Codiance are experts in complex CMS system upgrades and migrations that contain multiple integrations. There were 5 key steps we carried out for Aberdeenshire:

1. Discovery: Comprehensive Assessment and Planning:  

We began with a detailed Umbraco Upgrade Audit and Discovery Project to determine the specific needs and scope. This involved close collaboration with Aberdeenshire Council to understand their requirements and desired outcomes. A system audit such as this requires a high level of expertise in both Umbraco and .NET, along with a great level of hands-on experience in complex upgrades and migrations.

During assessment it became clear Aberdeenshire Council were on a version of the CMS that did not allow for an automated process. In addition, many elements had been implemented in a very unorthodox manner (based on webforms), requiring additional development. A code re-write would be required regardless, however our expertise in .NET became essential to ensure the additional rewrite and upgrade steps could be carried out without losing functionality.

It’s been great working with Codiance and the team. The clear communication and responsiveness of their engineers was really important to us and second to none!

2. Agile Development Approach: 

Utilising Agile methodologies, Codiance ensured continuous communication and collaboration with the Council. Regular updates and feedback loops allowed for adjustments to be made swiftly, addressing any unforeseen challenges effectively.

A key part of our effective Agile approach is working directly with our engineers. This ensures you’re directly connected to the people building your system. In many ways, this makes us unique. That’s why we hire engineers that are great communicators and enjoy the back and forth with clients. You can meet some of our team here.

We also use a planning tool called Jira to manage all our communications. Particularly when using Agile, this approach ensures our clients are always up to speed on the work we’re doing and can always see the progress being made.

3. Accessibility and Design: 

Codiance designed the new website to comply fully with WCAG 2.2 AA standards. This required close collaboration with several team members from the council, requiring us to translate their initial design ideas into implementable assets on the Aberdeenshire Council system. This included:

• Adherence and adoption of the Council’s brand identity guidelines for online use (such as font sizes across the site).
• Implementation of accessible content features such as description lists and callout boxes.
• Incorporation of map-based content and a variety of page templates.

This was all built in a way that made it simple for content editors to create and edit content, and ensuring a high standard and great look and feel of published content.

4. Enhanced Functionality: 

The new website was designed to be scalable and optimized for search engines. We needed to build a system that could act as the central hub to services in a way that could be expanded upon in the future. Key functionalities included:

• Integration with myAberdeenshire/myaccount for user recognition and account management.
• Implementation of Google Analytics 4 for enhanced data tracking.
• Inclusion of a feedback form for user input, with spam prevention and URL tracking.
• Configurable cookie consent solution to meet legislative requirements.

5. Content Management and Training: 

Most importantly for any system such as this, we needed to empower their teams and provide them the confidence to create and manage content themselves. With Umbraco’s customisation options, we were able to create a content management system that made it simple to create and edit new content. We created workflows that made approval straightforward and intuitive.

We ensured the CMS allowed for easy organisation and management of media and news content. We provided training sessions, ensuring those trained could also train others. We provided an operating manual to the Council staff to ensure smooth ongoing website management.

Outcome 

Now that the system build is complete – on time and to budget - we are continuing to provide Aberdeenshire Council ongoing support and development, ensuring the new system supports the needs of the council and its many internal and external stakeholders. The new site not only met all the requirements but also provided a more dynamic and user-friendly experience.