Quality Control

May 2001

Quality control during content preparation

Lead person: Project Manager / Author

• At this stage the procedures are very similar to those used for print publications. The same amount of attention is needed for Web publishing as for print publishing. The Web should be fully recognized as a distinct and full-fledged communications medium with its own distinct requirements.
• Capacity building of content creator (they should be educated to write high quality content, which is in-line with the publications procedures of the organization).
• Style guides for Web publishing (writing style, structure, titles, acronyms, etc.).
• Content review by related content developers and supervisors.
• Consulting with Web manager throughout the content preparation process, including the planning phase.
• Proofreading and copyediting (a competent individual other than the content creator should do it).
• Build quality control into the project already at the inception phase (time planning, financial and human resources, staff responsibilities, workplan).

Quality control during mounting content online

Lead person: Webmaster

• There should be a dedicated Web staff, whose responsibilities should include quality control.
• Ensuring competency. In larger organizations the technical person should bear an appreciation of content management issues, as well as the content providers an understanding of technical issues. In smaller organizations the Web manager should be equally educated and experienced with online publishing as well as content management.
• There should be a clear vision, strategy and procedures in place. Examples include the desired site/document structure, navigation, writing style, target audience, technical do's and don'ts, HTML vs. PDF, etc.
• Adjusting the document structure for the requirements of the Web (break up document by chapters/sections, adding a contact page and a cover page, create a navigation bar, etc.).
• Changing/adding content (editing into Web-style writing, adding extra online content such as a discussion board or fill-in forms, adding a clear 1-2 sentence introduction, keywording for meta-tags, etc.).
• Putting content into templates and laying it out, based on in-house design and style guides.
• Testing the content (on MAC/PC platforms, Internet Explorer and Netscape, Bobby (for download speed and technical glitches), checking for dead links, etc.).

Quality control once the content is online

Staff responsible: members of a review team

• In this stage as many people should be involved as possible: the author (project manager), supervisors, people involved in content creation, and people not involved with content creation.
• A Web site steering committee should review the online content from time to time.
  • Such a committee should have similar roles in the online publishing process as an editorial board for a print publication.
  • It should have sessions on a regular basis.
  • Such a committee is a forum for bi-directional information exchange and in-house information flow. It raises the awareness and recognition of the Web among staff while providing valuable input and feedback to the work of Web developers.
  • All key people of an organization should be invited to the Committee (e.g., Heads of Departments), but it should also be open for any interested staff member.
  • Sessions of the Committee can focus on general issues (strategy, management, responsibilities, etc.) as well as document specific (detail-oriented) issues. Brainstorming sessions should provide for a wealth of ideas and comments. The viewpoint and diversity of Web users and non-Web developers can be stimulated at such meetings.
• Once the online content is accessible for the public, further corrections and adjustments should be made based on user feedback. Possible means of receiving feedback include guestbooks, discussion forums, Web-server log file statistical analysis, e-mails received by the Webmaster, usability tests, etc.
• Page funeral. When a project expires, the online document should be changed accordingly: edit content (e.g., future tense > past tense, change contact information), close interactive services, remove/replace/archive documents, backup on CD-ROM, change the "last updated" note, etc.)