Web Project Scoping & Management

A website must be thoroughly planned and managed throughout. Objectives must be defined, briefs written, milestones set, and tasks assigned.

Few companies have a suitable web project scope or web project plan. Having a site map without an web project scope is like having a street map for the wrong city. A web project scope or web project plan is divided into section headings such as executive summary, statistics and strategies, budget, task force, program implementation, and summary.

The web project scope needs to also incorporate:

• Strategic brief: Outlines the strategic direction for the site. It includes a mission statement, marketing goals, competitive analysis, user requirements, branding strategy, and the metrics used to measure project success.
• Technical brief: Describes the visitors’ equipment, including monitor size, connection speed, processor speed, amount of RAM, color depth, installed plug-ins, etc.
• Functional brief: Delineates what the site should do for visitors now and in the future. Be careful to separate the functionality from the execution. Keep the technical constraints of the typical user’s PC in mind, and avoid “feature creep”–enlarged project scope due to poor planning in the initial stages.
• Creative brief: Lays out the proposed visual design directions, the objectives of the upcoming creative exploration, the audience, the “story” the site should tell, and the tone and imagery of the site.

A content plan is essential. It delineates who is responsible when for what content. The columns of the content plan should include description of the deliverable, content provider, writer/editor, due date, submission date, and priority.

Project management is an essential ingredient for web success. Following the above tips and techniques will put a web project manager well ahead of the competition. Successful project management, however, also includes workflow, version control, Gantt charts, and content management.

Please contact us so we can assist you with project scoping and managing your next web project.