Not all Website Changes are Visible to the Public
The last few weeks have been a mad scramble of website work that is invisible to the public. There are no new pages built. There are no new design features. There are no new images. The changes are 1) new staff to train, 2) switching domain name registrars and 3) switching web hosts. Many of these changes were requested by new management.
How does the Transition to a new Manager Affect a Website?
Staffing and management changes are a normal occurrence in organizations. It’s wise planning to keep in mind that new staff may be unfamiliar with web marketing, content, and technical issues. As a developer, you should plan and offer training, reviewing the current status and goals, or both. It’s important on both sides not to rush the process, making sure that new staff and management have a clear picture of both the costs and the benefits of making a change to infrastructure.
One thing a new manager should know is that it’s common to need a change in web services or software, and that this process isn’t necessarily a one time event over the life of a website. Besides regular software updates, both services and software may become insecure, difficult to use, or poorly managed over time. Any of these scenarios may prompt a move to a new software package or a new web service. The new registrars and web hosts require moving data from one web service to another, hopefully, without any loss or hiccups.
If a new manager is making quick decisions on the fly, it is an indicator of issues in the future. There are also those uncomfortable changes where the new manager feels the need to change everyone who was connected to the previous manager, including the web developer. In these cases, I try to be very helpful, and then let it go. This is difficult in a scenario where you know your creation will deteriorate, but, in the end, it’s their website, not yours.
When Key Staff Changes
When Managers Change
My work involves encouraging managers to take an active role in their website, even if it’s just making decisions about digital and website elements that affect the company’s overall marketing and communication. When there is a new manager, that person may want a more involved role, or a less involved role. Part of my job is to be aware of the new manager’s stress level in taking on a multitude of new tasks and information for the organization, as well as a project as complicated as a website.
Unless a company has a website content manager and/or a quality marketing person already in place, the new manager needs to learn about the marketing aspects, the technical aspects and the security aspects of their website. With this task comes the understanding that you can’t just wave a magic wand and switch services.