In my ongoing series of “things that GOV.UK have done right,” I find myself turning to the subject of website managers.
Service manager = website manager
GOV.UK is not really a single site, but more like a collection of services. Each service is required to have a service manager, who is ultimately responsible for that service.
A service manager is normally a high ranking civil servant, somebody with the authority to make the decisions about how that service is represented online. They are experienced leaders with at least a degree of digital knowledge who drives the direction of the service. Ultimately the buck stops with them.
Unlike GOV.UK most of us do not need multiple service managers for our website. We can have one website manager who is responsible for the entire site. However, despite that the job specification is the same.
The role of a website manager
As I explain in my post “the role of a website owner” a website manager should be…
- Visionary
- Advocate
- Evangelist
- Content guardian
- Project coordinator
- Referee
However, most importantly they need to be ultimately responsible for the site and have the seniority to determine its direction.
Without those two characteristics the website will be left at the whims of others within the organisation who have more power.
So my question for you is; which one person is ultimately responsible for your website? Has that person got the seniority and authority they need? Are they digitally aware enough to be helpful and do they have the time to dedicate to the web?
The website manager exists to protect the site from interference and ensure it stays true to its underlying principles.
“Directors chair” image courtesy of Bigstock.com
