Emond / Steins Pro Web Project Management

1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4302-4084-6
Verlag: APRESS
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 241 Seiten, Web PDF

Reihe: Apress Access Books

Pro Web Project Management is a collection of hard-won lessons the authors have learned managing modern web projects with small and medium budgets in a consulting environment. This isn’t a book about project management theory. Pro Web Project Management tells how to create real deliverables, get answers from indecisive clients, manage wayward programmers, and use checklists to wow clients. This book is made up of real examples, real lessons, real documents, and real tips woven together into a step-by-step walkthrough of a project's life cycle. Pro Web Project Management is written for both the full-time project manager and the aspiring project manager who might have a role that blends client support, web development, and project management. The project budget sweet spot for this book is $50,000 to $500,000. If you manage a project in this space, reading this book will make you a better project manager. Learn how to manage a modern web project with a budget of $50,000 to $500,000 Get actionable tips on dealing with real project management challenges Learn the simple, defined process—refined over the years—to take simple and complex projects from proposal to successful launch

Zielgruppe

Popular/general

Autoren/Hrsg.

Emond, Justin

Steins, Chris

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Title Page;2
2;Copyright Page;3
3;Table of Contents;4
4;About the Authors;5
5;Acknowledgments;6
6;Introduction;7
7;CHAPTER 1 The Project Life Cycle;10
8;CHAPTER 2 The Project Definition and Scope of Work;13
8.1;What Is the Problem?;13
8.2;Be a Trusted Advisor;14
8.3;Be Honest. Really.;15
8.4;Can We Help Solve the Problem?;16
8.5;Outlining the Solution: The Scope of Work;17
8.6;Project Name;17
8.7;Contacts;17
8.8;Date and Version;17
8.9;Background;18
8.10;Scope of Work;18
8.11;Timeline;19
8.12;Investment Budget;19
8.13;Approval;20
8.14;Don’t Go Chasing Methodologies;20
8.15;Agile Methodology;22
8.16;Waterfall Methodology;22
8.17;The Document Formats Rule;23
8.18;Preparing Client-Ready Documents;24
8.19;Send PDFs;24
8.20;Hand-Edit Your Document;24
8.21;Double-Check the Attachment;24
8.22;Configuration vs. Customization;25
8.23;Configuring Software;25
8.24;Customizing Software;25
8.25;Cost Implications;27
8.26;Wrapping Up;27
9;CHAPTER 3 Meetings,Meetings,Meetings;28
9.1;Don’t Do This: A Disastrous Kickoff Meeting;28
9.2;Project Kickoff;31
9.3;What Should Be Covered?;31
9.4;One Hour or Five Days?;32
9.5;How Big?;33
9.6;Traveling for a Big Project?;33
9.7;Preparing for a Meeting;34
9.8;Don’t Waste Time: Write an Agenda;35
9.9;Why Do I Need an Agenda?;36
9.10;The Agenda Clothing Rule;36
9.11;Topics, Topics, Topics;37
9.12;Agenda Throwdown;38
9.13;Running a Meeting;41
9.14;Take Charge;41
9.15;Starting the Meeting;42
9.16;Introduce the Agenda;42
9.17;Guiding the Meeting;43
9.18;Winding Down the Meeting;44
9.19;Meeting Wrap-Up;45
9.20;What About Minutes?;46
9.21;Wrap-Up E-mail Example;47
9.22;Wrapping Up;48
10;CHAPTER 4 Discovery andRequirements;49
10.1;Why Discovery?;49
10.2;The Sitemap Document;51
10.3;Example Questions;51
10.4;Sitemap Workflow;52
10.5;About Requirements;53
10.6;How to Gather Requirements for Fun and Profit;54
10.7;The Requirements Document Structure;57
10.8;Requirements-Writing Principles;59
10.9;Principle #1: Protect the Scope of the Project;59
10.10;Principle #2: Mention Every Settings Screen;59
10.11;Principle #3: Mention the Audit Logging;59
