A ready-to-use Headless CMS implementation project plan with predefined phases, tasks, milestones, and effort estimates to plan, integrate a CMS, build API-driven content workflows, and launch scalable digital experiences.
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| Phase/Task | Estimate | Assign To |
|---|---|---|
Discovery & Strategy3w Project kickoff, content and channel discovery, requirements and scope. Duration ~2-3 weeks. | ||
Project Kickoff & Governance5d Kickoff, governance, workspace, communication plan, CMS platform access. | ||
Project kickoff; roles and RACI1d Project kickoff meeting; roles and RACI. 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Governance (steering content approval change)1d Define governance. 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Project workspace and tools1d Set up project workspace and tools. 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Communication and status plan1d Establish communication plan. 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
CMS platform access (trial/sandbox)1d Environment access and provisioning. 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Systems Administrator |
Content & Channel Discovery2w Content audit, channel inventory, stakeholder interviews, integration landscape, discovery summary. | ||
Content audit (existing site/CMS)4d Content audit. 2 days. | 17h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Channel inventory1d Channel inventory. 0.5 day. | 4h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Stakeholder interviews (editors marketing)2d Stakeholder interviews. 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Integration landscape (PIM DAM analytics)3d Integration landscape. 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Integration Specialist |
Discovery summary and recommendations1d Discovery summary. 1 day. | 9h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Requirements & Scope1w Functional and non-functional requirements, scope, backlog prioritization, sign-off. | ||
Functional requirements (authoring workflow delivery)2d Functional requirements. 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Non-functional (performance availability i18n)1d Non-functional requirements. 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Technology Solutions Architect |
Scope (in/out) assumptions constraints3d Define scope. 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Backlog prioritization and phasing1d Prioritize backlog. 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Product Owner |
Requirements sign-off1d Requirements sign-off. 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Content Architecture & Design4w Content modeling, API and delivery design, workflow and authoring design, migration design. ~3-4 weeks. | ||
Content Modeling2w Content type inventory, field design, relationships, taxonomy, documentation, sign-off. | ||
Content type inventory and naming4d 2 days. | 17h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Field design (types validation repeatables)2d 2 days. | 17h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Relationships and references (entries assets)2d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Architect |
Taxonomy and tagging model3d 1 day. | 9h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Content model documentation1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Technical Writer |
Content model review and sign-off1d 1 day. | 9h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
API & Delivery Design1w API strategy, query patterns, localization, webhooks, API design document. | ||
API strategy (REST vs GraphQL preview/delivery)1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Technology Solutions Architect |
Query patterns and response shape4d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Architect |
Localization and locale strategy1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Architect |
Webhook/event design (publish unpublish)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Architect |
API design document1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Architect |
Workflow & Authoring Design6d Editorial workflow, roles and permissions, preview and scheduling, sign-off. | ||
Editorial workflow (draft to review to publish)1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Roles and permissions (editors approvers admins)3d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Preview and scheduling rules1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Workflow design sign-off1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Migration & Taxonomy Design6d Content migration strategy, URL mapping, media migration, data quality rules. | ||
Content migration strategy (what how order)1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Technology Solutions Architect |
URL/redirect mapping1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Media/asset migration approach3d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Architect |
Data quality and cleansing rules1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
CMS Build & Configuration1mo Platform setup, content types and taxonomy build, workflows and permissions, integrations, API and delivery config. ~5-6 weeks. | ||
Platform Setup1w Environment setup, SSO, branding, backup, code promotion. | ||
Environment setup (dev staging prod)1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Systems Administrator |
SSO and identity (if required)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Systems Administrator |
Branding and UI preferences3d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Backup retention and compliance settings1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Systems Administrator |
Code/config promotion process1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Content Types & Taxonomy Build2w Create content types, configure fields, relationships, taxonomy, sample content. | ||
Create content types (schema)5d 3 days. | 25h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Configure fields (validation help text)2d 2 days. | 17h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Relationships and components2d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Taxonomy and tagging setup3d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Sample content (seed data)1d 1 day. | 9h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Content type review and tweaks2d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Workflows & Permissions2w Workflow states, roles and permissions, preview config, notifications, testing. | ||
Workflow states and transitions4d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Roles and permissions matrix1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Preview and scheduled publish config1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Notifications (assignments approvals)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Workflow testing and tuning4d 2 days. | 17h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Integrations (CMS-side)1w DAM connector, webhooks, inbound APIs, analytics, integration testing. | ||
DAM/asset connector (if separate)2d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Integration Specialist |
Webhooks (outbound to build/preview)1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Integration Specialist |
Inbound APIs (optional PIM external data)4d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Integration Specialist |
