Establishing Development Operations (DevOps)
One of the more important things we bring to the table in every client project is our process.
We began by setting up a dedicated development environment, allowing our team (and the Union’s developer) to work on code and configuration in parallel without affecting the live site. Using Git version control and a shared development server, we ensured smooth collaboration, quality assurance, and transparent progress throughout the build.
Through sharing best practices and our process, we are able to help “level up” client teams who wish to contribute to the project, and those who wish to take over managing the site once our work is done.
Content Migration
Moving a website from one CMS to another is no simple task. But neither is the prospect of manually cutting and pasting hundreds of pages, images and documents from one site to the next.
Rather than manually transferring hundreds of pages, media items, and user accounts, we scripted an automated migration from the old CMS. This involved mapping existing content types, permissions, and media to their new Drupal counterparts, testing and refining the migration until it was accurate.
The final migration ran just before launch to capture the latest updates.
Custom Web Development
After establishing our DevOps and beginning the migration process, the next step was to assist the Union with a list of development tasks, coordinating work between our team and the Union’s own internal web developer.
Working alongside the Union’s developer, we rebuilt the site’s design in Drupal, implemented a new RSS events feed, configured recurring events and calendars, and set up editorial workflows. All features were tested for accessibility, performance, and browser compatibility before launch.
Our work was completed fairly quickly, with plenty of time for the client to review content and tools, and become familiar with the new CMS prior to launch.
