RE: More users = simpler CMS

> Unfortunately, step two after deploying a simple 
> CMS - extending or replacing it - is extremely cumbersome, 
> very expensive and will take us at least two years in total. 

But isn't that true of any off-the-shelf solution? Regardless of its
simplicity or not?

> Likewise, in many other organisations where the CMS was 
> selected based on usability criteria ultimately caused either 
> huge infrastructural problems (the CMS wasn't up to the task 
> anymore, causing the website to be inaccesible, slow, hard to 
> navigate) or management problems (a content-jungle, where 
> both visitors and authors can't find their way anymore). 

I think we're using the term 'usable' interchangable with 'limited
functionality'

A CMS can be highly usable independent of it's internal
complexity/simplicity.

I think it's dangerous to assume that 'usable = simple and limited' 

(not that you were, but it seems as if the conversation is heading in
that direction)

> When I was going through demo's with vendors last year, I 
> wanted to see all possible features. My first response would 
> always be "That's very nice. Now, how do we turn it off?" :) 

Ha! That's an excellent question to ask. ;o)

> What I mean by that is we were looking for a CMS that had all 
> the features we could possibly ever want

And this is the main problem. What features people want are rarely the
features they'd use. Too many 'enterprise software solutions' are sold
based on their extensive list of features. Sadly, they may have a long
list of features, but those features are either not ones that
organization has any need for, or are so limited in their scope that
they really aren't capable of actually helping the organization. In
otherwords, they're often marketing features, not implementable
features.

And yes, that's a bit of a stereotype. ;o)

But, if the features are solid, then your method makes perfect sense,
albeit at a potentially higher level entry-point (in terms of time and
cost). Personally, I'm a fan of the 'do it twice' concept.
Buy/install/build a CMS. ANY CMS. Use it, then use that as a learning
experience to shop/install/build CMS #2. In that scnenario, if you start
with a basic CMS, you will either a) find it's all you need or b) find
out exactly what you need to step into for a more enhanced system

And to quickly add to Seth's comment:

> In the world of CMS, sometimes less is more.

I'd say that 'in the world of product development, less is often more.' 

;o)

-Darrel