Web design project management best practices
Over the many years of having been a web design project manager, I have launched a plethora of web sites. This includes taking projects from the initiation phase all the way through the launch, closing, and maintenance phase of a web sites lifecycle. Throughout this process I?ve learned many valuable tips, lessons, and best practices for succeeding in this line of work. In particular, I?ve learned a few best practices that I?d like to share with you on working with designers, working with web developers, and also working with your clients.
By far, the most enjoyable part of a web design project management for me is the design phase. You would think that this wouldn?t be true because I am not an artistic person, but that is exactly why I enjoy it so enjoyable for me. It brings out a side of me that is not normally present. My absolute best tip when working with a designer is to provide the designer with a list of web sites that the client loves that are in the same niche as the client?s business. Providing the designer with this list as well as an explanation of why the client likes them helps the designer get a feel for what the client likes. Additionally, I find out sites that the client does not like in the same niche so that the designer can see what the client does not like.
Another critical thing to keep in mind when working on a design is to ensure that the design can actually be coded into a functional website. Early on in my career, I didn?t really know what could and could be done on the web, so I would just have the designer create the coolest thing he could come up with. This would often lead to me having an improved design by the client that I would later find out could not be coded because of browser or code limitations. To get around this if you are new to this line of work, if you have any doubts at all you should run the design drafts by the developer first before showing them to the client. This will ensure that you do not show the client anything that you could not actually deliver.
I cannot stress to you how important it is to be very organized in the requirements for your developer. Developers think very differently than designers, so your approach for designers will not necessarily be the same approach you use with your developers. Developers need very rigid and strict requirements to follow because coding is very strict and rigid. Your projects, if large, may require the use of a requirements traceability matrix to keep track of all of the requirements. If it is smaller, you may not need this, but you still need an organized list to provide your developer.
Oftentimes the most difficult person to deal with during a project is the client. Some clients I love and have been very easy to me, while others are very hands on and difficult to deal with. Value and treasure you?re easy clients, and work to gain the trust of your more difficult clients. Oftentimes I find that the difficult clients think they know more about web design than I do, so it is just a matter of me educating them that I am fully capable of implementing their vision.
As you continue to launch web sites as a project manager of web development you obviously learn many little tips, tricks, and techniques for improving and refining your process for next time. I?ve had a blast launching web sites, everything from blogs to ecommerce sites and corporate web sites. If web design is something you?re interested, you should certainly review your options for being a project management in this field because there are many opportunities to grow.