Web Governance Strategy

What It Is

A strategy is a plan to achieve a result. It can be made for any type of project, from simple, informal activities like dinner planning to very complex and formal undertakings, such as space exploration. The goal is always the same: to achieve targeted and measurable results.

Your Web governance strategy can follow a similar pattern that describes:

• Your current situation
• The goals 
• The path to the goal(s)

You have multiple work areas for your website, so you should have multiple strategies for your website.

Why It’s Important

A Web governance strategy is important because it:

• Provides a documented plan for you and your Web team to reach stated goals
• Aligns activities with expectations of your Web team and stakeholders
• Gives direction to your Web team to satisfy customer needs

Plan to meet your objectives with measurable results, which includes achieving your agency’s mission and satisfying your customer’s needs.

How to Implement

One way to develop a strategy is to use the see-think-draw method:

• See: evaluate your current situation
• Think: define your goals
• Draw: plan a route to achieve the goals

Evaluate your current situation

Consult with website stakeholders, managers, and teammates. Planning meetings can help you determine which areas of your website to include in your strategy document (and, by process of elimination, what not to include).

Common elements of a Web governance strategy are:

• Business
• Content
• Social media
• Mobile
• Video
• Apps

Other areas that may need a strategy include marketing, community development, and analytics.

Rank strategy areas in order of importance, based on your site situation and needs. Focus on developing the most important strategy areas first.

Define your goals

After you select your strategic areas, you’ll need to define goals for each one. A helpful mnemonic for developing goals is that they should be SMART:

• Specific: be specific, not general
• Measurable: be concrete
• Attainable: be realistic
• Relevant: choose goals that matter
• Time-bound: commit to a deadline

Plan a route to achieve the goals

Create your strategy document with the help of stakeholders, including team members and managers. An engaged Web team is an empowered Web team, one that will be motivated to achieve measurable results.

Share your strategy document widely, so that team members and managers understand all work activities.

Re-visit your strategy document from time to time to:

• Modify goals, as needed and
• Make sure you’re on-track to reach program goals

Examples

• Bureau of Land Management External New Media Strategy (PDF, 8.5 MB, 32 pages, February 2012)
• Web Improvement Strategy (U.S. Department of Energy) (MS Word, 156 KB, 11 pages, October 2011)
• NASA Shared Services Center’s (NSSC) Web Strategic Plan (PDF, 258 KB, 17 pages, July 2011)

Resources

• SMART criteria for strategic planning
• Strategic planning process examples
• Building a Business Case for Social Media, Office of Communications & Education, Communications Technology Branch, National Cancer Institute (PDF, 7.3 MB, 42 pages, October 2011)
• Digital Metrics for Federal Agencies

Content Lead: Robert Jacoby
Page Reviewed/Updated: September 4, 2012