The goal of the Testbed was to see if the benefits experienced by CTG in its transition to XML were replicable within state agencies. Because CTG’s organizational environment was different from NYS agencies, its policies and practices in adopting XML could not be simply transferred to other organizations. Furthermore, each NYS agency has its own unique culture and capabilities, so CTG wanted to examine how XML implementation would play out across a spectrum of different agencies.

Initially, CTG developed a one-day Introduction to XML for Web Site Content Management training class that was delivered to over 65 different individuals (primarily Webmasters and IT managers) from over 30 different NYS agencies in 2004. However, follow-up with students indicated that they could not move past the training to implementation. They found it hard to apply what they learned in class into their work place. They were often unable to explore new skills due to competing priorities of their normal work load. And they felt isolated with no community of practice to help support their experimentation.

Training was effective in increasing knowledge of XML, but participants were still missing a supportive environment in which to experiment and apply what they learned. The adoption and implementation of XML involved much more than understanding a technology. It impacted workflows and business processes along with a new approach to managing Web site content. The class attendees realized they were only one piece of a much larger organizational puzzle.

The Testbed was designed to address these questions:

• What barriers prevented these students from applying what they learned in class back at their agencies?
• What additional items besides technical training were needed to successfully explore XML for Web content management?
• If training was not enough, what else was needed?

The Testbed provided the teams with a combination of training and practice within a safe environment. The teams themselves were chosen based on criteria that demonstrated commitment to the process. Each agency team had to provide a proposal for consideration for selection. Within their proposals they were required to discuss their current environment and their goals for participating in the Testbed. Tables 1 and 2 provide a brief summary of each agency and the challenges they hoped to address by investigating XML for Web site management.

The Testbed also required the project team to represent the organizational spectrum from content creators to Webmasters. Since the Testbed design considers adoption and implementation of a technological innovation as more than a technical issue, expertise in XML was not as important as the fact that all roles within the process were represented. Some project team members had previously attended the one-day XML training; others were slightly familiar with the potential benefits that XML could provide. And still others were only familiar with XML from a data exchange perspective. Many had access to information technology expertise within their organization, while others had only minimal support.

The inherent design of the Testbed purposely addressed the shortcomings of traditional training alone. The Testbed allowed for experimentation and exploration. It provided the necessary community to share ideas and explore designs. It also required executive sponsorship for participation, a key aspect that students stated was missing when they returned to their offices after the single-day XML training.

Table 1. Testbed Team Profiles

Agency		# of FTEs1	Environment	XML Web Content Prior Knowledge	IT Dept / Web Team
Department of Civil Service		570	ColdFusion Studio Dreamweaver	Yes	Yes
Office of the Prevention of Domestic Violence		30	Dreamweaver DCJS Hosts Web site	No	No – 1 person
Higher Education Service Corporation		700	Lotus Notes Domino	No	Yes
Office of Cultural Education	Library	170	NYS ED	No	Yes
	Archives	140			Yes
Division of Housing and Community Renewal		940	.NET	Yes	Yes

Table 2. Challenges to be Addressed by XML

	Department of Civil Service	Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV)	Higher Education Services Corporation	Office of Cultural Education	Division of Housing and Community Renewal
Duplication of effort	X	X	X		X
Limited Document Formats		X	X		X
Resource Constraints (time, people)	X	X			X
Accessibility			X	X	X
Cross Platform Compatibility			X
Separation of Content from Presentation	X	X	X
Print		X	X		X
Ease of update or conversion	X				X
Lack of standardization	X		X		X