Processes for making your web site

Creating a web site is an interactive process. In my fifteen years at Stamats I always wanted to tweak the processes we used, and I was able to refine the process fairly successfully. But now that I’m out on my own, I’m looking forward to perfecting the processes. For this blog posting, I’m just going to talk about some lessons I’ve learned that have been successful in the past.

• Limited points of contact from the client. One constant problem I’ve run into is “web committees.” I think web committees can be a good thing for the person in charge to use to get opinions from different stakeholders in the project. But one person needs to take on the leadership role and make the final decisions. Web committees, at least for colleges and universities, can become soap boxes for political gamesmanship within the organizational power structure. In order for an individual to distinguish him/herself from the crowd, they need to disagree with others on the committee. And disagreement for the purpose of disagreement is never helpful.
• The process should be iterative. Using a conveyor belt is a great process if the goal is to mass produce objects that are exactly the same. But in the creative realm, it is necessary to try new things, evaluate them, and update them.
• Conflict should not be avoided. If a member of the production team believes in something, they should fight for it. Don’t be obstinate or disrespectful, and don’t close your mind to hearing what those who disagree with you say. But if you’re convinced that what you believe is correct, then make the best case you can for it. Once you have made the other team members understand what you’re saying, and if they are not convinced, then it is time to compromise.
• Communication should be in person. I believe that it is important to communicate as closely and interactively as possible. I prefer IM over email, I prefer the telephone over IM, and I prefer face-to-face meeting over the telephone. When talking to people and trying to elucidate your point-of-view it is important to be able to pick up the body language and other cues that can indicate disagreement, fear or confusion that others may not want to express overtly.

These are just some thoughts off the top of my head. I don’t believe that there is any one, true, unerring process that can cut through every barrier. But I do think that it’s important to try and make the path as smooth as possible.

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