10.12;Principle #4: Be Clear What the Search Will and Will Not Do;60
10.13;Principle #5: Specify the Compatible Browsers;60
10.14;The 80/20 Rule;61
10.15;Getting the Requirements Approved;62
10.16;Dealing with Out-of-Scope Requirements;63
10.17;Wrapping Up;63
11;CHAPTER 5 Project Scheduleand Budgeting;65
11.1;Oh, the Horror of Just One More Delay;65
11.2;Estimating Time (It’s Hard!);66
11.3;Principle #1: Account for Unknowns;67
11.4;Principle #2: Break the Task into Parts;67
11.5;Principle #3: A Task is More Than Development;67
11.6;Principle #4: Ask a Developer (But Add Time);67
11.7;Principle #5: Know Your Bias (or, Review Your Actuals);68
11.8;Principle #6: Use Software to Help Report on Your Estimation Performance;68
11.9;Principle #7: Resist the Temptation to Underestimate;68
11.10;Preparing the Project Schedule;69
11.11;Principle #1: Identify Each Major Phase (but Be Concise);70
11.12;Principle #2: Identify Critical Deliverables;70
11.13;Principle #3: Add Some Padding;70
11.14;Principle #4: Learn Your Team’s Bias;71
11.15;Principle #5: Alert the Client to Deadlines;71
11.16;Principle #6: Include the Client’s Critical Path Deadlines;71
11.17;Formatting the Schedule;71
11.18;Keeping a Close Eye on the Project (without Micromanaging);73
11.19;Handling Out-of-Scope Client Requests;75
11.20;Principle #1: Be Clear from the Start;76
11.21;Principle #2: Don’t Stifle Enthusiasm;76
11.22;Principle #3: Don’t Let Them Sit;76
11.23;Principle #4: Maintain a Feature Request List;76
11.24;Principle #5: Do Not Be Afraid to Use Change Orders;77
11.25;Principle #6: Resist the Urge to Do Everything;77
11.26;Principle #7: It Will Not Be the Last Request;77
11.27;Principle #8: Do Not Feel Bad;77
11.28;Understanding Change Orders;78
11.29;Negotiating Out-of-Scope Changes;80
11.30;A Wretched Experience;80
11.31;Be Transparent;80
11.32;Negotiating;81
11.33;What to Do in the Worst Case?;82
11.34;Wrapping Up;83
12;CHAPTER 6 Running theProject;84
12.1;The Blindsided IT Manager;84
12.2;Maintaining Project Momentum;86
12.3;Technique #1: One-a-day Productivity;86
12.4;Technique #2: The Monday Morning Checklist;87
12.5;Put Yourself in Your Client’s Shoes;89
12.6;Proactive Project Management;89
12.7;What Defensive Driving Teaches Us About Project Management;90
12.8;Quick Tips for Getting Work from Clients;92
12.9;Wrapping Up;93
13;CHAPTER 7 TechnicalDocumentation;94
13.1;Picking the Right Format;95
13.2;Design Mock-Up, Wireframes, and HTMLMock-Ups;95
13.3;Don’t Mock Me Up;96
13.4;When to Write a Technical Specification;98
13.5;All Together Now;102
13.6;Preparing Screen Mock-Ups;103
13.7;Sharing Your Work with the Client;110
13.8;The Design Process;111
13.9;Creating a Database;114
13.10;Writing a Specification;116
13.11;The Meat and Potatoes;116
13.12;Think Through a Feature;117
13.13;Be Specific: An Example;118
13.14;The Side Dishes;120
13.15;More Reading;121
13.16;Wrapping Up;121
14;CHAPTER 8 Development,Communication,Documentation;122
14.1;A Developer Out of Control;122
14.2;Keeping the Client Updated;124
14.3;Replying Quickly;125
14.4;Tips for Writing E-mails;125
14.5;Professionalism;125
14.6;What’s in a CC?;126
14.7;Don’t Be Rude;126
14.8;Your Vacation Auto-Response Message Is Probably Wrong;126
14.9;The Power of Checklists;127
14.10;Don’t Avoid the Pain; Go Toward It;130
14.11;Keeping Documentation;131
14.12;Documenting Code;131
14.13;Documenting the System Architecture;132
14.14;Documenting System Administration Settings;133
14.15;Documenting Changes over Time;135
14.16;Use Version Control;135
14.17;Case Tracking;136
14.18;The Weekly Developer Meeting;137
14.19;Wrapping Up;139
