Swissnex: big project success with small web teams

Achieving Big Project Success

With Small Web Teams

Friday, October 18, 13

@Zablocki


Fran ZablockiStrategist

Hello!

mStoner


Big Project

vs

Small Project


Big Project:

Institutional Redesign


a.k.a.

“The 500 lb. Gorilla”


Characteristics:

• Takes 10 - 14 months

• All consuming for 3 months

• Owns your world entirely

• But then leaves for like 3 to 5 years so

you can...


Relax!


Hm.. Not quite.


Small Projects


a.k.a.

“Hordes of 10 lb. monkeys”



Small Projects:

• Social aggregator site

• Social media campaign

• Campus anniversary site

• Those “By the way, I need a website” sites

• Those “Oh you weren’t aware of that

project?” projects


What to do?Tackle them with lean processes, tools and

communication


Why?Because you don’t have unlimited:

Time You need it as quickly as possible.

Budget You don’t have endless money.

People Maybe it is just one person!


How?By taking the project lifecycle and trimming

the fat.


How?By taking the project lifecycle and trimming

the fat.


ApproachLean processes

tools

communication

platform


Lean means:Having the right tools

Collaborating as much as possible

Centralizing documentation

Being smart with time


The Advantages of

Being Small.


Small Means:

• Adaptable - You adapt quickly to new situations and can take advantage of new opportunities

• Direct - You don’t need to run everything by committee

• Decisive - Decisions can be made quickly• Multi-talented - being a generalist and wearing

many hats is not always bad! Variety keeps you current.


Break down the process:

Strategize Plan Create Implement Evaluate


Tools

Communication

Process





• The best way to save time on a project is to never do it in the first place.

• Portfolio management • Does this project need to happen? Does it meet a need?• Do we have the time/budget/resources to make this

happen?• Do we have those resources right now?

Strategy



• Be realistic - if the answer is no, you won’t do yourself favors later on by saying yes

• Make more time for the right projects by never starting the wrong ones

• Ultimate goal is to become more proactive, less reactive

Strategy



• Don’t skip it just because “oh my gosh can’t we just get this project done already?!”

• Give yourself time to think by scheduling meetings outside the office.

• Meet with yourself to give yourself time to think.

Strategy



Need / Want / Wish Grid

• Identify what must be included and what can wait• Helps to define scope• Helps channel creative but distracting ideas to

somewhere useful



• Set measurable goals• Don’t get paralyzed by the details• Don’t worry if there aren’t already metrics• Pick a number, shoot for it• Adjust later when you evaluate

Measurable Goals



Examples of measurable goals• Reach ___ people on Facebook.• Increase LinkedIn engagement ___ percent.• Drive ___ people to the website from Twitter.• Prompt ___ people to share your post.• Attract ___ views of a YouTube video.

Measurable Goals



SWOT Analysis

Strengths Weaknesses

ThreatsOpportunities



Strategy Brief

One lean document: 2-5 pages• Business Case - Why should this project / campaign

happen?• SWOT - What factors will determine if this will happen? • Need / Want / Wish Requirements - What needs to

happen?• Measurable Project Goals - How do we know if it worked?




• Planning is hard, particularly if you don’t have history on how long things take

• If you have done similar project before, use them as a baseline.

• If you haven’t, see what else is out there that others have done

• If you can’t do either, be conservative and take your best guess

Planning



• Begin at the end• When do you need it done?• Back it up from there• Be realistic

Planning



• Identify resources, roles, responsibilities up front• Use collaborative tools to help save time• Track time (even if it is a really rough estimate)

Planning




• Browser - based project and resource planning• Collaborative - allows sharing, commenting,

discussions• Current - dates adjust automatically • Compatible with MS excel, project• $160 / year





• Free, Collaborative cloud scheduling• Integration with Google Drive and Business• Features similar to Smartsheet





• Outlines roles & responsibilities for project teams• Map to position or individual• Sets expectations from the start

Responsibilites List




• Having trouble estimating time? This can help• Keep it simple, keep it lean

Time Tracking



• If you are having trouble estimating, this can help• Keep it simple and use tools to keep it lean





• In the beginning, keep it simple. (paper prototyping, back of napkin).

• Use online tools for collaboration points.

