Building a Content Management System (CMS)
Launch Plan, Skills Needed, Costs
With 11-year experience in CMS development, ScienceSoft knows how to build a CMS that would improve the efficiency of content management by up to 60%.
Building a Content Management System (CMS): Summary
Content management system development is required when a company needs software to conveniently manage its digital content. Such content may include documents, digital media assets (e.g., photos, audio and video files), and web content.
- Building time: 2-6 months.
- Implementation steps: CMS conceptualization and planning, UX and UI design, development, testing, data migration, user training, launch, and after-launch support.
- Required team: a project manager, a business analyst, a UX/UI designer, front-end and back-end developers, QA and DevOps engineers.
ScienceSoft offers cost-effective implementation of custom and platform-based content management solutions that help organizations streamline the creation, publishing, and updating of diverse corporate content.
How to Make a CMS
CMS development projects differ based on the project scope and the solution specifics, but the key steps to build a content management system are universal. Relying on 11-year experience in CMS development, ScienceSoft lists them in the plan below.
- Analyze your organization’s information architecture, content management processes, and content types used.
- Define the content management needs and CMS goals (e.g., simultaneous content management across dozens of websites, faster content development and publishing, more efficient storage and management of large files, compliance with region- or industry-specific regulations like GDPR or HIPAA).
- Outline the solution’s scope (e.g., customizable content templates, AI-based content personalization, built-in SEO tools, multilanguage support).
- Specify the future CMS users and their roles (e.g., content authors, content editors).
Deliverables: a CMS vision and a project scope.
- Decide on a content governance strategy, including content life cycle workflows, file naming conventions, metadata management, frequency of content updates, user roles and permissions, content retention/deletion, regulatory compliance.
- Define the core CMS features depending on your content management needs. E.g., if you need a CMS to manage websites used for selling products online, it will need built-in ecommerce functionality (e.g., product description pages, product recommendations, promotional banners, shipping and payment information). Alternatively, a CMS can be integrated with your existing ecommerce solution.
- Define the target KPIs for a CMS solution (e.g., +50% traffic volume on the website, +25% user engagement with the web content, +60% invoice processing speed).
- Create a CMS requirements specification.
- Choose a suitable platform (for platform-based CMS implementation) or a tech stack (for custom CMS development).
- Plan CMS integrations (e.g., with CRM, intranet, ecommerce, marketing automation software).
- Plan a CMS development project, including the project duration and budget estimation.
- Draw up a business case, including cost-benefit analysis, NPV and ROI calculation, etc.
Deliverables: a content governance strategy, a CMS feature list, a CMS requirements specification, the list of target KPIs, a CMS development plan.
- Create an information architecture, i.e., categorize the content to ensure easy content search.
- Design content management workflows (e.g., content approval, publishing) for each content type.
- Create personas and user journey maps.
- Create CMS prototypes.
- Conduct usability testing of the prototypes.
Deliverables: the content architecture, workflows, CMS prototypes.
To enable facilitated content search and collaboration on content, we reflect the organizational structure in a CMS solution. For example, we create separate spaces for department- and team-based content management in CMS.
Kick off the CMS development (platform-based or custom)
Carry out your CMS development project in line with the chosen implementation approach:
- Build a platform-based content management system. This option is recommended if the default set of CMS features (e.g., multi-type content support, a WYSIWYG editor, content approval workflows) can fully meet your content management needs.
- Develop a CMS from scratch. This option is recommended if you need a flexible and scalable CMS tailored to your specific content management needs (e.g., built-in SEO tools, AI-based content personalization, multisite and multilanguage support, custom branding, integrations with legacy software).
Deliverables: a CMS solution.
To reduce CMS development risks, time, and costs, we suggest applying an iterative approach to development and introducing CI/CD pipelines. Thus, a new CMS iteration is delivered every 2–3 weeks. The approach actively engages stakeholders early on to guarantee better user satisfaction and control over the delivery results.
- Create a CMS test plan, test scenarios and test cases.
- Conduct the required types of CMS testing (e.g., functional, integration, performance, usability testing).
- Fix the defects detected during the testing (e.g., slow page loading, errors in the content workflows).
Deliverables: a CMS test plan, test cases, reports.
Conducting QA in parallel with CMS development helps us reduce the implementation time and ensure that no serious bugs will slip into production.
