HUD's Web Management Operating Procedures

Secton 1: Roles And Responsibilities

C: Headquarters Web Managers

All Web Managers - both in Headquarters and the Field - have the same 7 basic roles. As Headquarters Web Managers, you are responsible for carrying out these roles within your organization, including any out-stationed components of your organization (such as Administrative Services Centers, Homeownership Centers, etc.), and for participating in the Department's web management organization's initiatives and activities.

What Makes You Unique?

Headquarters Web Managers are unique in three ways:

• The content you manage is entirely within your organization.
• Most of you obtain or oversee your own technical support.
• You are responsible for all generic content on HUD's website related to the programs/activities of your organization

Coordinating Content Within Your Organization

To develop content from your organization, work both from the top down and the bottom up.

• Meet routinely with your Principal Staff member or designee to brief him/her on web initiatives and accomplishments, to solicit input, and - most of all - to make sure you understand your Principal Staff member's priorities and goals.
• Ask to get on the agenda of staff meetings at all levels (Assistant Secretary down to Branch Chiefs and Team Leaders) several times a year to show them what's on your pages and get their ideas.
• As new managers are hired into the organization, brief them on their web pages and get their ideas about content they might want to develop.
• Keep all your managers informed on the status of certification efforts; ensure that they understand that it is their role to keep content current and accurate.
• Be sure to keep any out-stationed managers in the loop.
• Find ways to report your accomplishments to your entire organization. Ask for their ideas and suggestions.
• Conduct training for the staff in your organization, so they'll know how to use the web and our websites.
• Encourage managers to promote HUD's websites in their marketing efforts and public events.
• Seek opportunities to demonstrate HUD's website - and your pages - for our target audiences, including citizens.
• Ensure that your organization has documented procedures for clearing all content that goes on your web pages.

Obtaining/Overseeing Your Technical Support

In FY2000, HUD's Departmental Task Force on Web Management recommended that responsibilities for web content management and responsibilities for web technical support be assigned to separate staff, skilled in those distinct areas.

You have a few options for managing your technical support:

1. You can train HUD employees to do it.
2. You can hire contractors to do it.
3. You can purchase services from the Departmental Web Team's tech support contractor.
4. You can do it yourself.

The Departmental Web Manager for Headquarters Operations will arrange training for your technical support staff or contractors, to ensure they know how to use the templates.

It is your job to know and practice HUD's policies, publication standards and technical guidelines. If you have other staff or contractors who provide technical support, it is your job to make sure that they know and practice HUD's policies, publication standards, and technical guidelines.

Developing and Overseeing Generic Content

By Departmental policy, generic content (content that is nationwide in scope) must be created in Headquarters; and local content (content specific to a geographic area or that only can be developed and managed locally) must be created in the Field. This is true both for the Internet and the Intranet.

Here are some of the implications of that policy:

• Any parts of the state page templates that apply to a specific program area - for example, the local CPD office information - must be coordinated with the Headquarters Web Manager, who will ensure that program managers agree with the content of the template. The local templates can be posted only after your approval.
• Your pages should contain content exclusive to your organization. Don't try to create your own mini HUD website (linking to content from other organizations) or create content that legitimately belongs to another organization.
• It is your responsibility to let the Departmental Web Manager for Headquarters Operations know about new content you post AND to suggest appropriate Departmental pages where links might be established. Help us weave the content together so the public doesn't have to look in multiple places.

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