Archive: March 2008

As Alex wrote in “Website Development Methodology – Part 1,” a codified project methodology serves to set expectations for the client and the team on what is happening when and in what order.  However, a project methodology is not meant to be a rigid “one size fits all” set of tasks.  Rather, it should be a framework for creating success in a project and should be adapted to the solution, team and client.  Bringing in new techniques or refining existing processes enables the team to deliver the right solution to the client in a timely and budget-conscious manner.    

Methodology Benefits

A formal codified Methodology provides many benefits to both client and Agency, including:

For the Client:

• Defines the process and what is happening and in what order
• Sets expectations as to what will be delivered and when
• Provides for iterative touch-points where clients can redirect the project/program while it is on paper
• Allows clients to participate in the process and take ownership of the end-result
• Allows for incremental client exposure to the final solution, engaging the client in the end-result

For the Project Team:

• Provides a set of repeatable steps which allows the team to focus on the unique elements of the solution, rather than on how and why they are going to do things
• Provides a set of templates and tools enabling them to deliver quality work
• Enables teams to know their roles and what to expect of their peers and their clients
• Provides a clear set of deliverables and processes by which their success is measured

 Methodology in Action

That being said, Teams need to recognize that a project methodology is not meant to a rigorous, finite set of steps that are set in stone.  Rather it is meant to be a framework that Teams use and scale to fit the client problem, solution and need.    At its best, the project methodology offers a safety net to the Project Manager (PM) and team providing the framework for the types of questions that need to be asked and answered.   

The 4 Phases (Define, Design, Develop and Deploy) and the various sub-phases and tasks outline the steps that need to be taken.  This framework is just that, a structure in which to construct ones thinking and to set expectations.  Each project has to be mapped to this framework and scaled accordingly.  Some project may go through every step in minute detail, while others may skip them.  Some steps may take hours while others days or weeks.  However, by going through the process of thinking about each step and deliverable the team makes conscious decisions and takes action, not forgetting steps along the way.   Teams need to learn to scale both up and down according to the project.  When too focused on the process, teams can forget how to be nimble which is almost as bad as teams working in a chaotic vacuum.  In smaller projects with rapid turn-around and few resources the team must adapt the methodology to the problem and focus on the end-result.  This can take the form of omitting a deliverable, or delivering it less formally, or spending less time.  Regardless, as long as the revised process is communicated to both client and team and expectations are set the project can be delivered successfully. 

In contrast, Agile teaches us to focus less on the process and more on the collaborative and iterative approach to developing the final solution.  Working in short sprints allows the team and the client to see the solution as it is being built rather than in iterative steps.    Agile Methodology has its proper place, but its philosophy can inform and influence a more formal iterative (waterfall) methodology.  Teams can use Agile to develop functionality during the Development Phase in iterative steps allowing for the team to surface issues along the way.     

Regardless of the project, teams need to know the rules so they know when to follow them and when to deviate.  Knowing how and when to use the tools in the tool box is the hallmark of a solid team which will deliver value to the client and their customers.  And this is the reason we are here in the first place…    

Check out our recent commentary on MediaPost’s Online Media Daily that addresses leveraging the power of community and content for reaching brand and advertising goals.

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Glorified coordinator? Clipboard master? List-keeper? Cat herder?

We are all of those things and more. In most agencies the role of the Project Manager is simply to keep the team on task and the client updated, but for the digital agency of today to truly excel, PM’s need to be so much more.

The role of a PM in a brand/technology firm is to combine the expertise and experiences of the project manager at traditional marketing/advertising agencies, management consultancies and software development companies with the knowledge and unique perspective of what the web is and what it means to consumers. The success in defining this role, hiring great talent and growing the team creates not only value for the agency but for the client and ultimately the consumer.

At SolutionSet, the project management role is built on this blended model. A project manager is expected own the client relationship, run the project, understand the technology/environment and bring their own knowledge and expertise to the mix. The depth of their responsibilities and the level of their autonomy are commensurate with their seniority within the organization. A description of each role is found below:

Client Management:

Ultimately, each Client Owner/Account Director is responsible for their book of business and the clients which comprise it. In delivering solutions to their clients, a Client Owner/Account Director is supported by the project management team. The PM is expected to manage all day-to-day interactions with the client and to be on point for all client needs and issues. As a PM grows within the organization, they will begin to manage aspects of the client relationship beyond project management. These tasks vary with the client and the relationship but include advising on marketing and digital strategies, up-selling projects and ensuring that all aspects of the SolutionSet offerings are brought to bear for the client. The SolutionSet Client Owner/Account Directoris ultimately responsible and always remains available as an escalation point, but the PM as they grow with the organization owns the client.

Technology:

One must understand the product one is delivering. In too many agencies, the teams don’t know what a website is, let alone what it means to strategize, build or own one. The PM must understand at the core what the web is and what the underlying technologies and architectures are that comprise it. Each PM should have:

• Working knowledge of creative technologies (Illustrator/Photoshop/Flash)
• Working knowledge of web technologies (HTML / CSS / JS / XSL / Flash / SQL technologies / Web Services)
• Facility with major databases and comfort with discussing data schemas
• Knowledge of hosting environments / server side technologies
• Knowledge of common and SolutionSet technologies / projects / products

The PM is not meant to be the Technology or Creative Lead on the project, but they must understand the product and how the teams build it. This foundational knowledge allows them to deliver.

