HUD's Web Management Operating Procedures

Section 3: Management Controls

C: Content Quality Control

HUD's Departmental Web Team manages the Content Quality Control process, which ensures that HUD's web pages are reviewed routinely to ensure that they meet HUD's writing standards. Web Managers and others who develop web content and web pages should use the Quality Control rating form to review their pages before they post them.

Background

HUD is using its website to complete its mission and goals and serve the public; and it is important to have a process to ensure that the content is well-written, well-organized, and in compliance with Departmental web policies and publication standards. The Deputy Secretary already has established a quarterly certification process that requires HUD managers to certify that content is current and accurate. We also need to have a process that monitors the quality of the content, including compliance with Departmental requirements.

Overview of Process

The quality control process has five objectives:

• Be as objective as possible
• Be as helpful and constructive as possible
• Be routine
• Be carried out without new or additional resources
• Contain ramifications sufficient to ensure sustained, high quality web content throughout HUD's website

While the substance of the content (the "what") of HUD's website is "owned" by HUD managers, the presentation of the content (the "how") is the responsibility of Web Managers. Therefore, the quality control process will depend on "peer reviews," with Web Managers and web coordinators reviewing the pages of other Web Managers and web coordinators.

All reviewers will be trained by the Departmental Web Team, prior to conducting any reviews.

What Will Be Reviewed?

At the beginning of each year, the Departmental Web Team will establish a significant number of web pages to review.

Content to be reviewed will be identified in 3 ways:

• An established percentage will be the most visited pages for that organization. Some of these pages will be the same from review to review; but since these are the most visited pages, it is important that they be top quality.
• An established percentage of the pages reviewed each year will be selected at random from all the pages for that organization.
• An established percentage of the pages will be suggested by the Web Manager for that organization.

Review Teams

• Review teams will be 3-person teams drawn from all officially designated Web Managers throughout the Department
• Teams will include representation both from the Field and from HQ.
• Reviewers will never be assigned to review their own pages.
• The two Departmental Web Managers will not participate in routine reviews. They will handle disputes and appeals.

Review Process

• The Departmental Web Team will establish an annual review schedule, identifying review teams and review deadlines for each team. Deadlines will be staggered throughout the year.
• Each member of the team will review the same content so that there will be 3 different evaluations of the content.
• Each team member will complete an automated review form for each page reviewed. Reviewers will be encouraged to include specific comments and suggestions for ways to improve the content, particularly on ratings of 3 or less. QC reviews will focus both on compliance with HUD web policies and publication standards and on compliance with HUD's standards for writing for the web.
• The three evaluations of each page will be averaged to come up with an overall "score" for each page. The Departmental Web Team will review evaluations, identifying trends and anomalies.
• The Web Manager for the organization also will review the evaluations of the content for his/her organization, sharing the results with managers within the organization as appropriate.
• Deficiencies should be remedied within 1 month. A follow-up team, comprised of Web Managers, will spot check pages that score 44 (80%) or lower.
• Failure to correct deficiencies within one month will be reported to the organization head and the Deputy Secretary. Remedies could include temporary suspension of posting rights.
• A sample rating form is available in Appendix K.