CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM EVALUATION CRITERIA
PRIMARY ISSUES TO CONSIDER IN EVALUATION PROCESS
PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS GRID
The following requirements grid should apply to the proposed features and functionality that are
supplied with the ‘out of the box’ solution.




Check either Yes or No according to the “out of the box’ provision.
If the feature or functionality is available either as an add-on, or through (customer) developer
customization, then check the ‘customization’ box (CST).
If the requirement does not apply to your document, you can place an N/A in one of the
columns.
Comments can be provided both at the end of a subsection, and at the end of each major
category.
Feel free to attach additional documentation and pages as needed.
SYSTEM & TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
Architecture/Platform Information
Describe in detail what infrastructure the product was developed on (for
example, what database, web server, application server, Windows).
What technologies are used in your solution (for example, Java®/JSP,
ASP/COM, ASP.NET, XML, C++, and so on)?
YES
NO
CST
YES
NO
CST
YES
NO
CST
Windows Platform? C#/.NET?
Please describe the overall architecture and design of this application/system
(for example, . 2-tier, 3-tier, struts & JSP, .NET, DCOM, and so on).
Supported Platforms – Client Component, please provide specific versions
- Windows 2000, XP, Vista?
- Linux/Red Hat?
- Mac OS X?
Supported Platforms – Server Component, please provide specific versions
- Windows 2000/2003
- Linux/Red Hat?
Supported Web/Application Servers, please provide supported versions.
- IIS?
- Apache?
Does your system provide database support?
Relational Database? SQL Server 2005 or greater?
Database replication?
Comments -
System Performance
Does system support: - advanced caching?
- static content export?
- dynamic page generation?
Is your system clusterable behind load balancer, preferably F5?
Describe how your system provides support for clustering, if applicable. How do
the clustered servers share state information and what do they share? How is
the load balanced after one server fails? How many concurrent users will the
system support per cluster member?
Are user sessions failed over seamlessly, or does a user experience session
interruptions?
Do you have a single point-of-failure in any of your components?
How does your solution allow us to scale up as our needs grow?
Comments -
Other Systems Topics
Does your system support multiple versions of browsers (IE 5.5 and up,
Netscape® 4.7x and up, others)?
Can your system integrate with Bricolage or any other Content Management
Systems? Describe the level of integration possible.
Can your system integrate with Outlook or any other email systems? Describe
the level of integration possible and specify supported versions
Will system integrate with our NetOps backup and restoration procedures?
Does your system allow remote installation (via terminal services or ssh)?
Does your system allow remote administration (via terminal services or ssh)?
Comments -
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS –
SITE DEVELOPMENT AND CODE
Protocols & File formats
FTP Support?
HTTP Proxy?
SharePoint integration?
Can the authoring tool save plain text?
Can the authoring tool save XML?
Can the authoring tool export multiple formats? Provide details.
Can the authoring tool import multiple formats (excluding graphics)? Provide
details.
Does the authoring tool use a non-proprietary file format? Provide details.
Can the authoring tool import Adobe FrameMaker files?
Do the authoring tools fully support Unicode?
Do the authoring tools support UTF-8 and UTF-16 languages?
Are graphics displayed in their native format? If not, provide details.
HTML/XML Templating?
Are accessibility (Section 508) requirements met in PDF and HTML based
output formats?
Comments -
YES
NO
CST
SDK/Dev Tools
Test framework?
Package Deployment?
Sub-sites/Roots?
Does system provide/allow for themes & skins?
Is there an SDK available for the authoring tool?
Does the authoring SDK use a nonproprietary language? Provide details.
Does the authoring tool link to a style sheet?
Is there an SDK available for the publishing tools? Provide details.
Does the publishing SDK use a nonproprietary language? Provide details.
Are advanced find and replace features supported, such as text, code/style,
regular expressions, or variables? Provide details.
Do you provide dedicated tools for developing templates/DTDs?
Web based style/Template management?
Is it easy to override templates if needed?
Do you provide dedicated tools for reviewing documents?
Describe the approach taken to manage and trap error situations within your
solution. How can system administrators get notification of error situations?
How do we configure the log level and, does it require a restart when changed?
Can we modify the location of the log files? Have you ever implemented
logging to a network share or appliance?
YES
NO
CST
SDK/Dev Tools (continued)…
Describe the extent to which the system’s user interface and features can be
customized/configured while allowing for software upgrades under your normal
upgrade process.
Is feature rollout simple? Time consuming?
Can features be restricted to specific sites?
Can upgrades be performed without affecting the existing system?
Are error corrections and enhancements release dependent?
Is a standard macro language supported? Provide details.
What is the method used for handling forms?
What format is used to export form data?
Can the system find orphaned files?
Comments -
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS –
YES
NO
CST
SECURITY
Log-ins, Authentication & ACLS
NTLM Authentication?
SSL Compatible?
SSL Logins?
Does your system provide LDAP integration? Active Directory? Describe the
level of integration possible.
- provide details on user and group permissions
Pluggable authentication?
Log-in history?
Are access levels inherited from other systems? Provide details.
Are your content storage and management tools optimized for a specific
granularity? Provide details.
Comments -
YES
NO
CST
Other Security Topics
XHTML Compliant?
Section 508/WAI Compliant?
Other systems that system is compliant with?
Do the content storage and management tools support auditing?
Do the content storage and management tools provide ISO 9000-compliant
audit reports?
Can your content storage and management tools limit a user’s access level,
such as to view only, view and comment, or modify?
Do the content storage and management tools support custom reporting on
audit events?
Do the content storage and management tools provide an audit history, by user
ID and the action performed (copy, view, and so on), of users accessing the
content?
