Change management
Your new website is likely to introduce new ways of working. Your team might need to learn a new CMS, follow a new content process, or take on responsibilities they didn’t have before. It’s worth thinking carefully about how to manage this transition.
There’s a useful concept to consider here: sociotechnical systems, the idea that organisations are shaped by both their tools and their people.
The term sociotechnical systems was coined by researchers at the Tavistock Institute, who studied coal mines and discovered something counterintuitive: introducing new technology didn’t automatically improve productivity. In many cases, it made things worse.
Often that was because they had changed the technical system without addressing the social system around it. Team structures and roles had been disrupted by technology that didn’t account for them.
This led to the insight that any organisation is two systems running simultaneously: a technical system and a social system, and they are interdependent.
You can build a great website, but without thinking about the people around it, the website is likely to underperform.
So what do you need to consider?
Stakeholder buy-in
A stakeholder is someone with a legitimate interest in the work you’re doing. Get key people on board early and keep them involved throughout. It’s important to establish a shared understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve. Months of work can be lost when an executive objects to the direction at the last minute.
Internal communication
Keep staff informed throughout the project to prevent surprises. When people understand why changes are being made and what to expect, they’re more likely to embrace the new site. One of our favourite approaches to internal communication is Weeknotes.
Roles and responsibilities
A new site is a good opportunity to clarify who owns what. Who’s responsible for keeping the blog updated? Who approves new pages? Who do you call when something breaks? Identify everyone affected by the change, including content editors, support teams, and anyone who uses the website as part of their job. Answer these questions before launch.
Training
Even an intuitive CMS needs a proper handover. People need to feel confident using the new system. Think about who needs to learn the new CMS and invite them to a training session. Then run regular sessions to ensure the team have the skills required as the site evolves.
Documentation
Good documentation means people have somewhere to turn when they’re unsure, and it reduces your dependence on any one person holding all the knowledge (see avoiding knowledge silos). Style guides, voice and tone guides, and how-to documents all need to be ready before a site is launched.
Resistance and concerns
Change is hard. Some people will have legitimate worries about their workload or their skills. Acknowledge these concerns early and address them honestly. People who feel heard are much easier to bring along.
Culture shift
For many organisations, a redesign is part of a broader shift towards being more digitally mature, treating the website as a live product rather than a one-off project. Change management supports that shift.
Organisations that invest heavily in a new website but neglect the human side often find themselves back where they started within a year or two: outdated content, no clear ownership, and growing frustration.