The Role of Project Management

If you’re already in a position where you are managing developer(s) and or designer(s), then you are probably already acting as a project manager in some capacity and so are familiar with some of the tools and processes I’m going to talk about. I’d like to expand on some concepts that you have already started to lay the groundwork for.

And for the individuals who don’t have any kind of formal project management layer in place in your design/dev processes, I’d like to suggest that you add on. It’s not as easy or as clear-cut, but I believe will provide many important benefits to your sanity, as well as the end product you deliver to your clients.

Asking the right questions. I think that project management starts with asking the right questions.Asking the right questions. The nature of our work as consultants is that everything is very custom. We’re not making cheesburgers or pre-manufactured homes, so there is always an element of re-inventing the wheel. However, to the degree that we can encapsulate our experience with certain prototypes of common projects and common problems and solutions, we will be able to effectively and easily roll out project after project without major bugs, client miscommunications, or other headaches.

I suggest that you start working on a list of common questions for your client. They will inevitably come to you with some kind of vague question or problem that needs to be solved, and it is your job to turn that into a very specific project spec. You’re not going to remember all the issues or gotchas you’ve ever run into in every project, especially in the moment that you’re discussing this project with your client, so it’s important to have a reference to help you out. By asking them the right questions about their project, you are well on your way to scoping a well-defined project that you will be very likely to complete to their satisfaction.

Priorities. Let’s assume that you have a fairly well-defined project scope at this point and you are now beginning to delve into the details and painful minutia that inevitably comprise every project you’ll ever work on. It’s important to note here that every project has a project manager! You may not see yourself as that, but I can guarantee you your client probably does - there are of course exceptions especially if you find yourself working with larger agencies. However, your client is expecting you to properly detail the scope even if they’re vague, follow up with them even if they are lagging behind on their deliverables, and ensure the overall quality of the project. That, my friend, is project management.

There is a form tool for tracking the priorities and dependencies in a project called a gantt chart. This can be overkill for smaller projects. However, you will need some technique to line up all the various tasks that comprise your project, both action items for the client, and those for yourself, and figure out the dependencies for these. Basically, you need to make sure you have everything you’ll need to complete the project up front! And that is easier said than done!

Follow-up. One of the next important pieces of the puzzle is continuing to follow up with the client to ensure they are getting you everything you need - I find that many times this comes down to approvals. It’s unbelievable how much time you can actually spend hunting down an “OK looks good” from a client. So you will need to be dilligent, because the client will somehow always magically expect you to do this - even though you could say it’s probly not strictly speaking in your job description.

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