The Complete Guide to Web Design Project Management(PART-2)

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Part 2: Executing effective web design project management

In the same way that improving your craft requires dedication to developing your technical skills, creating an environment ripe for creative and innovative client work requires developing strong project management skills.

Effective project managers don’t add isolation—project management is very collaborative and requires ongoing, clear communication between you, your teammates, and clients.

Here are five strategies to stay in mind as you begin—and work through—a client project.

1. Set and meet client expectations

Setting and meeting client expectations balance what the client wants with what you'll realistically deliver.

“A project's success depends on how well you set and meet expectations,” says web developer Celso. “With team members, confirm they understand their responsibilities and the way they’re expected to deliver and communicate throughout the project. With clients, confirm they understand what you'll deliver and therefore the timeline you’ll deliver it in.”

Once those baseline expectations are established, constantly believe the way to go above and beyond, Celso says.

“When you go above and beyond, the project evolves from being just a hit to a memorable experience for the client.”

One of the foremost straightforward ways to line client expectations is during the stakeholder kickoff meeting.

How to structure a kickoff meeting

A kickoff meeting is a superb opportunity to collect all project stakeholders on just one occasion so everyone understands what the project is about, what’s expected of them, and what the deliverables are going to be.
There are a couple of steps you would like to require before you schedule a kickoff meeting. To start, make certain to organize all necessary documentation, including:

• Project contract
• Design brief
• Statement of labor

Make sure all stakeholders have the foremost up-to-date documentation before time so that they can review it and are available prepared to the kickoff meeting with questions.

No two projects are exactly alike, but creating a templated agenda for kickoff meetings can assist you quickly fill within the blanks when starting a replacement project. Here’s a sample agenda template you'll adapt to your projects.

2. Designate a fanatical project manager

One of the foremost efficient ways to stay stakeholders aligned and therefore the project on target is to designate a fanatical project manager. This person is going to be the most point of contact between your team and therefore the client.

For this action point, we’ll re-evaluate just a couple of reasons why having a fanatical project manager can help together with your projects, business, and client relationships.
A dedicated project manager can assist you to grow your business
Rebecca from Rainy City Agency says that it is often hard to abandoning of all the responsibilities, especially when you’ve built your business from scratch.

“I am often a touch of an impact freak when it involves projects, so at the start, I used to be doing EVERYTHING—even uploading products for clients. But I noticed staying that way meant I wouldn’t be ready to grow the corporate .”
Hiring a fanatical project manager is usually a natural next step as your team and business grow.

For small teams, consider the teammate who has the deepest client relationship

Keeping your project teams small intentionally can mean that there might not be a transparent project manager initially. In these cases, the role of project manager typically falls to the one that has the foremost developed relationship with the client.
Celso may be a one-person digital agency and frequently works with contractors so he can combat bigger, more complex projects.

“It’s normally just myself and a designer performing on a project,” Celso says. “The small size of our team makes it easier to collaborate with clients and integrate with their team during a project. I reach bent different designers supported their skill sets and interests.”

What does a project manager do?

So, what does a project manager do? Dedicated project managers often spend less time working within the project and longer performing on the project. This helps ensure stakeholders stay aligned and in charge of their deliverables while keeping communication open, constant, and transparent.
At a high level, project managers are liable for the subsequent.

1. Preventing and flagging scope creep and have creep

When a client asks you to try to quite what's laid call at your contract, that’s what's referred to as scope creep. It can affect projects by increasing the budget, timeline, and more.

Change is inevitable during a project, so it’s important to know when an invitation will greatly impact the scope of a project, versus when it’s a little change that won’t affect deadlines or budget. It’s critical to line boundaries early together with your clients to make sure you aren’t fixing extra work that wasn’t agreed on within the original project scope.

Check out our video on handling scope creep to find out more about what causes it and the way to stop it.

2. fixing project schedules

The well-known adage, “if you fail to plan, you propose to fail” isn't more appropriate than when starting a replacement project. almost every project management methodology uses some sort of schedule to manage the work.
Creating an in-depth workback schedule allows you to divide the project into manageable workflows supported the sort of task, such as:

• ·Web design
• ·Copywriting
• ·Front-end development
• ·Backend development
• ·Client management and communication
• ·Any other areas associated with your specific project needs and goals

Starting with the last word project deliverable, like an app or your client’s website, then dividing the work into phases or workflows that add up to smaller deliverables or milestones, can assist you and therefore the team keeps track of every task that must be completed. It’s much easier to line deadlines for tasks because they're manageable chunks of a way larger deliverable.

