Leon Amarant

Web Project Life Cycle

Web Project Process Diagram

Working on different web teams within various organizations throughout the years, a common issue that I’ve often encountered was the lack of process when it came to designing and developing web sites. Virtually everywhere that I have worked there has not been a standard, documented method or strategy that the “web team” could use to guide a project from start to completion. Thankfully, in one of my most recent roles, my team and I were tasked with doing just that, creating a process that made sense and that we could all use collectively to get our work done.

We called our process “The 4 D’s”

1. Definition
2. Design
3. Development
4. Deployment
5. Support (OK…not a D…but you get the picture)

The documents attached to this post are what we ultimately ended up with. A lot of what we created is based on common methods and best practices in project management and software development….so don’t expect any of this to be ground breaking stuff. We found that having a process like this in place kept projects well organized, kept all team members fully informed of client expectations, and minimized common issues like scope-creep, missed deadlines, blown budgets, and dissatisfied clients. Every member of the web team as well as our external clients were involved in creating this process, so at the end of the day everyone was comfortable with working within it.

Note that it is crucial to work very closely with your clients in the beginning stages of the development process (Definition/Design). The client should expect to deliver and sign off on clear business requirements (a member of the web team would work with the client to create the necessary documents) and also be readily available to answer any questions and sign off on milestones throughout the process. As development of the web site/application progresses, the client should be given periodic status updates. The bottom line is to keep an open line of communication between the web team and the client. In doing so, the chances of delivering a successful product will be greatly improved.

This process is intended as a general guideline in developing web sites and applications and is not meant to be followed rigidly. The scope and complexity of every project is different and as is the case, the degree of process/documentation required should vary depending on the project. Also, some clients require more visibility into projects than others so the level of detail in documentation  may vary as well.

In short, don’t box yourself in with too much process, do what makes sense for your projects, your clients, and your organization.