Tackle Your Web Problems, Delight Your Users

January 28th, 2010

You probably have a website, and if not, you’ve got a nagging feeling that you can’t afford not to have one. Not just any website, one that performs for your existing users and is enticing to your prospective ones.

Here’s a quick stats refresher, just to emphasize the point.

Statistics Canada reports:

  • As of 2008 Canada’s population was 33,212,696 with 28,000,000 Internet users, if you do the math, that’s 84.3% penetration.
  • In the private sector, 86.66% were online, and 48.49% purchased goods or services online.
  • In the public section, 99.87% were online, and 82.14% purchases goods or services online.

If you are in charge of your current website, or the one that is soon to be, I’m certain your number one priority is to take care of your users. Regardless of who your website target audience is.

You want them to be able to easily find you and find out about you, highlight a competitive advantage, see your products or complete transactions (these are just a few of the many goals you might have).

I bet you already know who your target audience(s) is/are, but do you know how to meet their needs online? And if you are meeting their needs, are you compelling them to return?

Your website is, no doubt, an offshoot or a replacement for traditional advertising at the minimum. But, by thinking just a bit outside of the box, we can come up with ways to solve offline problems (like improving administrative systems), increase your exposure, meet marketing objectives, improve sales and two-way communication with your stakeholders.

Maybe after your website was created it fell to the bottom of your list or it was cost prohibitive to maintain, and you’ve left it to hang out in a corner of the Internet without attention. For your initial investment, it could be working better for you.

Possibly, you do you pay attention and your website is continuously being updated with fresh and interesting content. However, you aren’t seeing much of a return on your investment because it isn’t attracting users or when it does, they can’t find what they’re looking for. You watch your stats, but are disappointed with the numbers, where people are going, how long they are spending, where and why they’re exiting.

You’ve may have had complaints about the look and feel of the website. Or how users have difficulty using some aspect of the site, possibly the navigation or the CMS or e-commerce section. You know there are problems, but it feels like a big task to address them – energy and budget-wise.

Professional, experienced, high quality, and reasonably priced web advice isn’t as easy to come by as many “experts” say. It does exist, though.

For the sake of pleasing your visitors, meeting your goals (and putting your mind at ease), contact me and solve your web problems.

by Ginger • Comments (0)

Posted in Services

Opportunity Knocks Louder in 2010?

January 26th, 2010

A colleague passed on the article Donna A. Reed wrote for CM Crossroads, 2010 Trends in Project Management. Some of the trends like ” Enterprises continue to look for Efficiencies in Process & Technology”, “Agile and Lean Processes are overtaking Waterfall” and ” Social Media will become a Norm” are predictable. There are three, however, that were of particular interest to me since they reflect my thinking and business.

I know many freelance designers, developers and writers, but few (aside from myself) who specialize as Contract Project Managers or Web Consultants. So few, that when I tell people what I do (even in the web development industry) they seem confused and even downright doubtful that this could be a viable freelance career.

Some have a hard time separating the role from the idea that a Project Manager can just be “a manager of projects”. A Project Manager doesn’t have to be a manager of people or responsible for the stewardship or direction of the enterprise. The role does require a high level of experience, skill and leadership ability, so I understand why it might be difficult to imagine that project management can be outsourced.

I see contract project management, strategy and other consulting for the web as reasonable business offerings (or I wouldn’t be doing it!). Donna’s article supports the choice I’ve made in deciding to go out on my own. Possibly, it also clarifies why hiring someone like me vs. hiring staff to manage web projects is a smart business decision.

The trend of “PM’s becoming Independent Consultants” explains that due to the economy, fewer projects were initiated in 2009. No projects equals no PM jobs. With the recovery of the economy in 2010, companies will be interested in hiring Independent Consultants for specific projects and time periods.

Donna discusses how it is a benefit to the company to establish a trust relationship with contractors who can be repeatedly called on “get the job done”. Once the relationship is solid, it benefits the company to bring in contractors who understand the company’s environment, culture and processes.

Another trend, “Virtual & Independent Teams will be more Prevalent” discusses the efficiency for companies to leverage skills needed for projects where skills reside. Independent Teams can be assembled from employees, contractors, and consultants for a specific project and only that project. Donna notes that virtual teams have their challenges, but PM’s with “soft skills” such as exceptional interpersonal skills, strong leadership abilities and the ability to communicate well are suited to these types of projects.

“PM & BA Roles Converging” is an expected trend that I’ve been thinking about for a while. In my work experience, PM and BA roles have always converged under the PM title. This may have been because no one knew any different or because hiring one person to do the job of two keeps employee costs down. The article discusses how as the PM becomes more of a Product Owner owning the definition and delivery of the solution, there is a blurring of the PM and BA roles.

In my view, if you have both a PM and a BA working on the project there may be cross-over between the roles. If that is the case, areas of responsibility should be clearly defined for maximum efficiency and minimal confusion. The article also mentions that PMs will be in greater demand when they understand the business, are the liaison between the customer/business and the development team, and lead the project team from concept/initiation to launch/close. As a PM, without the benefit of a BA on any of the teams I worked with, it was natural for me to take on these responsibilities. It was also expected of me by my employers.

(The exception was working as a Project Manager with online course development at a university. In that case, Instructional Designers could be considered Business Analysts. There were frequently questions about the definition of Project Manager vs. Project Leader (Instructional Designer). It was an interesting problem, but that is another story for another time.)

by Ginger • Comments (0)

Posted in Entrepreneurship • Reflection • Services

Does your project need a manager?

