Migrating a number of sites from Easysite CMS to Drupal 7
Redactive Media is a leading content marketing and publishing agency. They were migrating a number of sites from their legacy Easysite CMS to Drupal 7. Code Enigma provided mentoring and development resource.
Head of digital – Aaron Davies, had no doubt about Drupal and noted the benefits:
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The speed of building sites using Drupal's modular structure
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No more unwieldy CMS
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Reduced build time means more focus on user-centred design
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Custom functionality. Such as smart forms and integrations with external membership databases
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Increased user interaction for improved data capture
What we did and outcomes
We introduced the Agile methodology. The user-centred model proved useful with the user story being embedded. Additionally, a more sophisticated understanding of user needs and behaviour.
Task breakdowns and time-based estimating was used. Meaning teams could make informed decisions. Detailed estimating and auditing identified time previously lost in activities, like planning. Scrum diaries helped, so the team knew how they spent their time.
Better use of metrics was seen. The previous CMS was difficult to use, but now Redactive can drill into how people are using sites. Now they carry out analysis of user journeys, implement A/B testing, and optimize markup.
Drupal’s features and the Drush command-line tool sped up work and re-useability. A result of working with us, they used more command line (associated with moving from Windows to Mac). Also, the continuous integration system with local environments matched the Linux hosting environment.
The development team were positive about the continuous integration systems we introduced. Using Git branches and three-stage deployment automated with Jenkins. They thought our use of IRC to communicate was retro but worked. (We've since moved on with the times, but admittedly, we miss it).
Our thoughts
Assisting a company in such a move can feel like shooting at an open goal. But we know Drupal makes things quicker and more flexible. Some of the interesting aspects of adopting Drupal 7 emerged during our initial onboarding. Also, through the process of mentoring and coaching the internal team.
During onboarding, we produced detailed business plans for the initial stages of the move. This helped our client take a more strategic approach to the process.
The core of this was teamwork. Which required working with an agreed and consistent system. Things like version control. And getting everything into code to achieve zero-touch deployment. Meaning the developers never need access to the production site's edit interface for configuration changes. Also, deployment to live can occur without any downtime. It also covers using tools such as terminal commands with Drush to speed up development.
Our project management processes proved useful to Redactive. They cherry-picked our ideas. This vindicates a collaborative model between client and agency.
Drupal is flexible and can build virtually anything. When you search a Drupal problem, the chances are you'll find the results on drupal.org because of the active community.
Pierrick Senelaar and Bhanu Chawla - Developers