Knowledge/Consulting:

The fun of our space is that it is yet to be formally stratified. True there are great formal Project Management courses and methodologies, but there is still room for talented people of all backgrounds to jump in. Most of the best PM’s I have worked with did not go to school to become a PM, rather they come to it through (but not limited to): website production, entertainment, design, technology, etc. It is not simply the skills, but the mindset. This varied background is of tremendous value to an agency as the PM can bring their experiences and knowledge to bear to influence client strategies and project tactics.

Project Management:

As the lead projects, a SolutionSet PM is expected to be an accomplished Project Manager. This includes but is not limited to: understanding the vision/scope of the project, project/task planning and scheduling, project documentation, project reports (daily task, weekly summary, closing, etc.), resource management, scrum-master, deliverables review (creative through technical), team redirect, client communication, qa, documentation, project launch, client case-study/consent, billing reports, and more. These are the day-to-day tasks, but the impact comes in being the locus of information for all that is happening on the project. The PM must understand the SolSet Methodology and how to wield it on the project. They must understand the nuances influencing their teams and their client as they have little direct control. They must understand how to remain calm while all of Rome burns as this grace under fire is what sets the great PM aside from those that are merely adequate. They must embrace their role and learn how to derive learnings from their success as well as failures.

This is the Art of Project Management.

At SolutionSet, we talk a lot about how brands are changing and the role of technology in that change.  While traditionalists contend that brands are still defined at the head end by advertising and design, we believe technology has changed that story.  We also think there is precedent for this change. 

Thirty years ago, companies (retailers, restaurant chains, hotels, banks, etc.) would hire a team of architects, contractors, and interior designers to build their properties.  Neither these people nor their services were seen as fundamental to the brand.  But forward thinking companies understood that the experience inside their store was a hugely influential part of their brand.  Environmental branding companies emerged to fill this void and design in-store experiences that strengthened the brand.  Environmental branders understood the experience was not just visual, but auditory, aromatic, and sensory. 

Architecting the physical experience of the brand served two functions. 

1)      For some companies, environmental branding  was about having control over the brand experience all the way to the time of purchase.  Niketown and Apple Stores are two good examples of this. 

2)      For other companies, environmental branding was about increasing total revenue and gross margin.  A well designed physical experience encourages purchasing and repeat visits.  Starbucks, Abercrombie & Fitch, W Hotels, and Washington Mutual are good examples of this.

 Does anyone really believe the examples above do not have a huge impact on those companies respective brands?

 What happened offline thirty years ago is happening online today.  In the late 90s, a digital brand was defined solely by the look of the company’s website.  Today, the picture is much more complex.  A brand is defined just as much, if not more so, by how a consumer interacts with information and one another.  And all of these interactions – from information gathering to purchasing to customer support — are all increasingly technology driven.   

Enter the brand technologist.

 Brand technologists understand how to architect the rich interactive experiences that drive our online behavior.  The brand technologist weaves the visual brand into rich interfaces, personalization tools, communities, social networks, web services, and search engines.   Companies increasingly understand that technologists are a fundamental part of their brand team and that the online experience is every bit as important as the offline experience. 

If you want to learn more about how technology is changing your brand, I may know a company who can help ;) 

Paul Rand once said “Don’t try to be original, just try to be good”. Some may argue with that, voicing that originality and inventiveness rule the business we are in. Many would think without it we would all be bored out of our skulls and stuck in the dark ages. I can partially agree with that…but without consistency we would all be lost. I like to think what Paul was saying was be consistent. Consistency undoubtedly breeds “good” visual communication.

Why?  Because without consistency you end up presenting multiple problems to your audience before you can even begin to communicate with them. I often push design teams to build “rules” for themselves that will establish systems of consistency. This way we can “teach” users our rules, related to the particular problem we are solving. That could be extending a brand or relaying the idea of some new technology, sometimes both. These rules that enforce consistency, visual handrails if you will, that provide a sense of dependability and safety. This all makes it easier for the audience to venture out to different parts of the communication we’re creating and immediately get down to doing what they came the for, the business of finding, exploring and digesting information contained within printed pages or digital experiences.

I love it when clients, friends and even our families think that designers, creatives… whatever you call them, are artists in smocks and berets, throwing pixels around. Ideation can happen in that environment, but the craft of actually making the delivery mechanism of the communication, (Websites, brochures, ads, etc) is far less sexy than that. Simply because what we do is about thinking and reasoning, to reach conclusions and to tell those stories, you need rules and systems. Big or small, rules and systems provide the consistency, that make sit possible for information to be distributed and consumed. It’s kind of ironic to think that in the world of brand and technology which is in a constantly state of re-invention and always looking for originality, really can’t move forward with out some adherence to consistency.

Whether its messaging, visual systems or even coding…to be “good” at what we do everyday there needs to be a set of underlying rules, known as consistencies.