New Web and Publishing Group from 1 Dec 07
11 Nov 2007
The Web Team will be part of the new Web and Publishing Group from 1 December 2007. This is a result of the SRD implementation plan.
The Web Team fully supports the formation of this new web and publishing focused group which includes the resources of the Design and Publications teams.
Benefits
We see the group providing UC with significant web-specific advantages.
Supporting the web as a business platform
The scope of this group takes it beyond publishing. It will allow the right direction and resourcing to progress towards UC using the web as the primary platform for doing teaching, learning and research. The web is now about much more than just reading online. It is where people go to do things - to collaborate and interact. The new Web and Publishing Manager position and the brief of the new group is focused to meet this vision.
Integrated publishing and single sourcing
The integration of the teams sets the scene for information to be optimally published across web, print and potentially other communication channels from a single information source.
Integrated consultancy service
Our UC clients will be able to come to the group with communication and publishing objectives and have a complete solution offered across print, web, and design. They will still have the Web Support service as it is now. But this model will add value for the client, who currently stitches together capability across web and design to meet their overall goal.
Informally, the Web Team sends its key work to the other two teams for comment and gains useful input from this. But a more integrated approach under one manager is what is needed to make it really work well. And the planned co-location of the teams into one building will help too.
Strategic positioning for QP and other systems improvements
We need an integrated publishing management model to support the direction set by the Qualifications Publisher.
New technologies for all UC
The Publications Team is broadening its focus from print to web and single sourcing. The Design Team want to move into the multimedia space. The Web Team is providing leadership in leveraging the right technologies to meet UC’s strategic publishing, process improvement, online interaction and other needs. Together all these teams can utilise technology much better.
Leveraging of expertise across teams
Many skills exist across the teams and are underutilised, particularly in the web development space. The Publications Team would benefit from writing for the web expertise, layout and usability expertise from Web Team when producing Qualifications pages. The Web Team would benefit from editorial input from Publications Team and QA of final design concepts from Design Team. Web Team could help Design team up skill to design for screen.
Better prioritisation
The resources of the whole Web and Publishing Group will potentially be better aligned with UC strategic needs as overall capacity is prioritised against requirements of UC overall.
Staffing the Web Team
A strong web focus for the group ensures the attention of the new manager and the resources of the group will be aligned to overall web priorities. We are fortunate to have adequate Merger and Project funding which will help us meet increased staffing requirements for 2008. This positions us well for completion of our major projects and bedding down the merger. So despite the reduction in dedicated operational staffing for the team, overall staffing levels for 2008 are good.
Operational requirements beyond 2008
Setting the right web staffing model for 2009 and beyond will be the subject of a later review. This will be informed by knowledge about how the new structure works with web and what level of resources can be utilised in other teams, requirements of web publishing under the CMS and QP and more definition of web policy and strategy.