The Project
Initially, the requirements were to provide a consistent look and feel to the existing
information as well as the ability to update certain sections. The focus was purely on the
content and its presentation. As the need for content management was limited to only
some of the sections, we initially proposed a custom-built CMS. However, we also stated
that the needs of content management could go beyond expectations, so a full content
management system would be a better long-term option. This proposal was presented in
November 2002.
When we discussed the proposal with the client, it became clear that the needs of the new
website could not be fulfilled with a simple custom-built CMS. The depth and scope of
content was far too wide. A custom-built CMS might have provided an acceptable
short-term solution, but considering the life span of the previous site (seven years) we
knew that this site had a minimum two year life span and an expected life span of five
years. Based on this, we went back to the client in December 2002 to establish the
detailed requirements of the site.