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