Web Development What Is It

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Web DevelopmentWhat Is It?

• Presented byMargie Colesmargie_at_pgsolutions.net
• February 22, 2001

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Two Important Truths

• Truth 1Web project is more than a software
  project
• Truth 2Ignore Truth 1 and you will experience
  great pain and turmoil

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What Else Is It?

• Graphic design project
• A messaging, content, and business strategy
• Usable organization of hyperlinked contentthat
  will morph and grow
• Workflow processes to support content creation
  and editorial processes
• Integration of many separate business functions
  (and departments)

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And

• It is a single, unified project that has a launch
  date
• It is never done
• It needs update release cycle planning AS WELL
  AS a daily (hourly) content publishing plan

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The Religious War

• Web development includes scripting and coding
• Web development requires a publishing
  infrastructure that follows a different paradigm
• These exist to different degrees in different
  projectsbut they both always exist

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Web Sites are Alive

• Web sites are in constant flux (alive),
  REGARDLESS of update revision cycles
• Amount of flux depends on site emphasis on
  content vs. software tool
• Heavy emphasis on tool functionality means high
  site stability
• Heavy emphasis on editorial processes for content
  updates means high instability

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Impact of Publishing

• Requires multiple participants in editorial chain
• Workflow steps are sequential and parallel
• Production manager to monitor deadlines of job
  traffic
• Approval process separate from testing
• Managing Editor (or Producer) has to see content
  in HTML contextwith all related ripple
  pagesbefore approval given

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Impact of Content

• Web site as empty container NOT
• Content must be identified and architected
  (organized) FIRST
• Content is based on business and marketing
  objectives
• Content access for updating by non-technical
  contributors is essential

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Impact of Diverse Team Members and Stakeholders

• "The success of a web site design and
  production project depends on successful
  communication and collaboration between
  specialized team members. A linear, black box,
  throw-it-over-the-wall methodology just won't
  work." Information Architecture, O'Reilly
  Associates

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Web Project Stages

• Source Collaborative Web Development,by Jessica
  Burdman, Addison-Wesley, 1999

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Web Project Stages (cont.)

• Source Web Navigation,by Jennifer Fleming,
  O'Reilly Associates, 1998

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Web Project Stages Summary

• Cyclical
• Design phase is LONGER
• Design phase includes content strategy,
  identification of domain, planning, sample
  development

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Design Stage Includes

• Site map with logic (part of Funct. Spec)
• CMS planning (if CMS product)
• HTML Page templates (from visual/graphic design)
• Page layouts (what and where for content
  components)
• Interactive modeling or prototype

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A Design Process (Real)

• Project plan included
• Visual (graphic) design
• Messaging and content (including sitemap
  development and modeling)
• Mini-app development
• Copy and graphics creation
• CMS product selection
• Content analysis (segmentation, tagging,
  workflow, roles, input templates, component
  templates, output templates)

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Design Process Deliverables

• Project Foundations
• Creative Brief
• Requirements Document
• Visual Design
• Site Maps with logic
• Prototype (wireframe)
• Functional Spec (with links to detailed site maps
  and prototype pages)
• MAPS Report (for CMS and workflow development)

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Development versus Production

• Initial development includes development of code,
  content, and tools to support content (incl.
  workflow tools)
• Production includes everything that is required
  for keeping the living web site current and
  functioning
• Servers
• Changes to graphics and text
• New pages and content
• Troubleshooting live-site errors
• Traffic management for go-live deadlines

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Testing

• Not just about testing code
• Must include ALL aspects of web site, including
  content accuracy, editorial appropriateness and
  legal issues
• Need an ONGOING plan to test Staging Server
  before new pages or content go live on Production
  Server

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Web Project Planning

• Integrated Planmust include all aspects of web
  dev and content delivery
• Cross-team communication and coordination
• Know the DEPENDENCIES
• Relate risks and issues to ALL project components
• Have ONE person responsible for vision and
  schedule

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Epilogue Web Success Measurements

• Not a measure of code beauty
• Measurement accomplishing business objective
• Need to understand business objectives and build
  in ways to objectively track using visitor
  metrics