Methodology explained - Part I Define

I have been working in this business for nearly twenty years, although my training stretches further back to my early childhood, and I have worked in every form of visual communications during that time. Each medium has its own requirements and discipline, but within all of these business models, the common elements are quality work produced on time and in budget.

This is a business and we must ensure due diligence to solve our clients problems, increase their business and return a profit to our company (regardless of whether you own it or work for da' man). Any time you can streamline a process, or refine a workflow to enhance the quality of the work while increasing profitability ensures that you are a valuable member of a company.

During my career I have adapted and adopted new processes as they become viable and make business sense to my work. That is how I developed the methodology we use here: define, design, develop, deploy and deliver. These are 5 distinct areas of the life of a typical project that lands in the studio. Within each phase of the project there are multiple steps to bring a project from inception to fruition. The life-cycle of the project, especially the more complex sites, requires enormous planning and tracking to meet the budgetary constraints and delivery schedule. I use a complement of tools that help me to keep track of projects, tasks and inform my clients so we stay focused on delivering that solution that will solve their problems.

The initial stage is the most crucial for any project. This is where the project is defined, its requirements are set and tasks are assigned. Those tasks range from project management to accounting, and all have specific roles to perform if the project is to succeed. This phase will define the roadmap of the project and set expectations for all parties; it is imperative to codify all aspects of the project at this phase so as to avoid confusion during production. Some of the products I have used during this phase are:

MarketCircle's Daylite ($189.00) - this has got to be the finest PIM and CRM tool on the market. It works seamlessly with Mail (using the DMI module) and allows me to keep track of all active and potential projects. The depth of this program continues to astound me. The only item it lacks is a tool to chart a project's lifecycle (i.e. GANNT). Which brings me to the next package.

Project Wizards Merlin (~ $195.00 depending on exchange rate) - has to be the easiest project tracking software. I have worked in most apps from MS Project to FastTrack and all are fine products, but this one really outshines them all. Its ease of use and ability to manage multiple projects and configure various views to conform to your management needs is well implemented. The package can also export to iCal as well as a webpage; although I wish this feature was a little bit more customizable.

Omni Group's OmniGraffle and Omni Outliner ($149.95 and $69.95 respectively) - Omni Group has been developing high-quality software for years and these are two indispensable tools in our production workflow. Although OmniGraffle can now outline items, I am finding myself using this app much more frequently. This is the software we categorize thoughts, mindmaps and flowcharts for the organization of the site. It allows you to develop custom templates and stencils (Omni-speak for icons used in the flowchart) and integrates seamlessly with all of our production software.

iPragma's XSort ($29.95) - Instead of using 3X5 notecards or post-its to organize a site, you can perform a card sort using this tool. It allows you to set up the sessions and track the users demographics, if required, and time spent in the task. It is a great step in developing a site that is too often skipped in today's business climate. A card sort is invaluable in the process of developing a seamless online user experience and this software is the best in helping to accomplish that task.

RealMac Software's RapidWeaver ($39.95) - RW is a great rapid application development tool (RAD) that allows you to develop a wireframe of a site in literally minutes. It is designed as a WYSIWYG website creation tool and excels at that task, but an overlooked attribute is its ability to develop a wireframe experience for user testing. Design a simple template, build your site and test the user experience. It does not get any easier than this.

These are a few of the items that help us define our projects. They may work with your work processes, or you may have other ideas that you might want to share. Speak up, I would love to hear how you approach web development.