannot be achieved purely at the UX level It is not solely, or even primarily, an information transactional problem Good User Experience is a total system attribute Calls for deep integration Calls for an enterprise- grade content solution @joegollner | @gnostyx 29
- 30. The Founders Lose their Faith The Slow Descent
- 31. To Begin at the Beginning Where it all began @joegollner | @gnostyx 31
- 32. United States Department of Defense (DoD) US Department of Defense 1980s – Bankrolled Open Content Technologies 1993 – Paul Strassmann chastised DoD for spending over $6 Billion on Content Technologies in less than 10 years By 2000 – The pace of investment did not slow down @joegollner | @gnostyx 32 Information Executive - Xerox - Department of Defense - NASA Under-appreciated Author on Managing Information & Technology
- 33. The Result is Sobering A Wake-up Call 2000s DoD Publishing Groups Began seeking alternatives Wanted to replace 30 years of investment in Content Technologies SGML XML @joegollner | @gnostyx 33 Get Rid of XML!
- 34. The Slow Descent How Did We Get Here? It is important to understand how & why this circumstance came about @joegollner | @gnostyx 34 Author Review Publish Publication User In the beginning, life for authors & publishers was relatively simple The age of the Typing Pool & Typesetters The age of Desktop Publishing Authors had a direct line-of-sight onto how Publications would look Publishing was expensive but easily understood
- 35. Introducing SGML: The Birth of Content Technologies @joegollner | @gnostyx 35 SGML-based publishing systems pursued efficiency & more effective publications through enhanced automation But authors had to adapt to a more abstract & formal experience But publishers had to manage a more complex system Author Publish Publishing System Tagging Outsource Review Publish Publication User Authoring & Publishing with the Standard Generalized Markup Language
- 36. XML: The rebirth of Content Technologies @joegollner | @gnostyx 36 XML-based systems promised better alignment with Web Technologies But authors had to consider many more publishing channels But publishers had to manage even more complex systems Authoring & Publishing with the Extensible Markup Language Author Publish Publishing System Tagging Outsource Publish PublicationOutsource Tagging Publication Publication User User User Review
- 37. Decades of Innovation had become a Constraint Some Sobering Lessons Authors Found the innovations to be alienating Breakdown in Rhetorical Agency Publishers Found new systems to be unmanageable @joegollner | @gnostyx 37
- 38. Out of the Darkness A Ray of Hope But Wait! XML could not be eliminated Single-Source Publishing was still essential New online services needed content with some smarts The benefits of XML had to stay but the problems had to go @joegollner | @gnostyx 38
- 39. The Singing Content Solution XML on the inside A New Approach was needed Moved closer to mainstream IT infrastructure Moved closer to authors @joegollner | @gnostyx 39 Author Review Publication Publication User User Publication User Publish
- 40. Can we salvage some hope? What Have We Learned?
- 41. The Bad Things seen in Each Story Alienation Losing touch with users & goals Big Budgets Road to ruin Barnaclization Confusion Mistaking standards for solutions Mixing up content & information problems @joegollner | @gnostyx 41
- 42. Sources of Hope Horror Stories prove Serious problems exist Organizations will invest in solutions Content Technologies Can solve major problems when applied To the right problems As effective, sustainable content solutions @joegollner | @gnostyx 42
- 43. Content Solutions are the Answer to Information Problems @joegollner | @gnostyx 43
- 44. Making Connections @joegollner | @gnostyx 44 Joe Gollner Managing Director Gnostyx Research Inc. 1 Rideau Street, Suite 700 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada www.gnostyx.com [email protected] Twitter: @joegollner Content Philosopher Blog: www.gollner.ca [email protected]