Did you know that according to research, only 67% of all projects in the web industry follow the set initial goals. Just imagine how 33%, a third of all web products, didn’t do well enough. In fact, bad project management is to blame.
The bottom line is that project management in the web industry is key to making complex solutions and customer satisfaction. It has happened to everyone to miss an email from the client, to miss a deadline, to make final adjustments, etc. It is not important to just clear up these mistakes, but to make a detailed plan and understand what project management in the web industry really is. Will be great if we try and follow it.
That’s why we created this guide in 2 parts. With it we will take you through several areas of successful project management for web design and development projects. In the first part you will learn the following points:
- What is project management?
- What are your client’s goals?
- Do you know what are the project management methodologies?
- Or the steps in project management?
Expect the best, prepare for the worst and be surprised by the result
– Dennis Whiteley
What is project management in the web industry?
Project management is the process of managing a web project, from the first meeting with the client to the final result, the finished product – logically, ah! The person in charge is called the project manager. Large projects for developing web applications or multi-tiered web systems typically have multiple project managers, while small ones are managed by a single project manager. Simply put, this is how you organize and manage the time and resources needed to successfully complete a client project by the deadline.
The two most important elements of a project are its stakeholders and resources.
Who are the stakeholders?
Whoever the project you are managing for is made for. Тhe stakeholder can be your client, senior management or anyone who will use the project.
Resources: These are the team and other material resources you need to complete a project. For example, the person who creates the design, the team of programmers
So project management essentially involves the effective management of resources so as to achieve results that meet the real needs of stakeholders.
Project management is a unique balance between maintaining control and flexibility
Ultimately, you want to maintain a good relationship with the client and that means being flexible to the needs of the business.
Good project management includes the following points:
- The purpose of the project
- The type of project you undertake
- The number of stakeholders and team members
- The time you need to complete the project
There are many points to consider before starting any project. Let’s first find out what your client’s real goal is.
Define the real goal of your client’s project
We are convinced that you do not want to go directly into a project without first clearly understanding what the client ultimately wants.
Whether you are building a brand new online store, migrating an ongoing business to a new platform, or creating a custom online application that will give the online store specific functionality, effective project management in the web industry begins long before the actual work begins.
Try to encourage your client to understand not only exactly what he wants, but also why he wants it. When you understand its true purpose, you can organize your project around it and avoid distractions from unnecessary changes and meetings.
As ideas for any product develop, consider how not to go beyond the approved project. In some cases, without a preliminary plan, new ideas come up during the construction of the project and this slows down the implementation. Be enthusiastic about project development, but also be aware of how new ideas affect scope.
If your customer describes what he wants in vague terms, such as “I want a beautiful website to convert customers,” get to the heart of his request. You can use the 5-whys technique for this purpose. In addition to helping you determine exactly what the customer wants, the 5 questions can also help determine if what he wants is something you can deliver.
Make sure you (and the client) are super aware of the goals of the project. Otherwise, you risk showing results that the client cannot use or will be dissatisfied with because they expected a different solution.
Once you are aware of the purpose of your project, add the end goal to the contract.
What are the project management methodologies?
Once you have the same vision with the client, what the finished product should be and what its goals are, it is time to choose the methodology you will work on. There are many options for project management methodologies, but we will show you the 4 best and you will decide which one is right for you.
1.Kanban
MKanban method of project management is highly visual, looks like Billboard. Kanban originated in Japanese car manufacturing and was later adapted into software development. Kanban promotes leadership in all participants in the project, which leads to strong teamwork.
Using a kanban board, all participants can see the progress of the project. They can also set a limit on the tasks taken, which helps them not to work on too many things at once.
2. Agile
The Process uses a sprint approach, where project results are broken down into several sprints or “cycles”. With a strong focus on flexibility and collaboration, the Agile methodology is useful for projects that require a lot of iterations and communication.
This method allows both individual participants and stakeholders to react quickly to changes, because instead of guessing whether the deadlines will not change, you are actively planning changes.
Instead of emphasizing the completion of larger results, such as a full website or application, iterative planning involves more frequent stages in which deadlines are noted for small project tasks – such as one-page design. This is important because these smaller tasks give rise to larger stages. Thus, the progress can be used to forecast and adjust the schedule if necessary.
Agile gives stakeholders, customers and team members a better idea of the state of the project.
3. Waterfall
Waterfall method of project management in the web industry management is a linear methodology. A consistent methodology in which the tasks within a project must be completed before the start of the next. This is a tougher approach to project management as developed in the manufacturing and construction industries. All requirements must be set out and defined from the beginning of the project.
Although less flexible than Agile, it is still a good option for web projects because it has a clear methodology, shows progress with important steps and requires detailed documentation and a clear concept. These elements of the workflow force all stakeholders (including customers) to have clear results and deadlines.
4. Scrum
The Scrum methodology is ideal for larger or more advanced teams. It can help teams deliver more often and keep all stakeholders aligned and throughout the product creation process.
In sprints, from one to four weeks, the teams meet daily for a 15-minute meeting, where each team member answers three questions:
- What was he doing yesterday?
- What are you doing today?
- Is there anything to block your progress?
Instead of simply updating tasks, these issues help maintain communication, visibility and accountability throughout the project. The Scrum Master is the project manager responsible for assisting participants in clearing all obstacles.
What are the steps in project management in the web industry?
1. Initiation
This is the initial phase of project management. At this stage, the project manager develops an overview of the project and selects a team. This phase is of great importance, because here the whole project gets the right direction.
2. Planning
Here the project manager creates a “road map” for the team. At this level the goals are set, the scope is defined, the work schedule is created, stages are defined and plans for communication and risk management are made.
3. Implementation
In this phase, the project manager creates teams and assigns them tasks. He also holds meetings and sets up tracking systems. Most of the real work happens here.
4. Monitoring
Starts together with the implementation phase. Includes monitoring of team work and product quality management. Here the manager monitors the project costs, the performance of the individual team members and the whole project.
5. Closing
The finished product is handed over to the stakeholders and the project ends the project. In addition, here the project manager reviews the work of the team and analyzes their efforts.
Expect part 2 soon!