January 14th, 2010

Bad Project Managers can destroy your site and sanity, but good ones do the opposite. If you have a choice between a bad PM and none at all, I’d choose the latter. But, if the PM is invested in the project and stakeholders and has the expertise and skills to help create a great application from start to finish, you can’t afford not to hire one.

Often regarded as just another layer of billing, there tends to be general lack of regard for what we do in the web world. Designers and developers do not like it when a pompous luddite PM agrees to ideas that are technically unfeasible and require major effort within an unreasonable time. Clients generally aren’t excited to pay for project management, especially if requirements haven’t been met satisfactorily or the job has gone over time and budget.

It can be a thankless job to coordinate diversified teams, keep projects on schedule, monitor budgets, archive communication, and resolve conflicts for even one project at a time, never mind several. It isn’t easy, and if any of these tasks are mishandled it can spell failure for not only the project, but also the client relationship and team morality.

Depending on your methodology, when a Business Analyst isn’t available, Project Managers act as the liaison between the client and the development team. For the developers, a PM should be a buffer in an environment with harsh deadlines and demanding assignments. The object is to preserve sanity of the team while allowing them to focus on their work without interruption. For the client, a PM should understand business goals and how to translate those goals into the lingo of a writer, designer, programmer or system administrator. The PM should be able to articulate why one solution is preferable to another, acting in the interest of the budget and deadlines. With respect to communicating with clients, honesty, approachability, respectfulness, and timely notification is the modus operandi of every good PM.

As Internet builders our work is complex. We don’t just point, drag and click to build websites. There are many layers of architecture, analysis, design, and complex programming and testing that go into the development of an effective website. A good PM has (at least) a working knowledge of every phase and the modesty to ask about what they don’t know in order to best serve the project and the team. When there are bugs, missed deadlines, or misunderstandings a good PM takes the flack, has the humility to apologize, comes up with solutions, and preserves the integrity of the project, operation and team.

If you are paying to have a website created, I wouldn’t recommend doing project management (or design or programming) yourself. Without knowledge in all facets of website strategy, design and development you will not be able to effectively manage the development of your website and best preserve your needs. It is in your interest to put your energy into defining your goals and to ensure that you are receiving what was initially specified.

A good Project Manager will take care of dealing with those technical details and types, so you can rest assured that your goals will be met on time and budget.

by Ginger • Comments (0)

Posted in Services

Could you use a Business Analyst?

January 4th, 2010

Business Analysts identify business needs and determine solutions to business problems.

It may sound straightforward, but it requires an in-depth understanding of a business, its current and future strategy, culture and politics. The Analyst must identify initiatives to meet strategic goals. A Web Business Analyst focuses on identifying how to leverage a website, social media processes and organizational adjustments needed to achieve strategic goals.

The Web Business Analyst has to be an effective translator of client requirements to the technical language of the rest of the project team.

Web Business Analysts tease out shortcomings of existing systems and what should ultimately be accomplished. Goals may be related to generating sales, improving collaboration and communication, streamlining administrative processes or something else.

The Analyst works together with the rest of the team to plan a technological strategy made up of requirements to meet those goals. It is up to the Web Business Analyst to figure out which requirements are the highest priority, and to help plan implementation. All the while, effectively communicating between the technicians (designers, developers, managers) and the client. These are the stakeholders that make up the project team.

The Web Business Analyst consistently monitors the progress of the project, appropriateness of the solution, and documents requirements and team communication.

Some businesses do not have the ability or resources to internally determine and measure whether or not a current strategy is performing. There may be a disconnect between what the organization perceives as important to their customers and what actually is. An internal or organizational focus may be impeding a strategy that best serves users, customers and potential customers. This is where a Business Analyst can help to provide objective suggestions and work as an ally of both the business decision makers and the IT group. In the case of a rift in terminology and vision between the two essential parties, a Web Business Analyst can act as an ally to both.

by Ginger • Comments (0)

Posted in Services

What’s in a name?

December 28th, 2009

Settling on a new business name isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

When a colleague and I were starting to think about forming a company we knew our strengths and goals, the services we would provide and how we would do it. We created a working business plan and started to think about next steps, such as choosing a name.

We wanted to come up with a name that would resonate with customers, evoking a positive response that accurately described our philosophy of doing business. We also wanted something that was unique and tells a story about who we are.

After we came up with a list of words to describe our attributes, (reliable, trustworthy, experienced, skilled, etc.) and it wasn’t hard to crack the thesaurus and come up with some possibilities.

Then came the fact checking, was the domain name available, if not, what was it selling for? One of the names was taken, but for sale for $900,000. Right. As a start-up, working by choice with no funding, I don’t think so!

Was the name short enough, easy to remember and not already registered? Was it meaningful and something we could be proud of? Most were not, but we were able to narrow it down to a few.

Next, we asked for feedback. All we wanted were initial feelings and reactions. Luckily some talented local marketers were kind enough to offer it. The feedback was valid and we agreed with it and it narrowed our list even further.

Left with one name that was very close to the name of a piece of software we decided to go back to the drawing board.

Combinations of our names and initials were either already taken or so meaningless we ruled them out right away. So, by taking our first names and researching the etymologies of both we found that the meanings were actually accurate descriptors of our strongest abilities and personalities. The two words work together and sound like a web development business that is both credible and creative.

If we take the partnership to the next level, I am confident that the name we’ve chosen is not only descriptive and dynamic, but also represents us directly.

by Ginger • Comments (0)

Posted in Entrepreneurship