15;CHAPTER 9 Quality Assuranceand Testing;140
15.1;The Developer Who Refused to Test;140
15.2;About Testing;141
15.3;Your Software Is Only as Good as YourTesting;142
15.4;The Bug;143
15.5;Test, Debug, Refine, and Repeat;143
15.6;Creating a Testing Checklist;143
15.7;Testing Checklist Format;146
15.8;How to Manage a Beta Test with a Client;148
15.9;Homework Is for the Little People;149
15.10;Horror Story: Who Is the Real Client?;150
15.11;Usability Testing;152
15.12;So What Do You Test?;153
15.13;Wrapping Up;155
16;CHAPTER 10 Deployment;156
16.1;A Failed Deployment;156
16.2;Deployment Process and Planning;157
16.3;Pointer #1: Create a Launch-day Checklist;158
16.4;Pointer #2: Double Your Estimate for the Time Needed to Launch;159
16.5;Pointer #3: When Possible, Perform a Soft Launch;159
16.6;Pointer #4: Be Leery of Time Estimates for Data Imports;159
16.7;Pointer #5: Meet with the Development Team Several Days Before Launch;159
16.8;Pointer #6: Update the Client When You Start and Complete the Launch;160
16.9;Pointer #7: Double-Check Your Third-Party Integration;160
16.10;Pointer #8: Test!;160
16.11;Training;161
16.12;The Launch Checklist;162
16.13;The Web Site Launch Checklist;162
16.14;The Importance of Defining Post-Launch Support;165
16.15;Wrapping Up;166
17;CHAPTER 11 Support andOperations;167
17.1;Sam the Entrepreneur;167
17.2;Providing Support;169
17.3;Long-term Support;170
17.4;Support Orientation;172
17.5;Be Responsive;175
17.6;Supporting Projects Developed by Someone Else;175
17.7;Challenge #1: The Project Is a Mess;176
17.8;Challenge #2: The Client Has Unrealistic Expectations About the Schedule;176
17.9;Challenge #3: The Development Workflow is Not Set Up Correctly;176
17.10;Challenge #4: The Site Lacks Stability;176
17.11;Challenge #5: The Client is Not Well Informed;176
17.12;Pointer #1: Start Support with a Project Review and Recommendations Document;177
17.13;Pointer #2: Don’t Overtly Blame the Previous Development Team;177
17.14;Pointer #3: Use Regular Patches to Maintain Momentum, but Save Time on Deployment;178
17.15;Pointer #4: Take the Time to Set Up the Right Workflow;178
17.16;Pointer #5: Provide Regular Updates;178
17.17;Bonus Pointer: Use a Monthly Checklist to Proactively Identify Issues;179
17.18;Pretend You’re Leaving;179
17.19;Wrapping Up;180
18;APPENDIX A;182
18.1;Project Management Software;182
18.2;Reading List;183
18.3;Document Templates;184
18.4;Web Site Kick-Off Meeting Agenda;184
18.5;Web Site Requirements Document;185
18.6;Technical Requirements Document;199
18.7;Web Site Technical Specification;206
18.8;Change Order Request #1;214
18.9;Project Training Agenda;216
18.10;Testing Document;219
18.11;Launch Checklist;225
18.12;Support Subscription Orientation;232
19;Index;237

Über Autor(innen)

Justin Emond is a Consultant at Pantheon. Justin has worked on both sides of the technology world, both in internal technology departments and as a consultant delivering services to those on the inside. Prior to working at Pantheon Justin was a Senior Project Manager at Urban Insight. He has also taught a variety of technology courses at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, from web programming to project management. He occasionally writes at MissingFeatures.com on topics ranging from usability to interface design to project management. In addition to his work at Urban Insight and Pantheon, Justin created Droptor, a web application that helps teams manage sites powered by the Drupal content management system, and Droptopia, an online visual portfolio of expert Drupal agencies. Justin has a degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California.