[from a related thread]:

The old site wasn't the greatest, but at least I knew where
everything was and I could get to it. Now,.....?

Use it a few times - you'll get the hang of it, just like you did the old one.

With all due respect, being able to find the information one needs on
a Web site WITHOUT having to get the hang of it is an indication of
good information architecture, navigation, and user interface, all of
which aid usability. The new SSA site is not the worst site in that
regard, but it could be better.

But I agree that disparaging the new site without providing
constructive suggestions is unhelpful. As Eric Greenwell encouraged,
forward your specific comments to your SSA director or directly to the
SSA. That's what I did.

That said, I will confess that I also used the word "disaster" to
privately describe the new site when it launched. But I probably
overreacted. It is no poorer, and in some ways is better, than the old
site. I sent a detailed, point-by-point critique to my director who
forwarded it to the SSA. Like others, I've seen responses to some of
my suggestions. I'm confident the site will continue to improve. The
new SSA under Dennis Wright has proven admirably responsive to the
membership.

So my reason for writing is not a diatribe against the Web site but a
call for change in the way we manage such projects.

Although I cringed when I saw one critic's sarcastic aside that the
SSA "must have hired the same people who screwed up their computer
system a couple years ago," it's a fair analogy.
Spec'g/selecting/installing a sophisticated computer system and
designing/building a modern transactional Web site are two very
challenging undertakings that are frequently botched--for the same
reasons--by large corporations with far greater resources than the
SSA.

Given our tiny sport, these projects absolutely demand close
coordination among the SSA staff, the appropriate SSA Board Committee,
and SSA members with specialized skills. Rather than roast the SSA
staff for the problems with the computer system or the new Web site,
it's fair to ask how these types of specialized, expensive, and highly
visible technology initiatives will be managed going forward.

In the early days of what was referred to as "data processing," a
company's first computer system usually was an accounting application.
That's because "DP" most often reported up through the finance
organization. Similarly, first-generation Web sites were usually built
by mid-level marketing folks who knew a little HTML. The predictable
results were applications that didn't meet the needs of anyone outside
the organizations that "owned" them.

Then, "experts" often consisted of those who knew that an IBM 360
didn't refer to a full turn by Big Blue or who could casually drop the
term "FrontPage" when talking about Web development.

Today's successful IT and Web projects involve people from nearly
every functional area and level of a company. Savvy senior
executives--and directors--understand that delegating these projects
doesn't mean abdicating responsibility for them. They stay involved at
every step and make certain that the objective and assumptions of a
project are clearly stated, that the specific business requirements
are defined in some detail, that the project plans make sense, and
that the appropriate reporting structure, organization, and
resources--including project management--are in place.

It's unreasonable to expect a small, not-for-profit organization with
a tiny budget to do a great job on a new computer system or Web site
without a lot of help. It's easy to criticize both efforts now. What's
important is doing a better job in the future.

I hope and trust that the SSA directors--many of whom I worked with
when I served on the SSA board and still respect--understand that
however instinctively some of them might respond to the caustic "must
have hired the same people who screwed up their computer system,"
these two episodes are distressingly similar and indicate the need for
a significant change in the way we manage them.

Chip Bearden
ex-Region 2 Director