Developing Effective Websites: A Project Manager's Guide

by Roy Strauss and Patrick Hogan

Is your website project out of control?

Every website project needs a manager. Developing Effective Websites describes Internet technologies in plain language and helps you see beyond your expertise to the big picture. It does this by drawing on established software project and management principles.

Like any project, effective management of website development starts by understanding and balancing the constraints of time, resources, and tasks. You can deliver your project on time and on budget, by following a process that includes:

- Analyzing the requirements of users and your market
- Developing a workplan for the site and breaking it down to tasks
- Scheduling with Gantt and PERT charts and measuring slippage for more accurate revisions
- Estimating cost by the budget-first or design-first methods
- Using the team development process and covering all the necessary roles
- Aligning contractor and client interests to create a win-win relationship
- Following an iterative development process for designing, prototyping, and building out
- Applying software testing principles to website development
- Making hosting decisions and planning for maintenance

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0240804430
• ISBN13: 9780240804439
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Straightforward; sticks with sound PM principles

If you are managing small-to-medium web projects, or are managing vendors who are implementing a small-to-medium site, this is an ideal book. What I like about this book is that it sticks to the basics and doesn't pretend to be a "silver bullet" or "killer methodology". What it does do is step you through web site development, starting with the most important part: requirements, and from there through the development and management of a project plan. Here is where the book shines because the project planning starts with a work breakdown structure (WBS), which is essential to a viable project plan. Only after the WBS has been developed does the author cover scheduling. This is a refreshing change from other "project management" books that [erroneously] jump right into scheduling. Another strong point is the author covers cost estimation in a thorough manner.This book is also complete from a workflow perspective in that roles and responsibilities of the project team are defined, and all project milestones are covered, including testing and maintenance, which are not always covered in web project books in any great detail. I especially like the way the author addresses contractor/customer relationships. If you are reading this as either a customer or a consultant this part of the book will prove valuable for advice and insights. Another key point that I like is the iterative development approach taken. This reflects the way most web projects proceed, although some books portray such projects as a linear waterfall process that leads to false project assumptions. This book and "Web Redesign: Workflow That Works" by Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler complement one another. I recommend getting both if your budget allows it. If you are faced with a large-scale web project this book may not fit your needs as well as "Web Project Management: Delivering Successful Commercial Web Sites" by Ashley Friedlein. Regardless, this book is well written and is a refreshing change from many I've read because it's based on tried and true project management principles that have been closely integrated into the workflow of website development.