Analytics/tracking (editor behavior)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Integration testing (unit)1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Integration Specialist |
API & Delivery Configuration1w Delivery API, preview API, localization, caching, API documentation. | ||
Delivery API config (environments keys)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Preview API and draft content access1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Localization and locale config3d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Caching headers and CDN hints1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
API documentation (generated or manual)1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Technical Writer |
Content Migration & Authoring Setup3w Migration execution, authoring enablement. ~2-3 weeks. | ||
Migration Execution3w Extract, transform, load to dev/staging, media migration, production runbook. | ||
Extract content from source (export/API)4d 2 days. | 17h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Transform to new schema (mapping scripts)3d 2.5 days. | 21h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Load to dev; validate and fix4d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Load to staging; UAT content set2d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Media/asset migration and CDN2d 2 days. | 17h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Production migration runbook3d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Authoring Enablement4d Editor UI review, authoring guides, content team training. | ||
Editor UI review (labels help order)1d 1 day. | 9h | Content Management Systems - Content Strategist |
Authoring guides and quick reference1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Technical Writer |
Content team training (hands-on)2d 1.5 days. | 12h | IT Consulting - Training Specialist |
Frontend Integration & API Delivery3w Consuming application integration, build and publish pipeline, additional channels. ~3-4 weeks. | ||
Consuming Application Integration1w API client, fetch content, dynamic routing, preview, localization, caching. | ||
API client setup (SDK or REST/GraphQL)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Fetch content by type (pages components)2d 2 days. | 17h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Dynamic routing (e.g. by slug)1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Preview mode (draft content in app)3d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Localization (locale param fallbacks)1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Error handling and fallbacks1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Caching strategy (ISR CDN revalidate)1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Build & Publish Pipeline6d Webhook receiver, incremental build, preview deployments, pipeline docs. | ||
Webhook receiver (on publish)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Incremental/on-demand build config3d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Preview deployments (staging URL)1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Pipeline documentation1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Technical Writer |
Additional Channels (if in scope)1w Second channel integration, channel-specific content, smoke tests. | ||
Second channel integration (e.g. app email)5d 2.5 days. | 21h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Channel-specific content or overrides1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Smoke tests per channel1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
Deployment2w Pre-deployment, go-live. ~1.5-2 weeks. | ||
Pre-Deployment1w Production CMS config, content migration run, frontend prod config, go/no-go, rollback plan. | ||
Production CMS and env config1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Systems Administrator |
Production content migration run4d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Frontend prod config (API URL keys)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Go/no-go checklist1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Rollback plan and comms1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Go-Live1w Cutover, smoke tests, user communication, go-live support. | ||
Cutover (DNS deploy switch)3d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Smoke tests (critical pages API)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
User communication and support brief1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Change Management Specialist |
Go-live support (war room)2d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Testing4w Test planning and prep, system and API testing, user acceptance testing. ~2-3 weeks. | ||
Test Planning & Prep6d Test strategy, test cases, test data and environment freeze. | ||
Test strategy (content API frontend E2E)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
Test cases (functional content workflows)4d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
Test data and environment freeze1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
System & API Testing1w API tests, content workflow tests, frontend integration tests, performance, defect retest. | ||
API tests (response shape locales)2d 1.5 days. | 12h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
Content workflow tests (publish preview)3d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
Frontend integration tests2d 2 days. | 17h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
Performance (API latency page load)1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Performance Engineer |
Defect log and retest1d 1 day. | 9h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
User Acceptance Testing2w UAT kickoff, execution, defect triage and fix, sign-off. | ||
UAT kickoff (authors and business)3d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - Training Specialist |
UAT execution (authoring and consumption)4d 4 days. | 34h | Software Development - QA Engineer |
UAT defect triage and fix4d 2 days. | 17h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
UAT sign-off1d 0.5 day. | 4h | Software Development - Business Analyst |
Hypercare & Transition2mo Hypercare support, knowledge transfer and handover, project closeout. ~2-3 weeks. | ||
Hypercare Support2w Dedicated support, defect fix and enhancements, daily standups, knowledge base. | ||
Dedicated support (hotline / channel)1w 5 days. | 41h | IT Consulting - IT Consultant |
Defect fix and small enhancements3d 3 days. | 25h | Software Development - Software Engineer |
Daily standups with content/ops1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Knowledge base and authoring docs3d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Technical Writer |
Knowledge Transfer & Handover3d Admin training, runbook and ops docs, handover to BAU. | ||
Admin training (workflows config)1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Training Specialist |
Runbook and ops docs (build deploy backup)1d 1 day. | 9h | IT Consulting - Technical Writer |
Handover to BAU1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Project Closeout5d Lessons learned, final report and metrics, formal project closure. | ||
Lessons learned1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Final report and metrics3d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
Formal project closure1d 0.5 day. | 4h | IT Consulting - IT Project Manager |
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