What are we doing?
The Web Redevelopment and Drupal Programme is a programme of work to review and re-build the web estate across the Leeds City Council. This will include replacing the Intranet and Leeds.gov.uk as well as around 130 standalone sites.
All websites will be developed on a Drupal platform which is a free and open-source web content management system.
What is Drupal? (from Drupal.org)
Drupal is content management software. It's used to make many of the websites and applications you use every day. Drupal has great standard features, like easy content authoring, reliable performance, and excellent security. But what sets it apart is its flexibility; modularity is one of its core principles. Its tools help build the versatile, structured content that dynamic web experiences need.
Drupal is the platform many government agencies in the United States, London, France, and more use to communicate with citizens. It’s the framework media companies like BBC, NBC, and MTV UK rely on to inform and entertain the world. It’s part of how organizations and universities like Amnesty International and the University of Oxford work to make the world a better place
As part of this programme of work, we will be looking to
- Redesign and replace the intranet while moving to the Drupal platform
- Move leeds.gov.uk onto the Drupal Platform etc. There will be some rebranding and visual redesign, but the content and structure will largely be a lift and drop exercise
- Review the bulk of the 130 stand-alone websites to assure they are still relevant. We will look to consolidate sites or sub-sites where appropriate and decommission websites which are no longer required. We will be focussing on the customer journey and making sure that all sites and content are consistent, relevant, and easy to navigate for users
- Host all the redeveloped websites in the cloud, on a secure and reliable platform which is currently Amazon Web Services (AWS)
We will not be
- Doing large scale redevelopments of stand-alone websites outside of what is needed in relation to consolidation and user-centred design considerations
- Adding significant extra functionality to websites. We will be improving the useability of sites, and we will consider development requests in existing PCR’s but we will be carefully considering what to include in the first phase of work to replace currently operational websites and what will be left until a later phase.
- Replacing websites which have transactional functionality (i.e., they are applications that are surfaced on the web)
- Developing brand new websites as part of this programme
- Populating content for services. Where we can, and where it will save significant time and effort, we will migrate existing content. However, this will not always be possible, and services will be expected to check and update migrated content as well as populating content that cannot be migrated.
Why are we doing it?
Most of our internal websites are based on a SharePoint platform. SharePoint was not really built as a platform for websites and will not be supported by Microsoft beyond April 2023, so we need to find an alternative. Drupal has been chosen as the content management system replacement because of its flexibility, the fact that it is open source and has a large userbase who contribute to the development of modules, and for its security aspects.
We have a lot of stand-alone websites that are externally developed and hosted, and we are looking to reduce the cost of these contracts to the council. In addition, a number of these websites hold similar information which is not always consistent, and some have not been maintained and therefore contain out of date content. The aim is to have a coherent suite of websites which are integrated where necessary and which hold a single version of the truth.
As part of this project, we will be looking to decentralise the responsibility to add or update content so that colleagues out in the services will update and control their own content. The ability to update content will be subject to accessibility requirements but it will put the power to control content back in the hands of each service.
How are we going to deliver this work?
To date we have developed some proof-of-concept websites such as The Children’s Safeguarding Board website and the Spot the Difference website for Leeds Safer Transport. We are in now in the process of developing the Leeds Design system on Drupal to provide the building blocks for future websites.
For the other workstreams, we are looking to employ an organisation to come in and work with us to review what is needed, make recommendations on how we best structure and consolidate the various websites and work on implementing the changes required. This is known as a “Bodyshop” approach.
As with all procurement processes, this takes time, and it is likely that it will be a few months before we are able to get the organisation on board and start this work.
- Intranet replacement
- Leeds.gov.uk plus some internal websites which are currently on SharePoint such as BUBO, Fostering Leeds, and Active Leeds
- Standalone websites, both internally and externally hosted websites
There is also infrastructure work to be undertaken to ensure all websites are hosted in the cloud appropriately and securely and that all information governance requirements are considered and GDPR requirements are built into each website redevelopment.
In advance of redeveloping any of the websites, we will be designing an example website where you can see how Drupal works and what blocks and modules will be available for use as part of the website redevelopment programme. We will also have a selection of templates/themes services will be able to choose from as part of the redevelopment work.
We plan to start working on the Intranet workstream first. Work will then start on the Leeds.gov.uk workstream and the final workstream (standalone websites) will kick off once the first two are underway.
Each workstream will be managed with an agile approach which means we will be looking to redevelop websites quickly with timely and ongoing engagement and support from services where appropriate. Expectations for service input and engagement will be expanded upon in future communications.
We will be asking the Bodyshop organisation to work with Communications and IDS Business Partners as well as key staff from services to undertake reviews of the stand-alone websites and make recommendations as to how sites should be structured and integrated where possible, decommissioning subsections of sites or entire sites where they are deemed to be no longer required. We will not be looking to accommodate business requests to make large scale changes to sites unless these align with the recommended changes coming out of the website reviews.
If you feel you require significant changes or redevelopments of your existing site, or you need a new site then these requests should be initiated via the PCR process that is already in place We would request that you work with both your IDS and Communications business partner in advance of submitting any PCR’s that are web related to ensure that they align with the larger communications strategy for Leeds City Council.
Any PCR’s that are submitted and approved by the Digital Board will be considered within the context of the Web redevelopment and a decision will be taken at the Web Transformation and Drupal Migration Programme Board, which meets monthly. It will be decided here whether part or all of the developments requested in the PCR should be undertaken as part of the main project, whether it should be deferred until a later time, or whether it should form a separate workstream with its own Project Manager and Project plan. Such work will need to have funding allocated before it will be agreed as a separate piece of work and where the changes are requested by the service, we would expect the service to provide appropriate funding to cover the costs of the project.
When is all this happening?
Currently we have limited developer resources available, so we are dependent on procuring the Bodyshop organisation to start work in earnest. Procurement timescales will dictate planning and the start of each workstream. The Bodyshop organisation will not be in place until sometime in the latter half of the year. In preparation, we would ask you to speak to your business partner to ensure they are aware of all the websites you operate/maintain to make sure we are aware of all relevant websites.
We plan to stagger the start of each workstream and will look to kick off the intranet workstream first. This will be followed by the Leeds.gov.uk workstream where we will commence building some of the simpler SharePoint based internal sites such as BUBO before we start on Leeds.gov.uk.
The third workstream will start once the first two are underway and will commence with the review phase of work which will require service engagement.
It is likely that internal sites built on SharePoint will take priority and will form the first tranche of sites to be rebuilt in Drupal, but priority lists and rebuild schedules will be developed as part of the reviews and these will be communicated to services once agreed.
Who is involved in this work?
The project sponsor and Project Board chair is the Chief Digital and Information Officer, Leonardo Tantari. The Project Team is led by Rachael Midgley Young (Project Manager) with assistance from Kat Denvir (Project Lead) and Martine Maxwell (Project Lead). Also part of the project team are members of the Web Team as well as the Bodyshop organisation.
Anita Mehay is the IDS Business Partner responsible for the web portfolio and will be the point of communication for IDS Business Partners for this programme of work.
Other colleagues will input to the project at various times including IDS Business Partners, Communications Business Partners, HR representatives, Information Governance and Security colleagues as well as key stakeholders and subject matter experts in the business.
We will be issuing further communications as we progress, and we have more information about the timeline and project plan. If you have any questions, please contact your IDS Business Partner and they will direct any questions to the project team. We will be creating a web space as part of the Design System / example website work where we will host information about the project, the anticipated timelines, and the answers to any frequently asked questions.