3. Facilitating collaboration and communication throughout the project

One of the project manager’s most useful tools is software that helps them keep track of tasks, larger deliverables, and key project milestones. Choosing the proper collaboration and communication tools means you initially got to have a robust understanding of how your team operates and what tools will assist you, and your clients, stay organized and connected.

There are many options for project management and communication software that will assist you and your team stay aligned and on target throughout the project. Here are just a few of the handfuls of apps and platforms available on the market:

For team and stakeholder communication:

·Slack—for asynchronous, instant messaging. Best for quick conversations and updates.
·WhatsApp—a mobile-only app for asynchronous, instant messaging. Best for team chats and phone calls.
·Google Meet—for face-to-face video meetings. Best for presentations and client chats.
·Zoom—for face-to-face video meetings. Best for team discussions, complicated conversations, and feedback.
·Skype—for face-to-face video meetings and phone calls. Best for client chats and sharing feedback.
For design and coding collaboration and iteration:
·Figma—for team-based, collaborative design projects. Best for any UI and UX work, including designing, prototyping, and code-generation.
·GitHub—for code sharing with version control. Best for collaborative code iteration and development.
·Tuple—for remote pair programming. Best for remote teams using an Apple OS.

For team collaboration and task management:

·monday.com—for fully integrating your projects with your business operations ecosystem, including your client’s Shopify store. Best for teams that need many app integrations to stay their workflows streamlined.
·Wrike—for complete project management and version control. Best for giant teams with multiple stakeholders.
·Asana—for holistic project management. Best for workflow control, reporting, and automating repetitive tasks.
·G Suite—for an integrated digital work environment. Best for teams that like better to keep their add the cloud.
·Basecamp—for organizing asynchronous communications with task management. Best for email-adverse teams that have clients in several time zones or that only work remotely.
·Trello—for Kanban-style task management. Best for teams that make repeatable workflows.
 

4. Scheduling regular “health checks”

Once you've got your workflow found out and every one stakeholder understands their roles and responsibilities, tracking your project progress becomes much simpler, as you'll more easily predict—and adapt to—obstacles.

Schedule regular status check-ins together with your team, and feedback sessions together with your client as key milestones in your schedule. These “health checks” will offer you a delegated time to speak together with your team or client about any problems that would impact the progress of your project.

Here are some key points to deal with during a health check:

·Scope: Have any deliverables changed since work on the project began, or since the last check-in?
·Schedule: is that the project on track?
·Budget: Are costs in proportion to the deliverables that have already shipped?
·Quality: Are all stakeholders satisfied with the standard of the deliverables to date?
·Stakeholders: Have any roles, responsibilities, or stakeholders changed?
·Risks: Is anyone experiencing challenges? Does anyone foresee any potential roadblocks?

3. Get stakeholder input early

You need to understand exactly who goes to be actively involved within the project, and what everyone’s responsibilities are. this applies to your team, contractors, and client stakeholders also. Involving the proper stakeholders during the design process can make the difference between a project that stays on target, and one that falls apart.

Key idea: Gather team input at a kickoff meeting

Involve stakeholders within the project creation process from the beginning. During your team kickoff meeting, rehearse proposed features, timelines, and what type—and amount—of resources are required. invite constructive feedback to surface any potential risks or share new ideas.
As you’re building your schedule, here are six questions that will help keep your team aligned throughout the online design project management process:

• .Who is liable for each deliverable?
• .Who is that the point of contact for every deliverable?
• .Who is that the go-to for removing roadblocks?
• .What are some challenges you see that would slow the team down?
• .Are there any tools you would like but don’t have?
• .Do you have any questions about the client?

Once your team is aligned and has approved your plan, you’ll feel more confident presenting it to your client knowing that its details are accurate, clear, and realistic. this may prevent from making unnecessary changes afterward within the project.

4. Handle workflow disruptions

How you handle workflow disruptions can make all the difference between a project staying on target, or stalling while impacting other projects on the go.

When a client becomes unresponsive, or a teammate unexpectedly can’t deliver their work by the deadline, it is often difficult to decide on how best to proceed. But these disruptions to workflow do happen, so it’s important to be prepared and take action quickly. We’ll cover two common concerns and the way to proactively steel oneself against workflow disruptions:

What to try to do when a client becomes unresponsive

When a client becomes unresponsive, it can cause major delays throughout the remainder of their project, also because of the other projects your team is functioning on. It is often challenging to reschedule work if clients fail to supply key assets, feedback, or direction.

