Project Tasks

The skills required to develop a Web site are diverse. In most cases, Web sites involve a team approach. This is because an individual does not commonly possess the artistic, content-development, and technical abilities required to complete the project by himself or herself. It's unusual to find an engineer who also writes well, and it's also unusual to find a Web developer who is at the same time a high-level graphic designer, programmer, and editor.

Thus, most project managers find themselves dealing with a team of individuals with widely diverse skill sets. How that all comes together is a subject we will discuss in Chapter 9. However, for our purposes here, we will want to identify the project tasks involved with creating a Web site and determine under which category these tasks fall.

At this stage, when tasks are identified, the object is more to make a "shopping list" than to devise a highly specialized how-to document-a project specification. Once the tasks are identified, the project specification can then be authored by the project team (i.e., the artistic team head writes the creative specification; the programming team head writes the technical specification; and so forth). Therefore, the project manager needs to develop a "to-do" list. Once the team members have a chance to review it, specifications will be written, and from there the project manager can devise a budget and a schedule.

Exercises

For the following exercises, envision a project requiring the Web firm to build a school's Web site, which would include a database for the library. The school wishes to attract new students, provide a foundation through which students can learn about the Web, and provide information for the school community.

Identify Creative Tasks

a)

How would you identify the creative tasks involved in this site? What would they be? Do not be concerned if you have no experience with this. Look at a Web site. What elements might be contributed by people in traditionally creative roles? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

b)

What would you ask the client about how he or she would like the Web site to look if you had the opportunity? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Identify Technical Tasks

a)	How would you identify the technical tasks involved in this site? What would they be? What type of contributions to the Web site might you expect from your programming team? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
b)	What would you ask the client about his or her technical goals if you had the opportunity? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Identify Administrative Tasks

a)

How would you identify the administrative tasks involved in this site? What would they be? Consider how an office is run. Are there some tasks, such as filing, answering client inquiries, and submitting the weekly payroll, that might have to take place in the background so that this project can continue in the foreground? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

b)

What questions would you ask the client that might impact on these administrative concerns? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Identify Marketing Tasks

a)	How would you identify the marketing tasks involved in this site? What would they be? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
b)	What would you ask the client about his or her marketing goals if you had the opportunity? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Exercise Answers

This section gives you some suggested answers to the questions in Lab 8.3, with discussion related to those answers. Please post any alternative answers to these questions at the companion Web site for this book, located at http://www.phptr.com/phptrinteractive.

Answers

a)	How would you identify the creative tasks involved in this site? What would they be? Do not be concerned if you have no experience with this. Look at a Web site. What elements might be contributed by people in traditionally creative roles? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A1:	Creative tasks can be defined by interviewing the client and discussing requirements with the creative team. A broad description of the creative tasks involved in developing this Web site includes the following: Identify the content-What do we want to say in the Web site? Determine the deliverable schedule-When should all materials be supplied to the Web firm in order for the firm to make an implementation date? Graphic design-What do we want the Web site to look like? Develop the content-Write and create written and graphic composites. Edit the content-How would the written content read on the Web? Let's refine it. Create prototypes-Put composite graphics and written material together to create a working model of the site. Work with the technical team to implement finalized content into site-Refine the prototypes into the finalized version of the site. When building any Web site, there are graphical interfaces and content to be developed. Therefore, the developer needs to ascertain how the content is going to be delivered and how much original graphic design is required. The only way to do this is to require the school officials to organize their thoughts (see8.3.1.b). The developer understands that the site is being built for school families as well as for prospective students and their parents. Therefore, the audience visiting the site will have varying access speeds and may be running older browsers on their computers. The graphic design must be attractive to both kids and adults, as well as make the best use of image size so that the pages will load quickly. Graphics should also make the best use of any school logos, colors, and mascots-things that are uniquely identifiable with the school. Written content should be developed by the school administration, with editing contributed by the Web firm. Several Web sites are extremely helpful for editing Web-based communications, and Web site editors should be familiar with the concepts contained therein: Yale C/AIM Web Style Guide: info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual Bobby Web Accessibility Analysis Tool:www.cast.org/bobby IU Web Site Design Guidelines:www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/policy All Things Web:www.pantos.org/atw Guide to Web Style:www.sun.com/styleguide
b)	What would you ask the client about how he or she would like the Web site to look if you had the opportunity? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A2:	Please define your basic goals for the Web site. What are the schedule requirements? Are there any existing collateral materials from which logos and content can be derived? Who will be supplying content? How often will content be updated? By whom? Which Web sites do you like from a graphical standpoint? Please storyboard your site and show how you envision it working.

