Website project management
In a preceding article we found out what can happen if a project, like a train, derails. “Dividi et impera”, separe and conquer. The first thing to do, is split processes in smaller, more digestible pieces. At the end of each process, a written and confirmed documentation should be created, in a way that no one can go back on his steps and try to change what is already done. The payment can be divided into smaller sums, to ensure you get paid along the way, and gets the customer motivated. You also get the feedbacks right when it’s needed.
This is the plan I’ve found effective enough to overcome management problems. Before starting, remember to keep each meeting one hour only, and no more than a meeting a week with the same client.
The initial briefing, that is from one to three meetings with the client, so you can hear their idea and sketch up a concept. After the first meeting, you produce at least two proposals, with time and compensation. Try not to talk, but to hear. The client has not chosen you, not yet. So any information disclosed now, will be passed to your competitor. Include any hidden costs, like hosting, copywriting, design and maintenance, like changes, updates and SEO. Be sure to be crystal clear about all costs after the project goes live.
As the customer agrees on a proposal, you produce a project, where you list any and all the feature of the web site. It’s better to keep this document simple, as it doesn’t force you to omit functions. It states the functions the project will end with, regardless of the path chosen. It’s basically a guarantee to the client.
Accompanied to the project comes the standard contract. Do some research, and try to explore all the possibilities, protecting yourself in a reasonable way. In the contract you mention the project as an attachment. Have your contract perfected by a lawyer.
Contract signage comes with a payment by the client. As a contract is a deal, you are obliged to respect your part of the deal, so should the client.
The day after the agreement, look for the tasks the client should accomplish, that is a list of categories for an online store, the list of products with relative prices to put online, pieces of text regarding company presentation, and so on. Many times, the customer is the slowest of all the actors involved, so have him/her busy from day one.
Start producing paper sketches on the product, it’s time to be creative. Don’t let the computer in your way, it will probably only slow you down. Take a bloc notes with you, and if you manage multiple projects, put the name of the relative project, the date and the title,on top of each sheet.
At this stage, turn on the computer and start researching for user interface patterns on the web. That is, look at login forms, search boxes, product details pages, lightboxes, carousels, footers. Try to analyze which of these make a better user experience (the so called UX), faster, easier, more complete, responsive and enjoyable.
Using a mindmapping software, produce a complete sitemap. I prefer Conceptdraw Mindmap. Don’t leave out important service pages, like the login, register, password retrieval, legal and privacy information, the contact form. Make a meeting with the client and change the sitemap if needed. The map can be made of multiple sheets, so, for example on the second sheet you can list all the categories of an e-catalog, and list a single category page on the first sheet.
Open a prototyping program, like Axure RP, and start drawing the wireframe of your application. Try to go deep into the interations. If you’re producing an e-commerce website, you should be able to actually see a product put into the cart and the entire checkout process, for example. Have another meeting with the client, have him/her check out the HTML prototype, make the suggested modifications. Let the program autogenerate a specification document (the spec).
Attach a print of your complete sitemap and specification document to a document with the date, have the client sign it for approval. This makes a milestone, you cannot go back on already done work without the client paying more.
Give the same documents to the designer, or if you do the design yourself or are the designer, it’s time to fire up your graphic program.
While you wait for the graphics to be done, the same applies to the developer. If you are the same person, better have the graphics before start coding.
When the graphics are done and from time to time, call the client and ask for any task he/she had to do, that is, any material he/she had to produce, and that you asked from day one. Have a meeting, review the graphic design with the client, make the suggested modifications. If you’re the graphic designer, send the modifications to the developer.
Print the design and any material produced, attach to a document with the date, have the client sign it. Ask for a part of the payment of the entire web site. This is another milestone, also you should have about 50% of all the money now, and half of all the work done, confirmed by the client, so you can’t go back.
If you’re the developer, start chopping the design into HTML. Refer to the prototype and the specs, there should be all the material and design elements to complete each interation, you only need to focus on programming. Use a test server. By the way, use progressive enhancement, make sure everything works without javascript, then start leveraging the interface. Make sure to complete the administration control panel.
Show the site to the customer, on the test server. Make note of the modifications he/she asks for, agree on the price and factuality of any changes after the steps above.
Do the modifications as fast as possible, to dodge the possibility of the client changing his/her mind and looking for more changes. Ask for a payment, you should have three quarters of the sum now.
Leave the site on the test server. The client should be able to look at the work done live. Start testing, look for inconsistencies between browsers. It’s not possible to produce modifications anymore at this stage. Produce training documentation on the administration of the site. I prefer Techsmith Camtasia because you can a record a screencast, instead of writing pages and pages of documentation.
If the site is closed source and the contract permits this, encrypt the source code. Make a DVD with the source code, the graphics, all the documents and the screencasts, compressed in ZIP form with a password.
Ask the client for the last payment. After you’re sure you received the payment, put the site live, and send or give the client the DVD. Store the DVD, paired with another one with any any intermediate material used for future changes, and unencrypted source code.
Repeat again and again.
Have you got any comments or questions?