Here’s what to try to do when your client becomes unresponsive.

a. Reach out immediately

Unless a client specifies that they're going to be unavailable for a particular period of your time, don’t wait to succeed in out and follow abreast of any project tasks or deliverables they’re liable for. If you've got a more informal channel found out, sort of a project Slack channel, try going that route first as a mild reminder before escalating communication through email or calls.

b. Keep the tone polite and helpful

It’s important to stay the tone of client communications friendly and professional. Frustration can show through written correspondence, so take a moment to review your copy or write out a script before you mount a call with a client.

c. Act on the roles and responsibilities clause in your contract

This step may be a pis aller, but unfortunately, some clients need reminding that they need to agree to a deadline and their participation is required to stay the project moving forward.

If you’ve added a “pause clause” or project “kill fee,” and therefore the stipulated amount of your time has passed despite your reminders, it’s time to act on the roles and responsibilities clause in your contract.

What to try to do when a teammate or contractor can’t deliver their work on time
Rarely, a teammate can’t deliver their deliverables by a deadline, says digital agency founder Shashwat. But it’s important to organize so that another teammate can fill in as required.

“Since we've extensive work documentation, within the absence of a team member, another picks up where they left off,” he says.

It is often tough to hide for a contractor or teammate on short notice, so here are three quick steps you'll fancy handle this internal workflow disruption quickly.

1. Communicate together with your team

You’ve already vetted your team, so it’s unlikely that you simply have a teammate or contractor who has simply ghosted you. But albeit that's the case, do your best to attach with the teammate who has unexpectedly stepped faraway from work. Inform your team (without divulging your teammate’s details) that there’s a change within the project plan and you’ll need to make adjustments.

2. Reassess and reassign

Reassess your team’s current workload to ascertain if anything is often placed on hold until your teammate is back. If that’s not an option, reassign the task or deliverable to a different teammate who has similar material expertise. make certain to share the workflow, any tools, and important documentation with them so that they can start quickly.

3. Inform your client if there'll be delays

If it’s impossible to reassign the work immediately and there'll be a delay within the project schedule, inform them directly so that you'll reset expectations and address any concerns they'll have.
Transparency here is vital. albeit you recognize that you simply won’t be ready to make the first deadline, be honest about what steps you’re taking and what they will expect from you. The more proactive and honest you're, the more your client will appreciate it and respect you. The last item you would like to undertake to is to try and conceal something (or give that impression) then surprise the client with a partially finished or rushed deliverable that doesn’t meet either of your standards.

How to proactively steel oneself against workflow disruptions

It’s always far more difficult to work out the way to handle a workflow disruption if you’re within the midst of it. By proactively preparing for delays and disruptions, you boost your team’s confidence that they will handle anything that comes up, and reduce the danger of any major timeline derailments for the project.

1. Include a clause in your contract or proposal that outlines each stakeholder’s role and responsibilities

It’s important to incorporate a clause in your contract or proposal that outlines your client’s role and responsibilities for the project, and therefore the consequences of not meeting those obligations. Clearly define what constitutes a “workflow disruption” so both clients and teammates understand what they have to try to do and by when.

2. Document your progress and integrate some redundancies

Robust role descriptions, workflow documentation, and easy-to-follow templates can make all the difference during a project moving forward or falling apart once you experience a workflow disruption.

3. found out your project management software to flag “at-risk” deliverables

If your project management software doesn’t do that automatically, set a reminder a couple of days before a deliverable is due just in case any sidelined tasks are often picked up for a sprint before the deadline.

4. Make space for a few flexibilities between project tasks

To avoid overcommitting, especially during holidays or busy periods, Kim says she and her team schedule carefully and keep some slack between tasks and projects so that they have time and energy to deal with any issues.

5. Communicate regularly and clearly

The key to a successful project—and healthy client relationships—is transparent and clear communication between the project’s contributors and its stakeholders.
Ask yourself: “How do I buy obviate jargon?” and “How do I confirm everyone understands exactly what we'd like and want?”

Healthy client relationships depend upon open and consistent communication

What it means to be transparent

To be truly transparent means sharing all progress updates with your team and client, even when those updates aren’t necessarily positive. Keep everyone within the loop about shifts within the project’s direction or when milestones are in danger.
Embrace (and expect) change
In a perfect world, all of your web projects will go consistent with the plan. But the truth is that uncertainty and alteration are a part of every project: deliverables are often delayed, priorities are often adjusted, and clients can change their minds.
 
Even if you’re performing on employment almost like something you’ve done before, there are plenty of variables that change between jobs, and almost no two clients, brands, or digital projects are going to be identical.

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