Three Strategies To Accelerate Web Development

Most Project Managers would agree that process is everything, and following process is the law of their discipline. But in times of dire need, when a client's deadline seems impossible to achieve, a condensed approach may be your only option. Rapid development can be a difficult path to navigate, particularly if you're current using a linear waterfall model. In this post, I offer some sound strategies for safely accelerating the lifecycle of a web project.

Produce hybrid deliverables: This is a critical change in the way most waterfall project cycles function. Traditionally, resources assigned to a web project will work in relative isolation to deliver their respective portions of a product. By enforcing a collaborative team effort, however, deliverables that were once specific to a practice area can be rolled up with complimentary deliverables to produce a single, more robust asset. As an example, a graphic designer could be working to establish high-level visual elements, such a colour palette, title treatment and navigational style, while an information designer is producing wireframes. By providing a client with stylized wireframes that indicate page elements and aesthetic, you will combine two deliverables (wireframes and mock-ups) into a single document. If both resources work simultaneously, this can reduce the overall timeline of a project.

Prototype, prototype, prototype: Prototyping is a way of producing core functional elements of a site rapidly without applying any design, in order to receive team and client feedback earlier on in the project life cycle. Good prototyping requires critical technical and usability thinking to occur simultaneously. Combining this work effort will generally shorten the time it takes to produce an end deliverable, since the back and forth between the departments will be greatly reduced. Prototyping will also engage a client at a deeper level more quickly, as they think about not what their site will do, but how it will do it, before it's too cumbersome to change the specifications.

Spend more time with your clients: Although we live in an era of email and conference calls, spending time in front of a client will help streamline review and approval cycles. If a storyboard, for instance, is presented in person by the designer, feedback can be received from the client immediately, and areas that require further discussion can be worked-through as a group, without delay. Tone is difficult to convey via email, so being in the same room as your client will help you understand the nuances of their concerns, likes, and dislikes. Quite simply, spending more time with your client will develop a more cohesive relationship of mutual understanding, and will go a long way towards reducing the inefficiencies that email and other electronic communication can create.

While these suggestions are not guaranteed to increase speed to market,more often than not, thoughtful incorporation of these tactics will shorten the overall timeline of a web project. Sit with your team and discuss these options. Making sure everyone understands your goal will help move the entire team forward in unison.

Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part II

This entry is a continuation of the previous post - Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part I.

At this point, you have solicited feedback from your team on a specific project, and the information has been synthesized and shared in a brainstorming session.  Potential process improvements have been determined, and it's time to close the loop and act on the information.  Below, the final phase of a post-mortem is described.

• Implementation of process improvements: As a Project Manager, once decisions have been reached internally about how your current process could be optimized, it is your responsibility to implement these changes in future projects.  If your current process is documented, work from this material to incorporate and formalize the changes in writing.  If you have a project timeline template, the changes should also be reflected there.  Regardless, the changes need to be communicated to the entire production staff - particularly since some individuals may not have participated in the project post-mortem.  Ideally, this communication will take place at an all-staff meeting.  What the team needs at this point are the highlights of key changes - how will these change affect each department?  How can they prepare for the changes?  People are more willing to adapt to change if they know what to expect.  

A project post-mortem is one of the most valuable methods available for analyzing weaknesses in a project lifecycle.  It gives team members an outlet for their feedback, and provides new perspectives to the Project Manager, who is sometimes too close to the process to assess it objectively. 

The process outlined in this and the previous post  are simply a guideline, and should be adapted for each organization for optimum effectiveness and ease of implementation.

Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part I

This subject will be presented in two parts, since the topic is complex and requires a certain level of explanation.  Part II will follow in the next blog posting.

In order to continuously improve your organizational process, a Project Manager should conduct a post-mortem (also known as a post-implementation review) once each project has reached completion.  No two projects are alike - each will have its own nuances, so taking the time to understand why a project did or did not go smoothly is an invaluable way of learning how adapting you process can lead to greater success.  Any resource that participated in your project must be included in your post-mortem review.  While some organizations will invite clients into the review, this can be a difficult and awkward decision, for fear of exposing internal weaknesses to your customers.  It's not mandatory, but client participation will certainly result in a more comprehensive and holistic assessment.

Setting Expectations:  The goal of your post-mortem is to identify the challenges your team and/ or client experienced in a given project, pin-point the source of each issue, and determine what could be changed in your current process to improve these specific challenges.  Although it may be difficult to avoid blame as your team shares their frustrations and experiences with one another, there are tactics you can employ to minimize negativity and focus on more constructive feedback.   

Deciding on a Format:  A post-mortem can be a laborious activity.  Multiple stakeholders will participate, and once feedback is gathered, it must be acted upon.  Depending on the volume and nature of issues that are raised by the team, a post-mortem can represent a significant amount of documentation, brainstorming, and implementation.  Let's break down these phases -

• Information gathering: An effective method for gathering team feedback is to issue a common survey to each resource.  Individuals should complete the survey on their own, prior to meeting as a group, and the survey should be focused on a single project.  The survey should ask team members to discuss their own experience by commenting on personal successes and challenges at each project phase (planning, definition, documentation, production, quality assurance, etc.).  When creating the survey, it's very important that each resource comment on their own contribution - what they felt they did well, and where they struggled.  Asking resources to assess their own experience will prevent finger-pointing and result in a more constructive post-mortem.  Collectively, this feedback will become the material from which you will identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Team ideation: Once all resources have submitted their survey response, team managers should review the data together and synthesize the information.  Look for patterns or issues that are raised by all departments, and then identify challenges that were specific to each department.  Having the managers organize responses prior to a team meeting will help streamline the group discussion.  Once the managers have completed this task, it's time to have the entire team assemble to review the survey results.  The managers should present the common and departmental challenges one by one, allowing the group to brainstorm possible process improvements that address each challenge.  

The final step in the process is implementation of the recommended improvements.  This activity will be covered in the next blog posting - Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part II.