THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT • • • • • WE’RE REFERRING TO THE FORMAL PROCESS TAUGHT BY THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE (WWW.PMI.ORG). THIS PROCESS IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE WATERFALL MODEL; WITH THIS METHOD, A PROJECT IS PLANNED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UP FRONT. PLANNING CONTINUES UNTIL A CONSENSUS ON “PERFECTION” IS REACHED, AND THEN WORK COMMENCES. THERE IS A LOT OF CRITICISM OF THIS WAY OF DOING THINGS, PARTICULARLY IN SOFTWARE AND WEB DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, BECAUSE THERE IS NO FEEDBACK AND EVALUATION BUILT IN UNTIL THE END OF THE PROJECT. INSTEAD OF BUILDING SOMETHING SMALL, CHECKING IN WITH YOUR CLIENT (AND POSSIBLY END USERS) TO VALIDATE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS, AND THEN CONTINUING, YOU’RE INSTEAD DECIDING HOW THE END RESULT WILL LOOK ON DAY ONE. THE NINE KNOWLEDGE AREAS Cont… THE NINE KNOWLEDGE AREAS • PROJECT INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT: THIS AREA LOOKS AT PLANNING AND INTEGRATING ALL THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE PROJECT. IT TALKS ABOUT DEVELOPING A PROJECT CHARTER, DEVELOPING A PLAN FOR THE PROJECT AND HOW EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE COMMUNICATED BETWEEN THE TEAM AND THE CLIENT OR STAKEHOLDER. • PROJECT SCOPE MANAGEMENT: THIS AREA OUTLINES, SPECIFICALLY, WHAT WORK HAS TO BE DONE TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT AND HOW THAT WORK IS GOING TO BE BROKEN DOWN BETWEEN THE VARIOUS “RESOURCES.” IT ALSO IDENTIFIES HOW ANY CHANGES WILL BE HANDLED DURING THE PROJECT. • PROJECT TIME MANAGEMENT: THIS AREA DEFINES HOW LONG A PROJECT IS GOING TO TAKE AND IDENTIFIES HOW MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE SPECIFIC SKILLS AND AT WHAT TIMES, WILL BE NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE DEFINED PROJECT. Cont… THE NINE KNOWLEDGE AREAS • PROJECT COST MANAGEMENT: MONEY IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACTOR. THIS AREA DEFINES THE BUDGET FOR THE PROJECT AND HOW THINGS WILL BE CONTROLLED TO STAY WITHIN THAT BUDGET. • PROJECT QUALITY MANAGEMENT: HOW WILL YOU MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU PRODUCE WORKS AND DOES WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO DO? WHAT KIND OF TESTING WILL BE DONE, AND WHAT TEST RESULTS ARE ACCEPTABLE? • PROJECT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GET YOUR TEAM MEMBERS? WHAT SKILLS DO THEY NEED? DO YOU NEED TO TRAIN ANYONE? HOW WILL THE TEAM BE MANAGED? Cont… THE NINE KNOWLEDGE AREAS • PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT: THIS AREA COVERS HOW THINGS WILL BE SHARED AMONGST THE PROJECT TEAM AND THE STAKEHOLDER(S), HOW PROGRESS WILL BE COMMUNICATED AND TRACKED, AND HOW THINGS WILL BE DOCUMENTED. • PROJECT RISK MANAGEMENT: THIS AREA LOOKS MOSTLY AT THE RISKS INVOLVED IF THE PROJECT FAILS (OR SUCCEEDS; THERE MAY BE RISKS EITHER WAY). IT ATTEMPTS TO ANTICIPATE ANY PROBLEMS THAT MAY EMERGE AT VARIOUS POINTS IN THE PROJECT AND TO PLAN WAYS TO MINIMIZE OR ELIMINATE THOSE RISKS. • PROJECT PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT: HOW/WHERE WILL PRODUCTS OR SERVICES BE ACQUIRED WHEN NEEDED, AND HOW WILL SUBCONTRACTORS BE MANAGED WEB PROJECT MANAGEMENT: THE POWER OF ITERATION TRADITIONAL APPROACH AIMS TO CONTROL CHANGE VERY TIGHTLY. THIS APPROACH ENCOURAGES IT (WITHIN THE LIMITS OF TIME AND BUDGET), SO THAT ALL PARTIES ARE HAPPY WITH THE END PRODUCT BECAUSE THEY’VE ALL BEEN DEEPLY INVOLVED IN SHAPING IT FROM THE BEGINNING. WHILE THE END RESULT MAY LOOK NOTHING