YaleSites upgrade: project status

    June 9, 2022

    Summary

    As previously announced, Yale ITS and the Office of Public Affairs and Communications are upgrading YaleSites, Yale’s web-publishing service. The YaleSites team will provide quarterly updates to keep the community aware of progress. In this quarter:

    • All YaleSites were reviewed. The team has determined potential migration paths based on size/complexity and will reach out to Lead Administrators and site owners beginning this summer to start planning.
    • The team is engaging the community to raise awareness of platform benefits, determine specific user needs, and present demos. For details, see the Community Engagement section below.

    Details

    About the project

    • YaleSites will upgrade from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9, a supported, secure, and accessible content-managed platform.
    • It includes an intuitive and flexible design platform, providing a cohesive visual identity.
    • The project is scheduled to begin site migrations in early 2023.
    • Extensive training and resources will be available to site builders, authors, and editors.

    Benefits of the YaleSites upgrade:

    • Sustainability. Bi-annual updates keep YaleSites secure and accessible without the burden of future upgrades.
    • Structure. It combines ease of use with creative options, saving time and improving content.
    • Standardization. The upgrade will ensure Yale’s accessibility, usability, and identity standards across YaleSites.

    Project status

    • The team plans several proof-of-concept sites, allowing real-world use of the new platform. The Yale community will be able to review and draw inspiration from these sites as they develop.
    • Resource pages are being created on the YaleSites website. Links to training and resources will be available over the next several months.

    Community engagement

    • User experience focus groups are underway to determine platform refinements.
    • Stakeholder meetings and roadshows that discuss goals and communication plans are underway.
    • Users will have the opportunity to view site demos in the coming weeks.
    • Site owners will review suggested migration paths and determine plans/timelines.
      • For less complex sites, the site owners and authors will be able to re-build.
      • For more complex sites, YaleSites will take the lead on the re-build.
      • Large sites may need an outside vendor.
      • Sites that are no longer active can be archived.
    • Site authors and editors will receive an invitation to sign up for training sessions. Courses on “Writing for the Web” and “Conducting a Content Audit” will be offered in July.

    For more information, please visit the YaleSites Upgrade Program page.

    Questions

    Contact the YaleSites Team at YaleSitesUpgradeProgram@yale.edu.

    Service Quality