Lachlan MacPherson: Managing a Web Project – from Start to Finish

Lachlan will walk you through the entire process of a web project from start to finish. Everything from the initial quote, getting the right client fit, getting design signoff, all the way through to getting final payment and launching. I will share anecdotes from a range of real life projects from large and small clients, as well as pointing out: Where things that can go wrong How to stop things going wrong Things to look out for ahead of time. How to keep a project on time and running smoothly.

Transcript

1. MANAGING A WEB PROJECT
   Lachlan MacPherson
   (From Start to Finish)
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2. WHO AM I?
   Ø Co-Founder of Brisbane design & development agency Sennza
   Ø Organiser of the WordPress Brisbane Meetup group
   Ø We work with both small and large companies including a number of ASX listed.
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4. THE BEGINNING
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5. The Enquiry
   ØYou need to make sure you have the right client fit
   Ø Learn how to spot red flags
   ØYou will both be working together for many weeks.
   ØAsk Questions!
   An example of a WordPress enquiry
   listed on Craigslist
   There are no bad clients, just bad client fit
   Flag designed by Wybe Minnebo from The Noun Project
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6. Quoting
   ØHourly vs. Fixed Quoting
   ØDefine the scope of the project
   ØAsk for a Budget
   ØA budget is only helpful if you understand the value you can bring.
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7. Quoting...
   “We have received your initial invoice for these
   costs and note that a 40% deposit has been
   requested. It is the policy of Company XYZ that
   we do not pay deposits for goods or services so
   would like to negotiate different payment terms
   with you.”
   A real email from a client
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8. The Contract
   Ø Scope of Work (who is responsible for what)
   ØThe Project Timeline
   Ø The Payment Schedule
   https://gist.github.com/malarkey/4031110
   All good contracts/proposals should include the following:
   Large contracts vs Small contracts
   Defining scope is all about stating on paper what is
   otherwise obvious to you.
   No excuse for not having a contract:
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9. Set deadlines on when the client must respond
   Afterall, you are held to deadlines!
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10. THE MIDDLE
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12. Communicate
    Ø You do this for living! Your client does not. Help them understand how to get to the finish
    line.
    ØExplain when/how often they can expect to hear from you. (No I don’t work on
    weekends ;)
    ØKeep the project moving forward: http://unlessiheardifferently.com/
    ØAlways email a summary of phone calls when discussing changes. (Clients have great
    memories)
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13. Have a Process
    We are so passionate about our process we made a video
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14. Make it easy for your client:
    ØMaybe a little too easy ;)
    ØClients will give feedback
    no matter what.
    ØMuch better than 30 emails
    back and forth.
    ØAll feedback in one place
    ØMuch easier for signoff
    https://notableapp.com/
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15. Stick to the Scope
    Ø What do you do if the client changes their mind?
    Ø Do these changes count as a new project or are they additional feature requests?
    ØHow do you handle additional work in your contract?
    Does the client know what they are responsible for
    delivering?
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16. You get out what you put in:
    Ø What must you have from the client before you can start?
    ØRemember the scope of work from the contract?
    ØContent?
    Does the client know what
    they are responsible for
    delivering?
    Weight Lifting designed by Scott Lewis from The Noun Project
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17. Understand what your client sees:
    Not a replacement for browser testing :)
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18. THE END
    (Of the project)
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19. Finalise the Project
    ØStaging Domain
    ØMinimize surprises
    ØFocus on getting approval for what is in scope. (What you have control over)
    ØLaunch date ≠ Project complete date. (Hosting or transfer the files)
    ØThe end of the project is not the time to be making feature changes
    ØIt’s a CMS, expect content to change
    ØTheme Unit Test: http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Unit_Test
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20. What I learnt from Google
    Remove all ambiguity
    The 3 best questions to ask when getting feedback:
    1. What steps will reproduce the problem?
    2. What is the expected output?
    3. What do you see instead?
    https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=41467
    Other things that can help:
    http://supportdetails.com/
    http://bugherd.com/ (Demo)
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21. Payment
    1. Invoice the final payment
    2. Take the site live
    And in case you forget: Ownership transfers on payment!
    Ø Using a staging domain allows the client to see and test the site in full before taking
    ownership
    ØOwnership transfers on final payment (ALWAYS)
    There are 2 definite ways to get the client to really look at the site:
    Future Work
    ØIs it really the end?
    ØMake sure the the client understands when the project ends and new work starts
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22. THANK YOU
    Questions?
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