Sometimes a project can crawl along at a slow rate and you wonder what you’re really achieving. Other times, you can take a massive step forward.

Earlier this month, we took a huge leap. The New Web Estate business case was approved by the executive of the University. After some delay (it was initially planned for approval last autumn) we have lift-off. 

About 18 months ago we started planning this project, and since then this blog has documented the key steps we’ve taken towards getting the business case approved. 

No time to waste

The celebrations didn’t last long. We gave ourselves a couple of days to savour the moment but we now have a year to deliver phase 1 of the project: a minimum viable product that will help Sussex market itself and compete with other universities in a tough higher sector.

I could go on about how all this work should have been approved years ago, but where will that get us? Sussex is now very much in the race. It’s a race against time to meet the business needs above, which are the enabler for the work, but clearly we must balance this with the diligence needed to deliver a great user experience. 

When 2 become 1 

The question is: can the two work together? Can business needs and user needs coexist in perfect harmony?

And do users care if they get a new product quickly in a minimum viable form? Or is it better to take longer to fully refine it?

There is a lot of change in the higher education sector, and we may need to move at the speed of a crisis while trying to be user-centered.

What now?

The dust has settled and we have a plan for the next steps, which include assembling a bigger team to do the job, procuring a new CMS and implementing a connected model of content.

Putting all our theory into practice will be the next challenge, while navigating the culture and sensitivities of a large institution. If we get it right, then the sky’s the limit.