LIKE WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY TALKED ABOUT, THE END RESULT WILL STILL MEET A NEED. WHEN IT COMES TO DEVELOPING WEB PROJECTS, YOU’LL HEAR A LOT OF DIFFERENT TERMS THROWN AROUND. AGILE DEVELOPMENT IS COMMONLY USED, AND IT DESCRIBES A NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES THAT INVOLVE MULTIPLE ITERATIONS AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH STAKEHOLDERS UNTIL EVERYBODY AGREES THAT AN END RESULT HAS BEEN REACHED. IF YOU WERE WORKING FOR A CLIENT, YOU WOULD BUILD SOMETHING AND SHOW IT TO HER AT A VERY EARLY STAGE. THE CLIENT COULD TRY IT, REACT TO IT, AND TELL YOU THAT CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE OR THAT SOMETHING IS MISSING. YOU COULD THEN TAKE THAT FEEDBACK AND MAKE THOSE CHANGES RIGHT AWAY. WORKING THIS WAY, YOU WOULD STEP, PIECE-BY-PIECE, THROUGH A PROJECT ADDING ALL OF THE FUNCTIONALITY THAT IS NECESSARY. AN AGILE EXAMPLE OF PLANNING TAKING THE AGILE APPROACH HERE ALLOWED THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROJECT TO BE DISCOVERED BASED ON THE BEST AND MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION AS THE PROJECT PROGRESSED. IF YOU HAD TAKEN THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH, YOU MAY HAVE MISSED CERTAIN PIECES OF FUNCTIONALITY THAT BECAME APPARENT WHILE YOU WERE USING AND INTERACTING WITH EARLY VERSIONS OF YOUR WEBSITE. ACHIEVING THE GOAL: IDENTIFYING DONENESS THESE THREE THINGS RELATE TO THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT. THE SUCCESS OF ALL PROJECTS BOILS DOWN TO TIME, BUDGET, AND SCOPE; AND A PROJECT MANAGER’S JOB IS TO BALANCE THESE THREE QUALITIES TO PRODUCE A HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCT WITHIN THE TIME AND BUDGET ALLOTTED. THESE THREE FACTORS ARE OFTEN REPRESENTED AS THE POINTS OF A TRIANGLE, AND YOUR GOAL IS TO TRY TO GET EACH OF THE SIDES TO BE THE SAME LENGTH (TO ACHIEVE BALANCE). MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, IF YOU’RE DOING CLIENT WORK, THE CLIENT WILL HAVE A DEADLINE FOR WHEN SHE WANTS TO (OR HAS TO) LAUNCH HER WEBSITE. MOST CLIENTS WILL HAVE A BUDGET, WHICH IS SOME AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THEY’VE ALLOCATED TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT. USUALLY THERE WILL BE SOME DEFINITION OF WHAT IS NEEDED FUNCTIONALLY FOCUS ON TIME WORKING WITH YOUR CLIENT, YOU SHOULD DECIDE ON A REALISTIC TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION. CLIENTS WILL OFTEN HAVE SOME SORT OF DATE IN THEIR MIND THAT CORRESPONDS TO SOME EVENT, SUCH AS THE END OF A FINANCIAL QUARTER, A PARTICULAR BOARD MEETING, OR THE LAUNCH OF A NEW PRODUCT. FOR EXAMPLE, THE CLIENT MIGHT SAY, “WE NEED THAT NEWS WEBSITE ONLINE IN TIME FOR THE PREMIERE OF OUR NEW CITIZEN-JOURNALIST TV PROGRAM.” IN THIS CASE, YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A FIRM DEADLINE TO MEET. DELAYING THE PRODUCTION OF A PROGRAM BECAUSE THE WEBSITE ISN’T DONE JUST ISN’T AN OPTION. TIME IS FREQUENTLY ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE FIXED; YOU CAN’T ASK THE COMPANY TO RESCHEDULE A BOARD MEETING OR ASK PEOPLE TO PUT OFF LAUNCHING THAT NEW PRODUCT BECAUSE THE WEBSITE WON’T BE DONE IN TIME. THE TRICK IS KEEPING A HANDLE ON THE WORK AND MAKING THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN WHAT IS ESSENTIAL AND WHAT’S “NICE TO HAVE,” SO THAT THE ALL THE WORK CAN BE DONE BEFORE THAT DEFINED DATE. FOCUS ON TIME FOCUS ON BUDGET ANOTHER GREAT WAY TO KEEP A PROJECT ON TRACK AND TO DETERMINE WHEN IT’S COMPLETE IS THE PROJECT BUDGET. YOU’RE NOT LIKELY TO FIND A CLIENT WITH AN UNLIMITED BUDGET. WITH THIS IN MIND, THE