Turning Chaos into Order: Managing Web Projects
By Molly E. Holzschlag
Does chaos rule your Web development roost? Then it's time to define a method to manage your unruly Web projects. In this month's column, I propose a method that combines the best production techniques from the world of media production with those found in the software development environment. This approach provides practices that -- should you welcome them into your nest -- might help you be less nagged, squawked at, and otherwise nitpicked for past chaotic practices.
Web-site development in today's demanding environment typically doesn't follow any clearly defined methods or standards of practice. This may be due to the fact that the development of Web sites is perceived as an entirely new venture. And although there are scads of "how to" Web-design resources available, it's interesting to note that precious little information has been published about how to effectively organize and manage the development of Web sites.
As a result, each Web developer or design shop must draw from seat-of-the-pants experiences to create effective methods. And, as effective as these methods might be for one organization, they can translate poorly to the next. This makes it difficult for new hires to quickly adapt to the methods of a given business. However, there's no reason that Web-site project management can't be refined using the wisdom of existing methodologies, and be brought up to standard with a modicum of practices.
Drawing Inspiration from Media Production Techniques
Whether working on a film, TV program, product launch, or package branding, media developers have a basic system that is used to coordinate the process.
