Manager Training Course
Web Project Management

Dave Mizener, Texas "The most significant impact is learning the process to successfully manage a new Web site. This will go a long way toward helping me manage without going through the process cold. The sort of guidance in this class is hard to find. I was impressed with the amount of detail you have to go through."

The secret to your Web agency's success can be summarized in two words: project management. Whatever your project — whether you're building a mom-and-pop site or the next Amazon.com — project management is critical to its success and to the sanity of its stakeholders.

Want the tools to manage bigger jobs? In this intensive 6-lesson course, we'll take you step-by-step through each phase of a Web project, showing you planning and client management strategies for everything from the start-up meeting, to the project's planning, execution, and closure.

Since thorough documentation is key, we'll show you how (and when) to create and present your project proposal, budget, schedule, sitemap, look and feel "comps", contact lists, change orders, QA plans, and more. Case studies will explore how such principles play out in the real world of Web development. Exercises will focus on creating professional-quality communications in response to classic Web project management scenarios.

Instructor: Jordon Schranz is a New York-based fine artist and designer ... get bio

Course Developer: Marni Sandler is the co-founder of a boutique Web design firm ... get bio

Develop an understanding of the important aspects of a project manager’s job.

Create a proposal for a prospective client including cover letter, summaries, deliverables and estimates.

Draw lessons from case studies on different approaches to information architecture.

Design a communications plan and utilize contact lists and client reports.

Consider the goals of different aspects and phases of Web site production.

Develop communications strategies for different client management scenarios.

Develop a testing plan for quality assurance and develop different solutions for handling bugs,

Develop ways to continue and develop a relationship with a client.

Conduct internal closure meetings and write an internal project review.

Outline:

LESSON 1 Needs Assessment and Scope In any Web project, it's critical to get accurate information at the outset. What does the client really need? What's the full scope of the project? Answering these questions in your first few client interactions is the key to bidding on, securing, and executing any Web project. Lesson One gives you tools for this initiation stage. You'll learn how to grill the vaguest client to determine his needs and turn this initial brainstorm into a working project plan. From there, you'll explore how to create a preliminary budget and timeline to determine the project's value and viability for your Web team.

LESSON 2 Developing a Proposal and Contract To win the bid for a Web project (and profit from it), you'll need to turn your initial project notes into a methodical plan of action that includes a schedule, budget, and project proposal. In Lesson Two, you'll learn how to identify deliverables and resources, map out a timeline, itemize costs, then create a proposal that communicates your Web team's unique capability for the project. Go get the job!

LESSON 3 From Blueprint to Production Web projects place many unique demands on a project manager. You're not building widgets, fortunately -- you're translating an abstraction (the information architecture of a site) into a massive interconnected system of Web pages. Lesson Three explores the logistics of working from a sitemap and moving the project into production mode. You'll investigate how to interpret and manage sitemaps and wireframes, gather text or graphic content, and present your initial designs for client approval.

LESSON 4 Change Management and Communication Adjusting wisely to unforseen demands -- and communicating change effectively -- is a real art for project managers. Lesson Four explores strategies for managing fickle clients, and coping with change when it (inevitably) occurs. You'll learn how to create checkpoints in the approval process and use change orders to limit or profit from last-minute changes. You'll also investigate the rules of communication, both with the client and within your team.

LESSON 5 Integration, Testing, and Launch The intricacies of Web development are always apparent in the final stages of a project: integration, testing, and launch. How well do different teams and technologies interact? Has the site been thoroughly tested, and all bugs fixed? As project manager, you must have all the answers. Lesson Five explores how to plan your testing phase and equip your team for a successful launch.

LESSON 6 Project Wrap-Up, Maintenance, and Next Steps Are we done yet? In a Web design project, you're never quite done, and nor would you wish to be. Lesson Six focuses on critical components of project closure: how to hand off materials to the client, secure ongoing maintenance work, and market your successul project for future business -- both with your client and to the world in general. To help you develop as a project manager, we'll also explore the oft-ignored topic the of project post-mortem: learning lessons from your project (good or bad) that will help your team in future endeavors.