Implement

Before continuing on to implementation

The first thing to consider when discussing implementation is whether you are really ready to start the implementation at all. The following should have already been completed:

• A compelling vision has been defined and widely communicated.
• The migration effort has been estimated and broad resourcing is available.
• Key use cases have been defined, implemented (at least as a PoC) and tested against some users.
• You have sufficiently defined the site (information architecture, templating approach, etc) so that you won't have to revisit the drawing board once implementation starts.

Following through on the plan

The implementation can stumble in the details, some of which include:

• Keeping a careful eye on iterating on quality, and keeping an eye on actual progress to tweak quality (especially on lower priority buckets of content) when realities on the ground reveal themselves.
• Carefully training stakeholders.
• Just as the pilot should focus on the most important elements you need to confirm, the implementation should not defer complexity, especially important complexity.
• Make sure that everyone involved in the implementation is clearly communicating their expectations, which also should follow through from earlier planning (and vendor selection if applicable).
• Carefully handle redirects, especially if handling a large amount of content.