There is a principle of "do not harm" in life. But as doctors for the Web, we all line up promising to fix the ailments that disrupt the organization and cause agony amongst all ranks, most notably perhaps with on-the-ground soldiers, the Web Team. What is often hard to comprehend is that organizations, especially those whose sites seem to be mostly in the ICU and just pages away from a code blue, are often the slowest to change and most likely to relapse. Trying to resuscitate the organizations and their Web properties, and give them a quick lifeline is a noble cause, but just like doctors, we often forget what should be our credo, and first, do no harm!
Regardless of how messed up a Web site is, or how dysfunctional the organization that has given the Web site life, we should always pause for a moment and review what is realistic and what the organization can do to heal itself. This is a tough one as change may take years, and improvement of the Web health may be measured in micro-steps, such as the simple removal of several very outdated pages or the agreement amongst Web staff that once a year they will get together and discuss Web patterns and common goals. The dream of Web governance, in its truest and romantic form, may be years away, giving way to organizational change management activities, including a change in leadership, adjustments to job descriptions, education and training for the Web staff, and convincing subject matter staff that they can either own Web content or let go of it, depending on your situation.
As tempting as it may be to rush in and develop a governance model, associate roles and responsibilities with each group, and hope that senior leadership will enforce the theoretical end state of a perfect Web governance, you should immediately stop and ask yourself whether you are doing harm in the process. Is there a more realistic and gradual approach to make a positive impact to the health of the Web within your organization? If so, consider performing these miniature health boosters that can go a long way to stabilize your Web properties. As you start to gain momentum, you may quickly find yourself ready for a bigger undertaking. But weight this gradual approach against the potential of undertaking a big operation that fails: you may only get one opportunity at Web governance and while the slow pace of change can be frustrating, it can also ensure that you do no harm and leave your organization feeling good about the small changes. Good enough to take on something bigger.
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