- Create a thorough data migration plan.
- Define the content eligible for migration to the new CMS.
- Check the legacy content for errors and duplication, outdated or inconsistent data.
- Conduct content migration.
- Test the transferred data and content for consistency, accuracy, completeness, etc.
Deliverables: a CMS data migration plan.
- Create documentation on the CMS use (including a style guide that describes the content formatting rules) and hand it over to the CMS users.
- Conduct training sessions for CMS users on content creation, approval, publishing, and updating.
- Perform user acceptance testing.
- Collect user feedback and implement relevant CMS improvements (e.g., in navigation, workflows).
- Launch the CMS to the production environment.
Deliverables: CMS user guides.
- Resolve user issues and fix the newfound defects in the CMS, if any.
- As time goes on and your organization grows, adjust the solution to the changing business needs (e.g., create custom CMS add-ins or plugins).
- Monitor and improve CMS compliance with the region- and industry-specific standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
Deliverables: defects reports, performance reports, compliance reports.
Why Choose ScienceSoft to Create a Content Management System
- 33 years in custom software development.
- 11 years in CMS development.
- Business analysts with 5-9 years of experience in CMS.
- Expertise in 30 industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas, banking, retail.
- 9 Microsoft Gold Competencies, including Collaboration and Content.
- Pimcore partnership.
- AWS Select Tier partnership.
ScienceSoft's CMS development team usually includes:
Project manager
- Defining the scope, budget, timeframes, milestones, and target KPIs of a CMS development project.
- Managing resources for the project.
- Facilitating and coordinating communication between all team members.
- Supervising the project activities.
- Tracking the project milestones and deliverables.
Business analyst
- Investigating the content management needs, goals, and target users.
- Suggesting the most relevant CMS features.
- Mapping CMS features to technical requirements.
- Organizing, specifying and documenting CMS requirements, including the description of CMS modules, information architecture, user roles, integrations, etc.
UX/UI designer
- Performing UX research.
- Creating user journey maps and designing user interactions with a CMS.
- Building CMS prototypes.
- Conducting CMS usability testing.
Back-end developer
- Choosing a suitable platform or a tech stack for a CMS.
- Developing and deploying a CMS solution.
- Integrating the solution with a CRM, intranet, or other tools.
- Developing custom CMS add-ins or plugins for a platform-based CMS.
Front-end developer
- Developing the UI components of a CMS.
- Optimizing the CMS front-end performance to improve user experience.
Test engineer
- Designing a test plan for a CMS solution.
- Selecting appropriate testing tools.
- Designing, executing, and maintaining test cases to ensure CMS operability and consistency with the requirements specification.
- Reporting the defects to developers and validating the fixes.
DevOps engineer
- Automating the CMS development process by introducing a CI/CD pipeline.
- Monitoring CMS availability, performance, and security.
Guaranteed CMS quality
Due to our quality-centered approach: regular code reviews, integrated APM (application performance management), systematic QA with optimal test coverage, including unit testing, automated API and UI testing.
Cost-efficient CMS development
To reduce CMS development costs, we use proven ready-made and open-source components instead of developing custom tools or using third-party costly tools. Also, we ensure the optimal use of cloud services.
Lower risks
To minimize implementation risks, we offer all-around consultancy at each stage of CMS implementation, from architecture and UX/UI design to the solution’s launch, and follow the iterative development approach.
Technologies We Use When Building CMS
Programming languages
Back end
Practice
19 years
Projects
200+
Workforce
60+
Our .NET developers can build sustainable and high-performing apps up to 2x faster due to outstanding .NET proficiency and high productivity.
Practice
25 years
Projects
110+
Workforce
40+
ScienceSoft's Java developers build secure, resilient and efficient cloud-native and cloud-only software of any complexity and successfully modernize legacy software solutions.
Practice
10 years
Projects
50+
Workforce
30
ScienceSoft's Python developers and data scientists excel at building general-purpose Python apps, big data and IoT platforms, AI and ML-based apps, and BI solutions.
Practice
10 years
Workforce
100
ScienceSoft delivers cloud-native, real-time web and mobile apps, web servers, and custom APIs ~1.5–2x faster than other software developers.
