Web and New Media Process Methodology
David's nine-step "looping" process delivers Web and new media projects on time, on budget, and in alignment with a clearly-defined strategic vision, and then maintains future releases at the same high standards with little effort. Here's an overview of our project management methodology.
1 Process Orientation
The first step in the process
is "process orientation", in which we brief everyone on how the process
will work (as well as offering a workable shared vocabulary) so that all
participants can focus on the task at hand rather than wonder what is
coming next. This includes establishing expectations around our rigorous
sign-off process (the number of sign-off steps we recommend for electronic
projects is a surprise to many), and ensuring that all best practices
have been built into the plan.
2 Strategic alignment
Every potential step on the project's journey will be judged by whether
it increases the likelihood of fulfilling the measurable objectives that
quantify the goals of the project strategy. Part of our initial process
is to ensure that you have a strategy established that includes precise objectives and challenge it to prove that they are indeed
measurable and in alignment with the technical and mandatory constraints
that have been defined.
3 Technical discovery
Technical discovery is simply taking inventory of the technical environment
within which the project must reside. We will use our checklist of over
a hundred questions to ensure we have agreed upon all the answers up front,
thus avoiding possible risks and hurdles arising later when they will
be less convenient and more expensive to grapple with.
4 Content
We'll insist on the development of a content outline that not only predicts
and justifies each content section and tool, but also offers our celebrated
evergreening process tool, that will make future updates far easier. This
tool imposes a simple-to-follow approach that ensures all content remains
relevant, accurate, and current throughout the entire life of future product
versions.
5 Information architecture
We will develop a navigation and labeling structure using industry standard
practices, that organizes the content in a way that is most relevant to
your users. We have a strong bias toward introducing usability testing this
early in the overall process, so that we know that we are building from
the user's perspective almost immediately, when it is relatively inexpensive
to make adjustments.
6 Estimating/Planning
We really have two projects here, similar to how building a building first
involves architectural design to develop blueprints then a builder to
build the building. By the time we get to this point we'll have accumulated
an accurate and detailed approved set of blueprints. These blueprints
are made up of the project plan (including the strategy), the technical
discovery, the content and evergreening plan, the information architecture
(including wireframes or, better yet, an information design document),
as well as any user-focused functional specifications which may be required
for advanced functionality to be custom developed. The majority of the
expense will be in "building the building", and so once these blueprints
of the information design of the product have been approved, we now develop
a more detailed plan of the graphic design, programming and testing regimen
to follow.
7 Graphic design
Our bias in graphic design, accumulated over twenty years of work in this
field, is towards strategic design. This means that we will be able to
establish a results-based approach to yielding potential graphic design solutions
that can be objectively measured as to how well they respond to the business
problem framed by the project plan. All graphic design must also comply with
branding standards of all stakeholders.
8 Production
Approved functional specifications describing the user experience, combined
with a precise technical discovery, will smooth the programming phase,
often the costliest and most time-consuming step. Programming begins with developing templates and any advanced programming, ready to later be populated with the approved content. Rigorous quality procedures
will keep reworks to a minimum. Pre-arranging for expert redundancy and
inline documentation will reduce risks. Accessibility and final audience
testing, as well as template and final code testing, will keep quality
high without creating a drag on the schedule.
9 Maintenance and evaluation
By maintaining the evergreening plan and quality procedures established
earlier, maintaining quality in subsequent releases or enhancements is
relatively simple and inexpensive.
Throughout
Throughout our process, we use a variety of reporting tools, online and
offline techniques to keep appropriate parties informed and engaged. We
especially highlight activities that are outside the parameters of the
plans and any changes to the plans. Where appropriate, we will provide
recommendations regarding the management of risks associated with activities
that are outside the parameters of the plans. Throughout our process,
we also encourage repeated testing (so your audience won't have to).
Reviewed January 8, 2007