Answers

a)	How would you identify the technical tasks involved in this site? What would they be? What type of contributions to the Web site might you expect from your programming team? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A1:	Technical tasks would be defined by interviewing the client and discussing requirements with the technical team. A broad description of the technical tasks involved in developing this Web site includes the following: Identify database requirements. Identify additional interactive elements. Identify server requirements. Program the site. Test the site. Stage the final site. A database programmer should evaluate the Web site requirements so that decisions can be made regarding the server, its operating system, and database middleware. NT platforms offer SQL server and Access database solutions. The preferred database for UNIX servers is Oracle or mySQL. Oracle can be used for databases with 80,000 records and above. However, the site license is expensive. MySQL is available as a free download and offers a stable environment for databases with up to 80,000 records. Based on database and any additional interactive requirements, a decision can be made regarding the server. The following sites, particularlyCAST.org, are very useful for developing a site that is widely accessible by the general public. A school Web site should pass the "Bobby" test-a Web-based tool that evaluates sites for accessibility to people with disabilities and international users and for compatibility with various browsers. Bobby Web Accessibility Analysis Tool:www.cast.org/bobby IU Web Site Design Guidelines:www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/policy All Things Web:www.pantos.org/atw Web Content Accessibility Guidelines:www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT
b)	What would you ask the client about his or her technical goals if you had the opportunity? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A2:	Please define your basic goals for the Web site. What are the schedule requirements? How often will content be updated? By whom? Which Web sites do you like from a technical standpoint? Please storyboard your site and show how you envision it working. How many library records are there? How would you like the database to be searched? Do you have any requirements regarding the server the site must be staged upon? Or is Web hosting at the Web firm's discretion? Are there any other interactive elements that you would like to include on the site (i.e., a bulletin board or chat room)?

Answers

a)	How would you identify the administrative tasks involved in this site? What would they be? Consider how an office is run. Are there some tasks, such as filing, answering client inquiries, and submitting the weekly payroll, that might have to take place in the background so that this project can continue in the foreground? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A1:	Administrative tasks would be defined by interviewing the client, the Web firm owner (or whoever has authorization to allocate the firm's resources) and discussing requirements with the project team. Defining the project Estimating the project Tracking contracts, work orders, and change orders Developing project schedule/budget Coordinating resources Communicating with the client Administrative tasks are traditionally performed by the project manager. Techniques for performing these functions will be examined in depth in later chapters.
b)	What questions would you ask the client that might impact on these administrative concerns? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A2:	Please define your basic goals for the Web site. What are the schedule requirements? Are there any existing collateral materials from which logos and content can be derived? Who will be supplying content? How often will content be updated? By whom? Which Web sites do you like from a graphical standpoint? Please storyboard your site and show how you envision it working. Which Web sites do you like from a technical standpoint? How many library records are there? How would you like the database to be searched? Do you have any requirements regarding the server the site must be staged upon? Or is Web hosting at the Web firm's discretion? Are there any other interactive elements that you would like to include on the site (i.e., a bulletin board or chat room)? What is your budget for the site? Do you require a flat bid or will you consider paying for time and materials? What is your plan for marketing the site? Do you need the firm to facilitate and/or consult regarding marketing? Are there plans for a later version of the site? What is your availability for project meetings? Who will be responsible for signing off on the work? In other words, the project manager needs to have a broad view of the project so that he or she can adequately estimate the project and manage it cost-effectively. While the specifics can be micromanaged by creative, technical, and marketing team leaders, the project manager will need to be aware of all the schedule benchmarks and whether the project is progressing on budget, making adjustments as necessary.

Answers

a)	How would you identify the marketing tasks involved in this site? What would they be? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A1:	Marketing tasks would be defined by interviewing the client and discussing requirements with the marketing team. Analyzing current public relations Recommending free on-line marketing options (i.e., search engines, reciprocal linking, banner swaps) Identifying cost-effective marketing options (i.e., links from town page, tile and banner advertising, search engine placement, targeted e-mailing) Writing press releases Submitting the Web site to the seven major search engines
b)	What would you ask the client about his or her marketing goals if you had the opportunity? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
A2:	What kinds of marketing programs are already in place for the school that could be modified to include the Web site address? What is the budget for marketing the site? Since prospective students would come from local communities, are there any local Web sites that would drive traffic to the school site? Are there any educational Web sites that might drive traffic to the school Web site? What kind of traffic do you expect?

Self-Review Questions

In order to test your progress, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1)	Which of the following creative tasks would need technical input: _____ Large animation on the front page _____ Buttons that change when the pointer is put over them _____ Inclusion of company logo _____ Embedding of multimedia objects _____ Inclusion of sales versus product information
2)	Which of the following marketing tasks would require creative input: _____ Banner advertising on major search engines _____ Keyword identification _____ Exchange of links with noncompetitive Web sites _____ Identifying paid-for links with city- and industry-related guides (e.g., townonline.com) _____ Drafting of press releases