Practice
16 years
Projects
170
Workforce
55
ScienceSoft's PHP developers helped to build Viber. Their recent projects: an IoT fleet management solution used by 2,000+ corporate clients and an award-winning remote patient monitoring solution.
Practice
34 years
Workforce
40
ScienceSoft's C++ developers created the desktop version of Viber and an award-winning imaging application for a global leader in image processing.
Practice
4 years
ScienceSoft's developers use Go to build robust cloud-native, microservices-based applications that leverage advanced techs — IoT, big data, AI, ML, blockchain.
Front end
Practice
21 years
Projects
2,200+
Workforce
50+
ScienceSoft uses JavaScript’s versatile ecosystem of frameworks to create dynamic and interactive user experience in web and mobile apps.
Practice
13 years
Workforce
100+
ScienceSoft leverages code reusability Angular is notable for to create large-scale apps. We chose Angular for a banking app with 3M+ users.
Workforce
80+
ScienceSoft achieves 20–50% faster React development and 50–90% fewer front-end performance issues due to smart implementation of reusable components and strict adherence to coding best practices.
With Next.js, ScienceSoft creates SEO-friendly apps and achieves the fastest performance for apps with decoupled architecture.
Mobile
Practice
16 years
Projects
150+
Workforce
50+
ScienceSoft’s achieves 20–50% cost reduction for iOS projects due to excellent self-management and Agile skills of the team. The quality is never compromised — our iOS apps are highly rated.
Practice
14 years
Projects
200+
Workforce
50+
There are award-winning Android apps in ScienceSoft’s portfolio. Among the most prominent projects is the 5-year-long development of Viber, a messaging and VoIP app for 1.8B users.
Practice
11 years
Projects
85+
Workforce
10+
ScienceSoft cuts the cost of mobile projects twice by building functional and user-friendly cross-platform apps with Xamarin.
ScienceSoft uses Cordova to create cross-platform apps and avoid high project costs that may come with native mobile development.
ScienceSoft takes the best from native mobile and web apps and creates the ultimate user experience in PWA.
Practice
8 years
Projects
300+
ScienceSoft reduces up to 50% of project costs and time by creating cross-platform apps that run smoothly on web, Android and iOS.
CMS platforms
Practice
15 years
Projects
100+
Workforce
20+
Solid expertise in SharePoint services has earned ScienceSoft a place in Clutch’s list of Top SharePoint Developers in 2023.
Databases / data storages
SQL
Our Microsoft SQL Server-based projects include a BI solution for 200 healthcare centers, the world’s largest PLM software, and an automated underwriting system for the global commercial insurance carrier.
We’ve implemented MySQL for Viber, an instant messenger with 1B+ users, and an award-winning remote patient monitoring software.
Azure SQL Database is great for handling large volumes of data and varying database traffic: it easily scales up and down without any downtime or disruption to the applications. It also offers automatic backups and point-in-time recoveries to protect databases from accidental corruption or deletion.
NoSQL
Our Apache Cassandra consultants helped a leading Internet of Vehicles company enhance their big data solution that analyzes IoT data from 600,000 vehicles.
ScienceSoft has helped one of the top market research companies migrate its big data solution for advertising channel analysis to Apache Hive. Together with other improvements, this led to 100x faster data processing.
We use HBase if your database should scale to billions of rows and millions of columns while maintaining constant write and read performance.
CMS implementation costs depend on multiple factors such as:
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Sample CMS implementation costs
$20,000 - 50,000
For a basic CMS solution with content authoring tools, customizable templates, alerts and notifications (e.g., about content publishing, modification), reporting and analytics (e.g., content usage, user behavior).
$70,000 - 100,000
For an advanced CMS with multiple custom features (e.g., non-linear multistep workflows for content approval) and third-party integrations (e.g., with ERP, CRM, PIM, ecommerce software, marketing automation software).
$150,000 - 400,000
For a complex enterprise CMS with custom features like AI-driven content personalization, multisite and multilanguage support, access to content management functionality on mobile devices, and more.
About ScienceSoft
ScienceSoft is a global IT consulting and software development company headquartered in McKinney, Texas. We advise on and build custom and platform-based CMS solutions with a rich feature set to ensure prompt and cost-effective web content management. Being ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified, we guarantee high-quality IT services and the security of our customers’ data. If you are interested in a CMS implementation, consider our CMS development offer.
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