Building Your Web Team
By Margaret Berry
Web sites have gone from little-tin-shacks to Taj Mahals, and Web teams have evolved along with them. But just as growing sites sometimes pass through an awkward stage, expanding Web teams often lack the order and direction necessary to produce quality work. Many companies, facing budget constraints or lacking a concrete model, have been forced to hire their Web teams piecemeal. If this description fits your company, it's time to transform that patchwork group into a cohesive unit with clearly defined roles.
Before you organize and build your Web team, you'll need to map out your company's exact needs, corresponding job descriptions, and titles. Perhaps you need to restructure management within the group—maybe you don't even have concrete job descriptions for your current employees. But how does one tackle restructuring, promotions, and hiring in an industry culture where a Webmaster, an executive producer, and a "prime minister of get down" might all have the same job description? Common sense dictates careful planning to find the right combination of talents that will fit your budget and fulfill your site's needs.
Picking a Captain
First, consider who you have leading the team. Perhaps you envision your Web site as serving a marketing function, which is perfectly reasonable.
