Successful digital projects require a host of skills, but critical to the mix is software engineering. The most elegant, thoughtful, and pragmatic content strategy grinds to a halt when the implementation doesn’t live up to the plan. Even when we get into so-called “maintenance” mode, we often find ourselves entirely dependent on the actions of strange beings speaking in a foreign tongue: developers. What’s the best way to collaborate with our colleagues who come to web and mobile projects not with a focus on the content per se, but with a focus on the System?

1. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Engineering Influence
Talking to Developers About Content
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_and_Venus_(Botticelli)

2. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Q: How can you tell an extroverted engineer?
A: When he talks to you, he looks
at your shoes (instead of his own).

3. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
http://www.wix.com/blog/2010/11/web-designers-vs-web-developers-infographic-by-wix-com/

4. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
http://www.wix.com/blog/2010/11/web-designers-vs-web-developers-infographic-by-wix-com/

5. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
But we have to work
together

6. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
“There is only one thing worse than going to war with
allies . . . and that is going to war without them.”
–Winston Churchill
“You go to war with the army you have---not the army
you might want or wish to have at a later time.”
- Donald Rumsfeld

7. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
#blameEthan
• We had this nice workflow
worked out where we didn’t
have to talk to each other.
• Static wireframes with Lorem
Ipsum -> Static comps with
Lorem Ipsum -> Built out sites
with Lorem Ipsum
• Now have to think about
multiple devices? Yikes
• Designers and developers will
have to talk.

8. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
#blameKaren
• Content Strategists can’t
ignore how things are built.
• RWD itself doesn’t really
answer the underlying
question.
• We’ll have to talk. Developers,
Designers, and Content
Strategists.

9. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
#blameSaraWB
• Adaptive content? That’s a
whole ‘nother layer
• Content strategists, designers,
and developers will not only
have to talk but actually agree
on goals and approaches

10. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Engineers are People Too
SIX WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU:
1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person’s name is to that
person the sweetest and most important
sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk
about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
6. Make the other person feel important—and
do it sincerely.

11. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Sincere Interest

12. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Interest in the Platform
• How is structured content managed? Can new
content types be created / extended? How?
• What’s the editor experience like, and how can it be
customized?
• How are templates / themes created and edited?
• What is the team excited about on this platform, and
what are their concerns?

13. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Common Ground
Shared Problems:
• Lack of budget (time)
• Weak/unclear strategy
• Pointy-haired bosses
• Shiny object syndrome
• Scope creep
• Migrate everything

14. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU

15. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU

16. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
http://www.superstitiousthoughts.com/news/?

17. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
1. Eliminate all privacy.
2. Force push your own changes,
without code review.
3. Interrupt people regularly for
status updates.
4. Rush out software in 3 wks that
needs 3 months
5. Hire a “Sr. Architect” but make
architectural decisions before
they show up
6. Change issue tracking software
and means of communication
regularly.
7. When hiring, find people that
have at least a two hour drive,
[then] disallow working from
home.
8. One day, without notice,
demand that everyone report to
work an hour and a half earlier,
starting the next day.
9. Make sure everything is on fire
all the time.
10. Deny your team decent
hardware.
http://rustyrazorblade.com/2014/09/21-ways-to-minimize-employee-retention/

18. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU

19. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
http://cheezburger.com/4223955712
http://cheezburger.com/4047223552
http://imgur.com/k3qeC#.TmF8K5SyKGE.tumblr
http://loremipsumfails.tumblr.com/
post/17153602389/gojugo-one-more-
reason-not-to-respect-jose

20. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU

21. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Common Ground
Shared Problems:
• Lack of budget (time)
• Weak/unclear strategy
• Pointy-haired bosses
• Shiny object syndrome
• Scope creep
• Migrate everything
Shared Goals:
• Project success
• Clear goals, set early
• Long-term stability
• Ongoing usage
• Mastery and flow
• Focus on impact

22. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Content Models
vs
Data Models

23. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
http://www.sarawb.com/2011/06/30/content-first/

24. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
http://tutorial.shiksha360.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Database_Model_DiagramTitle.png

25. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
“Content is made of data in the same way
music is made of notes”
- me
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Autograph-Manuscript-BWV614.jpg

26. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Making it Real
• No design without content - ban lorem ipsum
• No implementation of a CMS without understanding
the “C” - structured content
• Content strategy throughout the project lifecycle,
including into maintenance & optimization
• We’re here to help - to ensure that what gets built
gets used, populated, and thrives

27. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Enlisting Help
• Avoid asking “Can the system do X?”
• Instead, explore goals and desired features:
• What’s the best way we could accomplish X?
• What is it that makes doing X difficult on our
platform?
• What could we do to achieve the same goal that
would be more in line with our architecture?

28. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
What’s in it for me?
• Content audits help developers uncover
requirements gaps
• Content strategy provides leverage to push back on
out of scope or irrational requests
• Mediating / translating between users and
developers (“I speak human and engineer”)
• Nothing is more frustrating to developers than
building & refining features that no one uses

29. John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU
Q & A
John Eckman
john.eckman@10up.com
10up.com
@jeckman