Manage Web Projects with Sitespring

It is said that it takes a village to raise a family, and I'd say that it also takes a village to raise a Website.

Think of it: for a single Web project, you have anywhere from 8 to 15 people tightly involved with decisions that relate to design, programming, content and management. In the real world, you know that a Web project might have a deadline of 6 to 12 weeks. Any longer, and the data you're working with may already be becoming obsolete. Sure, there are some applications you can buy to help manage your projects, but none of the "off the shelf" software addresses the specifics of Web projects. The Web is about fast, efficient and immediate delivery. So, how do you manage client expectations while keeping the lines of communication open?

This is where Macromedia steps in with their killer app: Sitespring. We already know that Macromedia produce the best Web software solutions (just ask anyone who uses Flash or Dreamweaver) and we've come to expect excellent software from them. However, Sitespring, unlike other Macromedia software, is not a design package. Instead, Sitespring helps control the interaction between e-business managers and their clients, the tasks and development cycle for any given project, and the version control of any file needed for a project. The final result is a complete life cycle management program that gives the right users the right content at the right time. The end result: decreased time to execution, increased customer satisfaction, and reduced overall costs for any given project, all through a Web interface.

Getting Ready, Fast!

No Web software management tool will take off unless it's fast to install and easy to use. Well, Macromedia has these requirements covered. To begin with, Sitespring takes less than 5 minutes to install (and currently it runs on either Windows NT 4 or Windows 2000 servers). Once the software has successfully installed, a browser window will link you directly to the Sitespring administrative tools. A big bonus is that the admin tools are all managed through a Web interface! So Sitespring can be managed from anywhere, as long as you can see the Web server it runs on, whether that be the company intranet or an extranet.

The first thing you will need to do in the Admin window is set up the access rights for users of Sitespring. Sitespring has two different types of user: a client and active user. The difference is that if you have a user who will need to access the personalized features of Sitespring in order to manage projects, tasks and version control, then they'll be classed as an active user. If they're simply being asked to provide content and review Web projects, then they're considered to be a client.

Client Needs Analysis

It is the role of the e-business manager or Account Executive to collect a complete business plan, or what's sometimes known as a "needs analysis", from the client. A planned "needs analysis" will allow the Web team to gain a full understanding of the project, the scope, who the intended audience is, and who the person paying for the project is. Sitespring provides you with the tools to collect this data and store it. Using the Web interface an Account Executive for the Web group can meet with the client and write down exactly what the client's needs are.

The focus of any Web development project should be on business needs, not technology. As we've seen with the advancement of the Web over the last five years, technology can go stale very quickly. Business needs, however, last in the longer term.

Sitespring makes the client's business needs available to everyone within the development team. This is critical -- at any point in time Web development team members can review this data to understand how their roles fit within the greater vision. It can help team members make sense of seemingly cryptic tasks and, more importantly, increase the flow of communication.

Tasks

Once the business needs analysis is completed, the next step lies in the hands of the Project Manager. They take the "needs analysis" and, with help from the Account Executive, break down the various parts of the project into tasks that can then be assigned to Sitespring Active users.

Each user receives their task through email and can access the details of their task through a Website. By providing two methods of content delivery, the Project Manager is able to keep the paths of communication open.