The Vedas There are four Vedas: Rg Veda Yajur Veda Sama Veda Atharva Veda.
Veda Williams Project Management Secrets A Disciplined Approach To Developing Small Plone Sites
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Transcript of Veda Williams Project Management Secrets A Disciplined Approach To Developing Small Plone Sites
Project Management Secrets:
A Disciplined Approach to Developing Small Plone Sites
What makes a successful project?
• Delivering a project on time
• Delivering a project within scope
• Cleanliness of implementation
• Quantifiable results
• Personal satisfaction?
• Client happiness / engagement?
Guidelines
• Do the paperwork!!
• Scope consistently for all clients
• Review project status frequently
• Minimize handoffs / disconnects
• Follow through and finish lingering details
• Ask for feedback and take it to heart
• Do proper, ongoing postmortems
Document your project (1)
• Write functional specifications someone else can understand
• Do this BEFORE design starts and get signoff from the client before starting
• Document exactly what will and will not be covered by the scope - products to install, # of design revs.
• Take notes on any important conversations, and keep those in front of you during the project
Document your project (2)
• Update your project database with any status changes (in design, implementing, ready for invoicing)
• Review checklists regularly to make sure all to-dos are being addressed
• Log your hours consistently
Scoping: Be consistent
Scoping Components (1)
• Complexity of design
• Custom home page vs a single design
• Overall level of tweaking required to make the design work in Plone
• How deep do you want to go with a client?
• Write work orders for additional design revs
Scoping Components (2)
• Selection of products
• Use a consistent set of proven, stable products
• Or, bill for innovation
• Difficulty of implementation of products
Scoping Components (3)
• Previous history with a client
• Increase scope time for needy / difficult clients
• Risky and hard to quantify
Scoping Components (4)
• Time spent on the project
• Each phase of the project is allotted an estimated, reproducible number of hours
• Build extra time into project management phase
• Price yourself competitively and realistically
Billing: Flat rate vs hourly
• Hard to quote on a flat rate basis
• Unknowns
• Client responsiveness / neediness
• Snag in implementation
• Scope creep
• Repeatability can be overestimated
• Helps to have a ballpark “flat rate” which also takes into account hourly estimates
Scoping Components (3)• Example $7,000 ONE/NW project:
Project intake: 3 hours Design: 10-12 hours Site buildout: 2 hours Project Management: 10 hours Training: 5 hours Implementation: 12 hours Evaluation / QA: 10 hours Site launch: 1 hour Total hours: 50
• Project is probably underscoped
• How to track staff training time?
How and when to bill
• 3 Phase Billing System = Engagement
• First bill due when project commences
• Second bill when design is complete
• Third bill when implementation is complete
Project Status: Review it frequently
Project Status: Self-Organization
• Find a system that works for you
• iGTD has changed my life
• Basecamp for small details
• File your email -- every day
• Review your list of projects every day and prioritize
• Hold “stand-up” meetings with colleagues to relay status and identify problems / needs
Project Status: Use a Database
• ONE/NW uses Salesforce
• Can create an account and multiple opportunities
• Can track almost any detail you want, from training to timesheets
• Can see a project timeline, up against other concurrent projects
• Reusable templates
Project Status:Basecamp Checklists
• Better for recording minor details, not milestones
• Website project start
• Client To-Dos
• Design
• Implementation
• Go-Live
• Focus: Client To-Dos and Go Live stages
Client To-Dos Checklist
• Clients are often overwhelmed by the number of checklist items in Basecamp
• Generally pull these items out of Basecamp and work through them via email or telephone
Go Live Checklist
• Often seems like there is a backlog at this phase
• Time constraints are also tight
• Need to move some of the tasks from this phase earlier into the process
Correspondence & Communication: Write it down!
Keeping track of client conversations
• Important details should be captured -- with date, time, persons involved so that scope creep can be tracked
• Additional people on a project need to stay informed
• Extra insurance in case someone leaves a project mid-way
• File these in a central repository, i.e. on a shared server, in a folder specifically for that opportunity
Minimize Handoffs / Disconnects
Handoffs:Internal and external
• We have outside designers and outside skinners
• Internal handoffs from strategists to PMs
• Be consistent in what you give people during a handoff
• Formal introduction
• Design survey
• Wireframe / Site map
Follow Through and Finish Those Lingering
Details!
Check in with the client• Constant review, reminder of scope
agreement
• Make sure they review and approve the site
• Push for training
• Check the deliverable against the scope
• Suggest a work order / phase two for additional changes
Wrap up
• Remember to invoice
• Provide documentation, esp. for special features
• Test the site thoroughly and ask for assistance
• Change DNS settings and test again!
• Celebrate the launch with them!
Postmortem• Ask client for feedback.
• Use a form with quantifiable questions, and leave room for additional comments
• Analyze stats over time to gauge improvement / reduced effectiveness
Process Improvements• Do a better job of analyzing metrics
• Long-term follow-up with client
• Improve scoping estimates to properly account for consistent overages
• Communicate with clients more effectively
• Do more face-to-face communication, esp. for training
• Get more eyes on a project