There's been lots of chatter online recently about Web governance... particularly when it comes to SharePoint. Just do a Twitter search on "governance sharepoint" and you'll see what I mean. Even sharepointgovernance.org launched recently. Can you tell it's a hot topic?
Aside from all that, Lisa Welchman blogged about it on CMSWatch.com ("SharePoint Does Not Give You Governance") last month after hearing a Microsoft product manager assert that SharePoint was helping to provide Web Governance with its workflow services. But here's the catch-- Web Governance doesn't come ready to deploy in a neatly packaged, one-size-fits-all box. It takes work. It takes understanding your organization.
I know I've talked about the myth of magic bullets before, but I continue to find people in the Web management trenches looking for boxes full of magic bullets, potions, antidotes and the like. (Full disclosure: I was once an avid seeker of such things.) Clients will say, "can't you just determine the Web Properties Creation and Maintenance policy for me?" and "can you give me an outline of what a typical Web governance framework should look like?"
Can I just pull it out of a box? Ah, no. Some things just need to be specific to your organization-- your needs, your culture, your risk level, your pain points.The components of governance are no exceptions:
- Web Governance Framework
Simply put, the framework specifies the mechanisms through which policies and standards are set, maintained, and enforced. There are a few flavors (variations) of governance models. Which one is right for your organization? What teams are already in place that could be utilized in the framework? What are the escalation paths for decision making? - Web Policies
These are the legal, compliance-related, editorial and technical constraints for Web development. What legal mandate(s) for your industry should be addressed in a Web policy? How can interpretation of the mandate (law, guidance) shape the policy? Which organizational policies devised pre-Web need to be revised in light of the Web?
- Web Standards
Standards describe specific parameters, limits, and exceptions for the development of Web products. What standards are necessary to support your Web policies? What sites and content can your site link to? In what cases are vanity URLs appropriate? Will splash pages and pop-up windows be allowed?
Surely, there's lots to consider here. I don't have the Web Governance answers for your organization-- the answers must come from you and be specific to your organization. This will take dedicated meetings, discussion and research. No box involved.