Creative Production



• Help quickly organize and weight information visually without needing heavy design work

• Allow focus on important elements such as information architecture, content organization, feature space

Wireframes & Prototypes



• Don’t be fancy• Sketch it out - you don’t

need to be an artist• 5 minutes, 5 people• Quick, cheap way to test

visual ideas

Back of Napkin



• One sheet (or napkin) for each page element

• Good for quickly rearranging page elements and testing different layouts

Paper Prototypes



• Collaborative wireframing• Allows commenting, sharing, versioning• Let you discuss functionality in the context of the

design instead of separately• $15 / person / month for small teams

UXPin



• $14 / month for small teams

Hotgloo




• 10 minutes of silence• Cut the chatter and get everyone’s input at the same

time• Simply look at what is in front of you and write your

thoughts. • Use group chat to share ideas• Open to discussion afterward

Creative Review Meetings



• Usability / IA / Wireframes / Designs• Beyond your core team• As efficiently as possible• Gives you real results to justify your decisions

Testing



• Efficient - use your existing student/faculty/staff/alumni email lists

Surveys

• Free basic service, $17 / month for unlimited questions responses



• OptimalSort: Online card sorting• TreeJack: IA pathing • Chalkmark: Wireframe / Design Heat Mapping• $109 / month for each

Optimal Workshop







• www.responsinator.com• Lets you see what your site looks like on muliple

devices quickly• Free!

Responsive Design


http://www.responsinator.com

http://www.responsinator.com

Responsive Design



• Centralizing your effort on the cloud can reduce coordination time considerably

Editorial Calendars &

Content Creation



• Use bookmarks to allow users to quickly jump to different pages

• Eliminate tons of emails / attachments• Use your content calendar / strategy as the

foundation• Track what elements are in, what is missing, when

it’s due

Evolutionary Google

Documents







• You want your code to be• in one place• shared with everyone who needs it• always current

Implementation


• When more than one developer is working on the code, having version control is a must

• Git allows code segments to be ‘checked out’ so that no one else can alter them

• Allows collaboration and saves on code re-writes• git-scm.com

Version Control:Git



http://git-scm.com/

http://git-scm.com/

• Keeps the bug list up to date• Automatically tracks changes and allows reversions• Allows comments and live chat while viewing• Invaluable during crunch time when heads are down

and meetings can’t happen

Bug tracking:






• So easy to skip because: “We just finished the project! Time for cake!”

• Crucially important to all the prior steps on the NEXT project you do.

Evaluation



• So easy to skip because “Oh my gosh we just finished the project! Time for cake!”

• Crucially important to all the prior steps on the NEXT project you do.

Evaluation



• Scheduled right after launch• Honest assessment:

• Did we meet our goals?• How close were our estimates?• What did we do right?• What did we do wrong?• What did we not see coming?

• Make it the first thing you look at the next time you do a project like this

Project Debrief


Strategize

Plan Create

ImplementEvaluate

Communicate &Collaborate


• Lean - cut out everything that is unnecessary, but don’t skip anything that is necessary

• Get away from email as much as possible• Reduce the time wasted on feedback loops (ie: the

endless reply all email thread from hell)

Communication & Collaboration


• Don’t meet to discuss, meet to decide• Don’t have one if you don’t need one• Everyone reviews/comments before the meeting

starts

Meetings


• Save time by getting the basics done right• Agendas• Note-taking• Minutes

Meetings


Golden Rule: never have a meeting without one.Template:

• Date, time, connection method• Agenda items• Review deliverables from last meeting• Discuss open items• Add new items• Upcoming deliverables and responsibility• Upcoming milestones (next 3-5)• Next meeting (if known)

Agendas


Golden Rule: always take notes. No, you won’t remember.

• Designate a meeting leader and note-taker • Have a note-taking buddy system (ie: Fran always

takes notes when Susan leads the meeting).

Meeting Notes


Golden Rule: Copy and paste the agenda and you are halfway there!

• Date, time• Attendance• Agenda items• Review deliverables from last meeting (notes in italics)• Discuss open items (notes in italics)• Add new items• Repeat upcoming deliverables & milestones (next 3-5)• Schedule next meeting date while you have everyone’s

attention

Minutes


Sometimes you need to pull your head up and see where you are in relation to where you should be.

• Can be monthly, quarterly. Less frequent than regular meetings

• Compare estimated timeline to actual• Let you flag slippage and discuss causes of and

solutions for issues

Periodic Status Reports



Collaboration Tools


• Shared calendars allow different levels of detail, including showing anyone (the public) when you are busy

• Can share with those who don’t have Google accounts. • ‘Find a time’ allows you to quickly see what is open for

a group of people• Free.• Can house your social media editorial calendar.

Google Calendar



When in-person meetings aren’t possible

• Hangouts are a great way to see people who might be remotely located.

• Lots of tools • Chat room• Screen sharing• Document collaboration with Google Drive

• Still free.

Google Hangouts



Central location for all • project correspondence• files• agendas• notes• conversations• project calendar

• www.basecamp.com• $20 / month for 10 active projects

Basecamp


http://www.basecamp.com





Thanks!

Questions?


Fran ZablockiStrategist

@Zablocki

[email protected]

585.300.4559

Contact Me


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Technology

Swissnex: big project success with small web teams