IT Strategy: The Future of the Web at HBS

Strategic Initiative: 3.09 Web Content Management System (CMS) Program

The Opportunity

The project team aims to modernize how HBS manages websites by implementing a forward-looking system that offers ongoing flexibility and increased speed to market for websites and web publishing. The project team wants to empower HBS website owners by adopting a more user-friendly, self-service model for web content management.

HBS websites have previously been managed using an outdated, highly customized platform. Web publishing often requires coding skills, and as a result, many web content update requests go through IT Web Services for execution, creating a bottleneck. There can be gaps between strategy and execution when it comes to website changes.

The Solution

HBS has selected a new content management system (CMS) and is implementing the CMS for managing web content on HBS websites. A CMS provides content authoring, editorial workflow, and administration tools designed to allow users to create and manage web content with relative ease and little or no knowledge of web programming. This work builds on the new Web Design System that the School developed in 2022. HBS IT, Marketing & Communications, and Baker Library are jointly leading this project with support from outside vendors.

The Impact

The new CMS will allow departmental content creators to publish and update web content without code, and therefore at a higher velocity and less reliance on HBS IT Web Services. There will be different levels of CMS access for making content changes without code, and the project team will work collaboratively with HBS partners to determine the best setup for their teams.

Content creators will be trained on how to edit content, and also on the fundamentals of the Web Design System, SEO, and web accessibility to make sure they are set up for success. The project team will also provide ongoing support like in-person and virtual training, documentation, best practices, and consultation.

“One of our project goals is to bring to the community a user-centered content editing experience. With this new CMS we are achieving that goal and further deepening our ability to manage and re-use content across the HBS ecosystem,” says Ken Peterson, the executive director for Knowledge and Library Services at the Baker Library | Bloomberg Center at HBS. “A well-implemented CMS enables all of us to work more seamlessly and fosters a culture of innovation around our evolving content needs.”