Why a CMS framework is key.

One purpose of a  CMS platform is to afford developers a ready made component base to customize and extend rather than start from scratch.  The work should be done to provide functionality that is designed to fit the clients needs and not reinventing the same things over and over.     

The other main purpose of using an open source product is to give the client a path that is not reliant on the developer.  In other words when we are done you won't need us.

Secondarily its a matter of cost or future cost. You may already see functions and needs that are beyond what you consider to be the original scope. 

Please see this, which is the first part of a long series IBM did about why Drupal is the best CMS among the many possible choices.

IBM discuses Drupal and why it is the

superior CMS. There is no Question that it is a CMS either.

 you follow along as the IBM Internet Technology Group designs, develops, and deploys a closed community Web site using a suite of software that is freely available.... Part 1 discusses the team's requirements, compares several open source content management systems, and provides the rationale for choosing Drupal.


  •  This   details creating an effective user experience with Drupal
 
  • And this at some point.will give you some idea of what we do and how.

Using a robust and popular framework 

 

This is the  only way you are going to get what you need in any time frame and budget frame that is reasonable. 


 

 

The Content Management Functions or CMS

Please see this page for an example of our work and how a good CMS can streamline complex tasks.

EXAMPLE:   a client wanted a way to have users create a foreign language learning flashcard system.


from the IBM wrapup article.

 

The landscape of CMS solutions

The available open source solutions for creating a content management system (CMS) are numerous, and this landscape is changing all the time. While Part 1 is not specifically a review of CMS solutions, we described our rationale for choosing Drupal. A more complete CMS review would have included many other systems, including Plone and NukePHP. If we had to review the CMS landscape today, we would also include systems such as Joomla and Expression Engine. Making a stand on choosing the open source to use for our CMS solution created controversy. However, if you're on a deadline, a decision has to be made, and for this project, our choice proved to be a good one.