A member of the original SWS team, Zach was the Web Strategist from 2011 to 2015, and helped manage vendor engagements for high-end custom development projects. Now he works for the Dean of Research, still heavily involved in Drupal, APIs, and Service Design. Sounds very much like SWS, just with fewer belugas, Simpsons references, and pull ups (the exercise ... not the diaper). Now that he works somewhere else, Zach can gush about the Awesomesauce Distillery that is SWS without it being self-aggrandizement. (Technically.)
Service Design is an emerging practice area that can transform organizations, and create immense value. Stanford Web Services has already begun to introduce Service Design into the way that they develop services for the University. We should all think about more ways to put it into practice.
All forward-thinking technologies share one attribute: the original designers intentionally build in opportunities for future users to innovate. It requires humility and a belief in the creativity of others. This is true for buildings, computers, networks, and other tools.
Dear Developers, if you follow these simple guidelines, your Drupal Features will be much more useful to institutions like Stanford over time. You will win friends and influence people. Drupal will live up to its potential, and there will be much rejoicing.
Either we shape the the technologies that we use, or they will shape us. Stanford’s commitment to the Drupal CMS enables more of us to think like engineers, embrace the Maker ethos, and craft our own tools.
I provide web project strategy and guidance for Stanford departments looking to hire a vendor for custom web development. My clients receive a full-service experience that includes business analysis, technical review, needs assessment, research and writing, agency recruitment, proposal evaluation, reference checks, forecasting, and is tailored to their specific needs. My clients are very happy.
At SWS, I have developed an improved method for vendor selection over “traditional RFP”, but it can take a little explaining—to clients and vendors alike—as to why it’s better, and why its worth the time investment.
In my role as Web Strategist, I enjoy a privileged perspective on the state of the web industry in higher ed. I get an inside look into the new methodologies employed by some the best agencies in the business.
Click on one of the series below to see all the blog posts in that particular series
