The complexity of internal vs. external stakeholders for websites does make for an interesting turf-war in a lot of companies. The very visible engagement with customers makes this an ideal candidate for product management. The dependence on many internal business processes, combined with (typically) siloed “ownership” of content, positioning, branding, pricing (of the products displayed on the site) makes this a great project for business analysts.

Kevin Brennan (bainsight on twitter) had a great conversation a couple weeks ago about product management and business analysis. Driving the vision and implementation of a website (or CMS or CRM system) is a great point for assertion of arguments on both sides. And a great example that demonstrates huge overlap in skills and responsibilities between the two mindsets/camps/careers.

Thanks for sharing your really good article on CMS product management – folks should check it out. Your other link was broken.

There are two aspects of product managing (at least large) web sites: product managing the external-facing site (so that the site does not quickly erode http://welchmanpierpoint.com/blog/web-product-manager-quality-product-management), and product managing the internal CMS / infrastructure (so that the system does not become unmanageable and therefore eventually impossible to satisfy site visitors http://www.scribd.com/doc/14087675/Internal-Content-Management-System-CMS-Product-Management). In addition to product management, the overall decision structures need to be properly aligned. For example, a common issue is that the different factions of a large organization lobby and get effectively-duplicate subsites that are good for their ego but bad for the goals of the site.

Every knowledge (content) transaction involves a conversion and a fulfillment. Every content transaction moves the reader across the sale funnel. The profit in a B2B enactment chain is a long time coming, but it is coming. Such enactment chains should not be indigenous or accidental. Eventually, revenue is generated.

Open systems tend to find their profitability at their sidebands? But, the fundamental signal must still fulfill its customer’s need before the sidebands can be effective at generating revenue.

Sure there is an attribution problem for deeper revenues, but the revenues are there, and the costs are there, so a product manager should be there.

@Haig – thanks, and welcome to Tyner Blain! My comment was definitely not clear. My point I guess is leading to an “org design” sub-topic of this. The website needs to be product-managed. I’ve worked with several companies where the websites are not being run by someone focused on the profit-impacts of their decisions, but only on the cost-impacts. Imagine what would happen to a product, if you only managed the cost-side of the equation – think you would gain many customers?

Nonetheless I still agree with the article. It makes sense to have a Product Manager controlling portions if not all of the website as it is in one way or another a revenue generation tool.