YES
NO
CST
Can the content storage and management tools be configured to send email
notifications to Outlook users? Provide details.
Do the content storage and management tools archive versions? Provide
details.
Can files be reverted to older versions?
Is there a maximum number of versions that can be saved?
Are versions stored as separate files?
Comments -
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS –
SITE MANAGEMENT & CONTENT STORAGE
Content Storage
Do the content storage and management tools include review workflows?
Is searching within the database, files, and metadata supported? Provide
details.
Is data stored in a database? Provide details.
Is metadata versioned? Provide details.
Comments –
YES
NO
CST
Site Management
Is batch exporting supported? Provide details, including formats.
Are tools for converting file formats provided? Provide details.
Is file linking managed by the content storage and management tools? Provide
details.
Web statistics?
- Graphs and charts?
Is group management and user access process simple?
File distribution?
Asset Management?
Inline site administration?
Online site administration?
Comments –
YES
NO
CST
Document/Content Assembly
Link checker?
Are links and cross-references managed during content assembly and
publishing? Provide details.
Can docs be dynamically assembled based on parameters defined by the
user? Provide details.
Is document assembly information managed and stored separately from
content?
Is document assembly information added to source files?
Can the document assembly process automatically resolve when file names
change?
Does the document assembly process include automatic methods for resolving
conflicts?
Can conflicts be overruled?
Can content assembly and publishing be scheduled and automated?
Can content assembly and publishing be initiated by a user?
Are logs generated during assembly and publishing? Provide details.
Are versioning notes maintained through reversions?
Comments –
YES
NO
CST
Scalability, Reliability & Flexibility
Content reuse?
Extensible User Profiles?
URL Rewriting?
Friendly URLs?
Multi-site deployment?
Comments –
YES
NO
CST
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS –
SUPPORT AND DOCUMENTATION
Is the system well documented?
Does the system provide code Skeletons (templates for easy reference)?
Does the system provide a test framework?
Pluggable API?
Is there support for the API?
Is there online help available?
How are bugs reported?
Active Development Cycle - any guarantees for how long product will be
supported? What is the timeframe?
Is there commercial support available?
Are there webinars/screencasts available?
Are there online forums/discussion lists for developers?
Are software upgrade/patches consistent?
- What are the costs, if any, for upgrades?
Will you be responsible for implementing updates and error corrections to the
system? If so, are there any extra costs involved?
For ongoing updates and error corrections, will appropriate documentation be
supplied?
Comments –
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS –
YES
NO
CST
CONTENT AUTHORING & USER EXPERIENCE
Ease of Use
Is it easy to learn to use? Intuitive and familiar?
Is the terminology used within the system and documentation intuitive and
understandable?
Is the system easy to navigate through?
Is navigation within a section intuitive?
Is it simple to edit a page? Is the interface intuitive?
- to identify changes between versions?
- to remove or retire old pages?
- is it simple to restore old pages?
- to clone existing pages?
Is it easy to link to internal content? Other pages within site?
Is it easy to create an email link?
Is there an intuitive way to build a form?
Is there redundancy in steps to accomplish tasks?
Comments –
YES
NO
CST
Authoring Tools
Do you provide a web interface for authoring content? Provide details.
WYSIWYG Editor?
Can a user import content from Word?
- is formatting retained in import?
Does the authoring tool provide multiple authoring views, such as WYSIWYG
and code?
Is there a spell check (US English) built into your authoring tools?
Is there a find and replace feature built into your authoring tools?
Can find and replace be performed at various levels –single topic/multiple
topics/complete docs?
Drag and Drop content?
Undo?
Trash bin?
Does the system have a sandbox?
Are internal and external linking supported? Provide details.
Ability to view previous versions in preview (not in code)?
Is content validated in real time?
Is content validated on save?
When content is validated, is feedback provided to the user? Provide details.
Do validation errors have to be resolved before content is saved? Provide
details.
Ability to write version notes at check in?
Comments –
YES
NO
CST
Working with Images & Other Files/Media
YES
NO
CST
Is media management intuitive and easy to use?
Can vector and raster graphics be linked to a file?
Can vector and raster graphics be placed in a file?
Does system provide method for image resizing within system?
- does resize tool constrain proportionality of image?
Does system have an image editor? Does it ‘save for web?’
Does system provide mass upload feature for images?
Can callouts be added to graphics within the authoring tool?
Is publishing PDF files supported?
Comments -
Working with Tables and Content Placement
Is WYSIWYG table editing supported within the authoring tools?
Is HTML table editing supported?
Is it easy to control wrapping around tables and images?
Are advanced table features, such as column spanning, supported? Provide
details.
Can content be repositioned? What are the options for positioning?
Comments -
YES
NO
CST
Publishing & Work Flows
Does the authoring tool include any workflow tools, such as review and
approval processes?
Is the authoring tool integrated with any existing workflow tools?
Can review comments be captured and linked to the content?
Do the content storage and management tools include approval workflows?
Can users publish content directly from authoring tools?
Can files be checked in and checked out by the publishing tools?
Can documents be automatically posted to multiple locations?
Groups vs. Roles?
Comments –
YES
NO
CST
Other Content Authoring Topics
If content is modified outside of the primary tool, is the integrity of the content
and metadata maintained?
UI Levels?
Subscriptions?
Content search?
Content export?
Content printing?
Comments -
YES
NO
CST
Built-in Apps/Add-Ons
Blog
Discussion group/Forums
Link management
Mail Forms
My Page/Dashboard
Newsletter
Photo Gallery
Media Gallery - rotating images
Polls
Site Map
Web Services front end
Wiki
RSS Feed import/export
Video Manager
Chat
Guestbook
Surveys
Comments -
YES
NO
CST
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS –