Empires, Confederations & Federations: Three Web Governance Models That Work

@lwelchmanEmpires, Confederations & Federations:3 Web Governance Models that Work

A governance model detailsWho codifies policy.Who defines standards.How resources for digital development are allocated.How disputes about digital are handled.Who evaluates performance.How “digital” relates to everything else. © 2011 Lisa Welchman

Lisa’s answersWho codifies policy? Legal and Sr. ManagementWho defines standards? People who are expertsWhere are development resources? EverywhereHow do we settle disputes about digital? Iron/EscalateWho evaluates performance? EveryoneHow does “digital” relate to everything else? Hmm © 2011 Lisa Welchman

2 pointsIn the following models, I will focus on decision-making for standards and where digital work is executed because that’s about feature, quality, and resource control (and that’s what folks like to fight about).I will try and convince you that where the web team sits is less important than the above. Web team placement is relevant because there are usually politics involved; but, placement is usually not the first cause of governance problems. © 2011 Lisa Welchman

Loose confederationOrganic standardsDecentralized execution “Ring Leader” “We’re not all the way sure Web Manager how we’re going to do what we’re doin’ but we’re doin’ it” Ring-Leader’s “Come on in if you wanna play. Just be nice.” sidekicks Cowgirl(s) Cowboy(s) Cowperson(s) © 2011 Lisa Welchman

It could work when You have an innovative business culture You are mature about effectiveness measurement When the business model or culture does not require extreme control You have a clear goalChief Benefits: Innovation; Development can be rapidChief Drawback: Can cycle through a lot of wrong; Quality can suffer; Doesn’t scale well © 2011 Lisa Welchman

Formal confederationDecentralized standardsDecentralized execution “Ring Leader” “We’re not that connected but Web Manager it’s in our best interest that the other guys look good.” “We care about brand Ring-Leader’s integrity and not getting sued.” sidekicks Cowgirl(s) Cowboy(s) Cowperson(s) site social mobile © 2011 Lisa Welchman

It could work when You are a holding company A university with large distinctly branded schools A department in the Federal governmentChief Benefits: Execution localized to knowledge experts; standards locally relevantChief Drawbacks: Could miss opportunities for efficiencies; Organizational view of itself may not be the customer view © 2011 Lisa Welchman

Empire properCentralized standardsCentralized execution Emperor “I make all the rules. I’ve got Web Manager all the money. Give me your stuff and I’ll make good digital out of it.” The “Now, go away.” Web Team Court Minions who Minions who Some other provide provide data Minions information © 2011 Lisa Welchman

It could work when The website is small or not complex, or no one else cares When the business model or culture requires extreme control When digital is just a “side show”Chief Benefits: Quality Control; Controls sizeChief Drawback: Production Bottleneck; Myopic view; the organization stays in digital darkness; Doesn’t scale well © 2011 Lisa Welchman

Delegated empireCentralized standardsLimited, decentralized Emperor “I make all the rules. I’ve gotexecution Web Manager all of the money. I will set things up so that my minions can help out with the grunt work I don’t want to do.” The “Now, go away again.” Web Team Court Minions who can Minions who can Some other use a WYSIWYG crop images minions editor © 2011 Lisa Welchman

It could work when For all the Empire Proper reasons and When everyday updates get caught in a production bottleneck. When editorial immediacy is required.Chief Benefits: Quality Control; Controls size; puts content in the hands of knowledge expertsChief Drawback: Not a lot if the model works © 2011 Lisa Welchman

The federationCentralized standardsDecentralized execution Web “It’s important for business President units to be free but there are some common values that we all share and it’s my job to make sure we keep those in focus.” The Web Cabinet “Now, go away but I’ll be watching you.” Mobile Web Social States Provinces Territories © 2011 Lisa Welchman

It could work when You have a way to measure standards compliance The organizational digital budget is rational There is a culture of autonomyChief Benefits: No central production bottleneck; Increased autonomy can increase business relevance and reduce deployment time; Can scale wellChief Drawbacks: Portfolio management can be difficult; horizontal efficiencies not always realized; uneven quality © 2011 Lisa Welchman

The partially devolved federationSome Decentralized standardsSome Decentralized execution Web “It’s important for business President units to be free but there are some common values that we all share and it’s my job to make sure everyone is able to get their job done well.” The Web Cabinet “Now, go away but my door is always open.” Mobile Web Social States Provinces Territories © 2011 Lisa Welchman

It could work when There is value in maintaining some horizontal applications The need for total standards compliance is limitedChief Benefits: Allows sub-units to govern how they like; Controls crucial quality elements; Scales wellChief Drawback: Requires the most management discipline; Digital budge may not be rational; May seem fiscally unfair to some © 2011 Lisa Welchman

Empires, Confederations & Federations: Three Web Governance Models That Work

by Lisa Welchman

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