In an era dominated by digital engagement, the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Media Activity (DMA) recognized the need for a comprehensive overhaul of its web infrastructure to enhance public outreach and compliance with modern standards. Sky Solutions is leading the transformative journey in collaboration with the DoD, leveraging Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) to advance the evolution of the WEB NextGen Platform. To support the Defense Media Activity’s (DMA) need for a robust and innovative digital content management system, Sky proposed a comprehensive solution leveraging Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) with a strategic plan encompassing a pilot program, testing and evaluation, migration of websites, documentation, and a structured transition phase.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is at the forefront of communicating critical information to the public through digital channels, and the Defense Media Activity (DMA) plays a pivotal role in this mission. Currently hosting around 1,000 public-facing websites for various DoD entities, DMA faced the challenge of adhering to the 21st Century IDEA and the OPEN Government Data Act. To meet these mandates, DMA envisioned a modernized, standardized, and centralized shared service for all public information on official DoD websites.
To address this challenge, DMA conducted extensive research and analysis, identifying a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform through a joint working group. The selected platform, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), matched the criteria and underwent sandbox testing. However, its validation, documentation, and the migration of existing content from the legacy Content Management System (CMS) were pending.
Using a combination of Human-Centered Design (HCD), agile delivery, and DevSecOps and modern product management practices, Sky Solutions developed a comprehensive approach to fulfill DMA’s requirements. Leveraging AEM’s capabilities, combined with Sky’s project management expertise and the effectiveness of the Pilot Execution Framework, Sky has been leading the execution of the project with a strong emphasis on platform innovation and end-user experience. Sky Solutions is an Adobe Certified Reseller with Government Specialization supporting DMA in procurement, configuration, and pilot testing of the selected SaaS solution, AEM.
We are leveraging a SAFe agile approach and utilizing tools such as Jira for seamless visibility, transparency, and efficient tracking of deliverable status. The successful migration and modernization of selected websites accentuated Sky’s capabilities and experience in providing development, maintenance, and security operations to DMA, aligning with industry best practices. Also, Sky Solutions is supporting DoD in acquiring Adobe (AEM) licenses for the DMA WEB NextGen Pilot as an Adobe Certified Reseller with a Government Specialization. This strategic positioning enabled a smooth acquisition process for the necessary cloud-based licenses. Sky’ proven application development framework (Sky Factory), program management plan and effective communication plan contributed to overcome DMA’s challenges and successfully implement AEM in the WEB NextGen platform. We support Product Management by defining the MVP, product backlog, estimation/prioritization, and product roadmap. We conduct and participate in Program Increment (PI) events. We created program epics, features, user stories, dependencies, and risks from the product backlog and managed them to completion using Jira. We held demo sessions to elicit feedback to enhance collaboration and transparency. Throughout the execution, we followed an HCD approach and ADA guidelines to perform user discovery and provide the best customer experience. We conduct user research to identify needs and potential solutions, and develop personas, empathy maps, and journey maps to empathize with end users. Our UI/UX architects perform qualitative and quantitative research, ideate and develop prototypes, test solutions with identified personas, and document the users’ goals, needs, and behaviors. We created a comprehensive UI/UX guidelines document for UI design, layout, style, and text formatting.
We comply with all appropriate laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 and the IDEA Act. Furthermore, Sky Solutions ensures a systematic handover of responsibilities and knowledge to DMA’s internal teams. Our Transition-out approach minimizes the impact and risk during the transfer of systems and services, maintaining continuity of operations and program knowledge seamlessly.
The successful implementation of AEM framework contributes to the overall mission capability and availability of DMA’s digital platforms. Our migration and modernization approach, focusing on out-of-the-box (OOTB) first and reusable components, standardized processes, and a Component Foundation Library, accelerates development timelines, enabling DMA to bring in new websites and features to market faster, responding promptly to evolving user needs and organizational requirements. The WEB Nextgen, with advanced content management capabilities, ensures streamlined processes for authoring, editing, and publishing content across multiple channels, reducing manual effort and enhancing productivity.
Sky Solutions is a Digital-First enablement partner that believes in using a human-centered approach to address the most complex and rapidly evolving business process challenges facing public sector clients. Our core capabilities include Low-Code / No-Code Development, Cloud Services, Digital Process Automation & Robotics Process Automation (DPA/RPA), Human Centered Design (HCD), Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Services (AI / ML), and Agile DevSecOps. Additionally, we’re partnered with several leading-edge Business Process Management (BPM), Automation, and Low-Code Platforms. For more information on how Sky Solutions is helping to enable the Digital-First enterprise, visit www.skysolutions.com. Follow Sky’s LinkedIn for news and updates.
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