ECONOMICS OF A PROJECT CAN BE KEPT REALLY SIMPLE. AS A FREELANCER, YOU ARE NORMALLY ASKED TO BID ON A PROJECT. THIS IS A FUNNY LITTLE GUESSING GAME THAT YOU PLAY WITH YOUR CLIENT WHERE YOU TRY TO COME UP WITH A NUMBER THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO MAKE MONEY ON THE PROJECT, BUT KEEP YOU FROM GOING OVER THE NUMBER THE CLIENT HAS IN MIND. DEVELOPING A BUDGET IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS FOR YOU TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH A CLIENT. FOCUS ON SCOPE IN CASUAL CONVERSATION, YOU’LL FREQUENTLY HEAR THE TERM SCOPE CREEP THROWN AROUND WHEN PEOPLE ARE DISCUSSING PROJECT MANAGEMENT. SCOPE CREEP IS A DIRTY TERM IN TRADITIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT; IT MEANS THAT THE “PERFECT” PROJECT PLAN CONCEIVED AT THE OUTSET IS FLAWED AND THAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE CHANGING. SOMETHING HAS EITHER CHANGED OR WASN’T THOUGHT ABOUT AT THE OUTSET. WITH AN AGILE APPROACH, THOUGH, YOU COULD MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT SCOPE CREEP IS, IN FACT, THE SINGLE GREATEST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN ON A WEB PROJECT (WITHIN REASON). AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE TIME AND THE BUDGET FOR IT, YOU WANT CHANGE. YOU WANT YOUR CLIENT TO POINT OUT THE DEFICIENCIES IN YOUR DESIGN, SO THAT YOU CAN FIX THEM EARLY ON. YOU WANT YOUR CLIENT TO TELL YOU WHERE SHE BECAME CONFUSED BY YOUR INTERFACE. WHY DO YOU WANT THIS? THE ANSWER IS EASY: IF YOUR CLIENT IS LAYING IT OUT FOR YOU, THEN THE EVENTUAL END USER OF YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT. THIS MEANS YOU’RE PRODUCING A BETTER, MORE INTUITIVE PRODUCT. THAT’S A GOOD THING COMMUNICATION IS PARAMOUNT CLIENTS LOVE TO SEE PROGRESS. IF YOU COULD E-MAIL THEM EVERY DAY SHOWING THEM SOME REALLY COOL NEW PIECE OF FUNCTIONALITY OR SOME NEAT NEW DESIGN ELEMENT, YOU WOULD PROBABLY HAVE THE HAPPIEST CLIENT IN THE WORLD. THE FLIP SIDE IS TRUE, TOO: IF YOU’VE RUN INTO SOME MAJOR ROADBLOCK, IT’S BETTER TO GET IT OUT IN THE OPEN EARLY AND EXPLAIN HOW YOU’RE GOING TO HANDLE IT. THE AGILE APPROACH IS VERY POWERFUL, IF EVERYONE IS ALONG FOR THE RIDE. ONE OF THE REASONS THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH IS STILL HANGING IN THERE IS THAT A WHOLE PILE OF DOCUMENTATION IS CREATED AT THE OUTSET AND THEN HANDED TO THE CLIENT TO SIGN OFF ON. THE CLIENT FEELS GOOD ABOUT THINGS BECAUSE SHE KNOWS WHAT THE PLAN IS AND CAN SEE HOW IT’S GOING TO GO OFF WITHOUT A HITCH (AND THEN REALITY SETS IN). IF YOU TAKE THE AGILE APPROACH, YOU MUST BE DILIGENT ABOUT TALKING WITH YOUR CLIENT, FORWARDING CHANGES TO HER, AND ACTIVELY SEEKING HER FEEDBACK. WITH THE AGILE APPROACH, YOU CAN’T JUST ACCEPT A PROJECT, WALK AWAY FOR TWO WEEKS, AND THEN COME BACK SAYING, “HERE YOU GO!” IT’S A VERY INTERACTIVE PROCESS QUALITY AND TESTING THE GOAL ON ANY PROJECT SHOULD BE TO BUILD AS HIGH A QUALITY PRODUCT AS POSSIBLE. IF YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF ADDING JUST ONE MORE FEATURE OR SPENDING THE TIME GETTING THE EXISTING FEATURES WORKING PERFECTLY, DO THE LATTER. IT’S PRETTY HARD TO LAUNCH A PRODUCT AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS WITH IT, WHETHER THE PROBLEMS ARE TECHNICAL, FUNCTIONAL, OR EVEN A PESKY CROSS-BROWSER BUG OR TWO. TRY TO ALLOCATE AT LEAST 10 % OF THE TIME YOU SPEND ON A PROJECT TO TESTING IT AND USING IT YOURSELF. PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTING A LOT OF PROJECTS WILL REQUIRE YOU TO SEEK EXTERNAL SERVICE PROVIDERS. CHANCES ARE YOU AREN’T A PROJECT