The Art of Managing a Web Project

We are presently working on a big project in cooperation with several members of the internet industry in Quebec as a part of Alliance Internet, a division of Alliance Numériqc.

The project consists of maximising the knowledge of customers for Internet solutions, projects, applications and services. With the increasing number (more than 1000!) and variety of Internet service providers in Quebec, many customers are still not able to get the expertise they should have when developing an Internet strategy. The project is an attempt to increase the quality in Quebec Internet projects by:

• informing customers to allow them to make better choices in all stages of developing a web presence.

• Promote good practices through a guide developed through the cooperation of industry members. We have identified several steps which can be handled either by internal customer resources or by external specialists. Keep one thing in mind: very few companies can boast to be true specialists in all these steps. Here is a summary of these steps prior to the publication of the guide, which is in the works.

1. Strategic planning

Before jumping into the development of a tool you are better off to really understand what your needs are. You also have to understand your customers’ needs and those of others who will be using the site. You must also carefully select the content and functions which will make up your website in order to estimate the budget and internal or external resources required to make your site a success. Finally, you have to identify the success indicators you will use to determine if they are reached during the operation and evolution of the site. In this way, all the other steps will have the same vision, which will also have been approved by the company administrators.

Mid stage - Production Records

Whether we call it production records, specifications or systems analyses, there comes a time when we the internet strategy has to be shared in a very precise manner so that each page can be designed, each text written and all the graphics or functions can be designed. This is a critical document, be it internally (from one department to another) or externally (from the customer or specialist consultant to a web designer.

2. Production

Obviously, this stage of the execution of the internet strategy is critical. It is here that the plan is put into practise. If, for example, some of the requirements of the specifications are overlooked, be they related to graphics, functions, technical aspects or content, it may have very serious consequences: the message the site evokes is wrong, poor performance on search engines, the site is not user friendly, technical problems in accessing the site… just about anything you can imagine. The Alliance Internet Guide does not attempt to create a holy grail of the truth but is rather a collection of good practises which should be known to and required by the customer when he produces a website or has one produced.

Mid stage – Going on line

This step also requires a lot of planning. It is more than just setting a date. Several things, be they technical or marketing, must be taken into consideration. For example, if the site is put on line without considering these points, search engine position may be lost or the site could be down for several days.

3. Operation and Evolution

One of the key factors in a successful internet site is see it as an ongoing project and not something that is finished once it is online. Content should be added regularly to encourage visitors to come back and to stimulate the objectives you set for the site. We want to include in this document the mechanisms and practices to put in place in order to increase the number of projects which use this same vision.

The good practises guide is an ambitious project. You can help to contribute to it by registering for a conference on September 12 2007 (during which you will hear several speakers including Rand Fishkin, a marketing research specialist with SEOmoz.org) or by contributing through a cooperation mechanism we will be announcing shortly.