Operational excellence
Web Operations Rebuild
Web Operations Rebuild
In my first year of management, I rebuilt our web ops approach by standardizing content delivery, web request workflow, and turnaround times.
In my first year of management, I rebuilt our web ops approach by standardizing content delivery, web request workflow, and turnaround times.
Stages
Problem
When I joined Sartorius as a manager in 2021, I was asked to partner with our digital project manager to assess and strengthen web operations. At a high level, the process looked simple: web requests came in, the team completed updates, and changes were published. A closer look, plus honest feedback from the team, revealed that the apparent simplicity was hiding a lot of friction.
Within a short time, four main issues became clear:
Erratic content delivery: The team received web content in many different formats, so designers had to interpret a new document each time and often chase missing details.
No guidelines on final content: “Final” content was rarely final, which led to long, frustrating edit cycles.
Scattered timelines: Stakeholders submitted web requests without any clear expectation of when work would be completed. Some tasks took a day, others took weeks.
Cryptic web request process: The process for request submission, build, edits, and go‑live was messy, with confusion on both sides about who did what and when.
Problem
When I joined Sartorius as a manager in 2021, I was asked to partner with our digital project manager to assess and strengthen web operations. At a high level, the process looked simple: web requests came in, the team completed updates, and changes were published. A closer look, plus honest feedback from the team, revealed that the apparent simplicity was hiding a lot of friction.
Within a short time, four main issues became clear:
Erratic content delivery: The team received web content in many different formats, so designers had to interpret a new document each time and often chase missing details.
No guidelines on final content: “Final” content was rarely final, which led to long, frustrating edit cycles.
Scattered timelines: Stakeholders submitted web requests without any clear expectation of when work would be completed. Some tasks took a day, others took weeks.
Cryptic web request process: The process for request submission, build, edits, and go‑live was messy, with confusion on both sides about who did what and when.
Approach
The opportunities were clear, so our digital project manager and I teamed up to rethink web operations from both the UX and stakeholder perspectives. We wanted to create a process that was predictable, transparent, and realistic for everyone involved.
We took the following steps:
Gathered feedback from UX designers and stakeholders to understand pain points in detail.
Mapped out every possible step in the web request process with the digital project manager to see how work actually flowed (Figure 1).
Identified minimum requirements for “final” content so designers could start work without gaps.
Determined an ideal format for receiving web content that would capture all critical information up front.
Brainstormed what a “perfect” web request process could look like, then narrowed it down to changes we could implement in phases.
Figure 1. Service blueprint depicting the web request workflow before the rebuild.
Approach
The opportunities were clear, so our digital project manager and I teamed up to rethink web operations from both the UX and stakeholder perspectives. We wanted to create a process that was predictable, transparent, and realistic for everyone involved.
We took the following steps:
Gathered feedback from UX designers and stakeholders to understand pain points in detail.
Mapped out every possible step in the web request process with the digital project manager to see how work actually flowed (Figure 1).
Identified minimum requirements for “final” content so designers could start work without gaps.
Determined an ideal format for receiving web content that would capture all critical information up front.
Brainstormed what a “perfect” web request process could look like, then narrowed it down to changes we could implement in phases.
Figure 1. Service blueprint depicting the web request workflow before the rebuild.
Solution
Our collaborative approach paid off, and we were able to define clear, practical standards for both the UX team and stakeholders. Over several weeks, we designed and rolled out a new way of working that made web operations more structured and predictable.
Key deliverables included:
New web content templates to standardize content delivery and capture critical details such as image and video IDs, links, and page metadata.
An official step‑by‑step web request process that showed how tasks move from submission to publishing, including cross‑functional roles and responsibilities (Figure 2).
Final content delivery guidelines that outlined what we expect to see in the content template and what approvals must happen before submission.
Updated turnaround times (SLAs) that gave designers enough time to complete work, handle edits, and publish, while helping stakeholders plan ahead.
A new web request submission form that captured campaign information up front and flowed directly into our ticketing system.
With these materials in place, we held a marketing all‑hands session to walk through the new standards, explain the “why” behind each change, and reset expectations going forward.
Figure 2. New, official web request process rebuilt by leveraging feedback from UX and stakeholders.
Solution
Our collaborative approach paid off, and we were able to define clear, practical standards for both the UX team and stakeholders. Over several weeks, we designed and rolled out a new way of working that made web operations more structured and predictable.
Key deliverables included:
New web content templates to standardize content delivery and capture critical details such as image and video IDs, links, and page metadata.
An official step‑by‑step web request process that showed how tasks move from submission to publishing, including cross‑functional roles and responsibilities (Figure 2).
Final content delivery guidelines that outlined what we expect to see in the content template and what approvals must happen before submission.
Updated turnaround times (SLAs) that gave designers enough time to complete work, handle edits, and publish, while helping stakeholders plan ahead.
A new web request submission form that captured campaign information up front and flowed directly into our ticketing system.
With these materials in place, we held a marketing all‑hands session to walk through the new standards, explain the “why” behind each change, and reset expectations going forward.
Figure 2. New, official web request process rebuilt by leveraging feedback from UX and stakeholders.
Outcome
Once we launched the new web operations standards, we saw miscommunications and frustrations drop noticeably. The back and forth between teams decreased, delivery times became more predictable, and conversations shifted from process problems to actual campaign goals.
These improvements gave the UX team more time to focus on quality and strategy, while giving stakeholders a clearer, more reliable experience when requesting web work.
Our new approach and tools helped achieve:
40%
Increase in web request delivery speed
80%
Reduction in missing web content details (image IDs, links, etc.)
50%
Reduction in web page edit cycles
Outcome
Once we launched the new web operations standards, we saw miscommunications and frustrations drop noticeably. The back and forth between teams decreased, delivery times became more predictable, and conversations shifted from process problems to actual campaign goals.
These improvements gave the UX team more time to focus on quality and strategy, while giving stakeholders a clearer, more reliable experience when requesting web work.
Our new approach and tools helped achieve:
40%
Increase in web request delivery speed
80%
Reduction in missing web content details (image IDs, links, etc.)
50%
Reduction in web page edit cycles
Nicholas Fargher
© 2026 Nicholas Fargher
Nicholas Fargher
© 2026 Nicholas Fargher