Pac-12 Networks

Creating a Destination for Fans with an API-First Approach

Dachs as a freshman in college marching band lol

The Starting Point

In June 2019, Phase2 and the Pac-12 Networks, the official sports media network for the Pac-12 Conference, joined forces. The existing Pac-12 site was seven years old, slow, inflexible, and contained a variety of unused features. Phase2 conducted pre-project interviews with Pac-12 stakeholders including its in-house development team.

We organized site-wide content audits to determine what and how to migrate while looking for opportunities to reduce content. After nearly a year of collaboration, interrupted by a global pandemic, PAC-12.com was launched.

Innovation

The content migration effort was enormous. Arguably the most innovative site feature is its workflow management capabilities. Pac-12.com houses the official calendar for the entire conference. Pac-12 schools now have the autonomy to update their own game schedules in advance, including start times and networks.

Because of everyone's expertise, collaboration, and communication, it looked easy. I know it wasn't, but it looked like it.

Ryan Currier | SVP, Engineering & Products, PAC-12 Networks

The Goal

Pac-12.com is the official athletic site for twelve participating academic institutions. We sought to maintain the best fan experiences while updating the technology infrastructure. The new Pac-12 site is API-centric featuring news, events, and videos.

Experience & Talent

Phase2 worked as an embedded team at Pac-12, collaborating on sprint planning and code reviews. This blended approach from inception, allowed Pac-12 to own its product throughout its creation and resulted in a more seamless hand-off at launch.

Though COVID-19 hit the country two-thirds of the way through the project, together we persevered. Having worked with Pac-12, previously, Phase2 brought trust and historical knowledge to the undertaking. The project launched on time and on budget.

The Outcomes

Upgraded the existing Drupal 7 site to Drupal 8 with Drupal 9 upgrade-readiness
Streamlined existing visual design elements for a consistent user experience
Modernized Pac-12.com through the use of a component-based design system
Improved the editorial experience and achieved publishing efficiencies for speed to market through the use of Layout Builder
Recreated a large number of custom APIs for events, video-on-demand, and content utilizing REST endpoints to query GraphQL
Migrated and converted existing React components to improve existing architecture and provide blocks for use in Layout Builder
Successfully managed a large migration initiative with a reorganized content information architecture

The Future

The refreshed Pac-12.com has increased capacity for the number of concurrent users--allowing more rooters than ever before to enjoy their sport of choice. The site’s 45 day upgrade path from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 means that Pac12.com has been architected as the go-to site for the fans of today and tomorrow.

The Pac-12 Conference is dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders by championing excellence in academics, athletics, and the well-being of its student-athletes.

The Pac-12’s accomplishments extend into the classrooms across 12 campuses, and outside its traditional geographic footprint into new corners around the world.

Since the NCAA began conducting women’s championships 39 years ago, Pac-12 members have claimed at least four national titles in a single season on 29 occasions. The Pac-12 captured three of the seven national championships contested in 2019-20 before all sports competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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