MANAGER, DESIGNER, DEVELOPER, DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR, INFORMATION ARCHITECT, AND SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR ALL ROLLED INTO ONE. UNLESS YOUR CLIENT PLANS TO HOST THE APP ON HER OWN SERVERS OR ALREADY HAS A HOST IN PLACE, IT MAY FALL TO YOU TO AT LEAST FIND SECURE HOSTING FOR THE PROJECT ALTHOUGH OUTSOURCING PARTS OF THE PROJECT CAN BE A LIFE-SAVER, YOU NEED TO KEEP A FEW THINGS IN MIND. FIRST, BE SURE YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT’S GOING TO COST YOU UP FRONT. IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH THAT HOTSHOT DESIGNER IS GOING TO RUN AND YOU QUOTE SOME HOURLY AMOUNT TO YOUR CLIENT, YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF WORKING QUITE A FEW HOURS FOR FREE. SECOND, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE QUALITY OF THE OUTSIDER’S WORK AND THAT YOU’RE COMFORTABLE HANDING CONTROL OF A CERTAIN PART OVER TO HIM. IF THERE IS SOME HIGHLY TECHNICAL ASPECT TO YOUR PROJECT THAT FALLS OUTSIDE YOUR SKILL SET, IT’S OK TO ADMIT IT AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE WHO CAN DO IT. YOUR STRONG PREFERENCE HERE SHOULD BE FOR SOMEONE YOU’VE WORKED WITH BEFORE OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW BY REPUTATION. IF THE ENTIRE PROJECT HINGES ON A SPECIFIC FUNCTION, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER HOW COMFORTABLE YOU ARE HAVING THAT FUNCTION OUTSIDE OF YOUR CONTROL TOOLS AVAILABLE BASECAMP BASECAMP REPRESENTS A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN THINKING ABOUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT. SIMILAR TO THE EARLIER DISCUSSION ABOUT AGILE DEVELOPMENT, BASECAMP TAKES THE STANCE THAT PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS MORE ABOUT COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION THAN IT IS ABOUT REPORTING AND CONTROL. BASECAMP PROVIDES A SIMPLE SET OF TOOLS, INCLUDING MESSAGES, TODOS, A CALENDAR, AND FILE SHARING. YOU USE THESE TOOLS TO WORK WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND TO COMMUNICATE A PROJECT’S PROGRESS TO THEM. INSTEAD OF PRODUCING A COMPLEX CHART AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT, YOU IDENTIFY A SERIES OF MILESTONES TO WORK TOWARD AND SHARE UPDATES THROUGH MESSAGES. PRIOR TO BASECAMP’S ARRIVAL, A LOT OF THESE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES WOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED THROUGH E-MAIL AND A CALENDAR BASECAMP TRAC TRAC (HTTP://TRAC.EDGEWALL.ORG) IS AN OPEN SOURCE PROJECT-MANAGEMENT APPLICATION. IT’S A LITTLE MORE TECHNICAL THAN BASECAMP BECAUSE YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL IT ON A SERVER OF YOUR OWN; HOWEVER, THE ADVANTAGE IS THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY A MONTHLY FEE TO USE IT. TRAC IS ANOTHER SIMPLE TOOL THAT ENABLES YOU TO CENTRALIZE THE COMMUNICATIONS OF YOUR PROJECT TEAM. MOST NOTABLY, IT INTEGRATES WELL WITH SUBVERSION (SEE FIGURE 2-5), WHICH IS OPEN SOURCE VERSION CONTROL SOFTWARE THAT KEEPS A RECORD OF CHANGES YOU MAKE TO FILES. IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, SUBVERSION LETS YOU EASILY “ROLL BACK” TO A PREVIOUS VERSION OF A FILE TRAC HARVEST HARVEST (WWW.GETHARVEST.COM) IS A TIME-TRACKING AND REPORTING APPLICATION. IT CAN HELP YOU KEEP A HANDLE ON HOW MUCH TIME AND MONEY YOU’VE ALREADY SPENT ON A PROJECT, AND HOW CLOSE YOU ARE TO THE TOTAL BUDGET. IF FINANCES ARE ONE OF YOUR HARD AND FAST CONSTRAINTS (AREN’T THEY ALWAYS?), THEN YOU’LL NEED SOME WAY TO TRACK HOW MUCH MONEY YOU’VE SPENT AND HOW MUCH IS LEFT IN YOUR BUDGET. HARVEST PROVIDES A GREAT WAY TO DO THAT, AND IT FEATURES A VERY SIMPLE INTERFACE
