project workflow: building wordpress sites with virtual teams

Project WorkflowBuilding WordPress Sites with Virtual Teams

Tony ZeoliFounder, Digital Strategy WorksCommunity Manager, All in One SEO

@tonyzeoli• Launched first startup in 1995

• 20 years Digital Project Management / Product Development

• Startups, Corporations, EDU, Small Business

• Founded Digital Strategy Works 2009

• All in One SEO Community Manager

• House music DJ @avlhms

• Father at 49 = my next startup

• Top Asheville Restaurant• Nationally Recognized• 100% Gluten Free Menu• Trendsetting

Objective• Complete website overhaul• Competitive Market• Best Location in Asheville• Design new WordPress Theme• Develop Restaurant Menu System• Migrate Content• SEO & Social Media

Posana Cafe• 1st site• 2010

• 2nd site• Redesign 2012

Posana Cafe

Documentation• Documentation is critical

• Provide easy access to formal, detailed business requirements

• Google Docs or Basecamp Text Documents• Can comment on documents, ask

questions, make changes and notify all

Business Requirements

• Define all features and functions• Ask for examples (usually competitor sites

& features)• “But I want what they have” reality check

WordPress Complexities

• More complex today: HTML5, CSS3 (Less/Sass) jquery, ajax, and javascript, php frameworks

• Addition of: Custom Post Types, Formats, Taxonomies, Memberships, Ecommerce, Payment Gateways

• Embedded fonts (Google or TypeKit)• Hosting issues (Shared/VPS/Dedicated, SSL, CDN,

Caching)• Page speed optimization, enqueuing of scripts,

Minification

Estimating• Depends on experience with all aspects of web

development• Consult with designers and developers on every item• Leave nothing to chance• Research and ask questions: StackExchange, Quora,

LinkedIn, Twitter, and of course, WordPress.org Forums• Estimate cost + time - it’s never exact• Don’t over promise• What looks easy may take more time than you think

Estimating• Create an hours estimate• Categorize: Project Managment, IA, UxD, Web

Development, etc.• Clearly state all hours are estimated. Exact hours

will be billed.• Harvest App

• Estimate, Retainer, Time Tracking, Invoicing• Client “Approve” estimate electronically

Contract Negotiation• Explicit Statement of Work• Explicit pricing and hourly fee for overages• Protect yourself from scope creep

• Legally binding contract• Review by attorney• Abode Document Cloud for e-signature and

document storage

Set Expectations• With Client

• Assets & Deliverables (photo, video, audio, text, marketing ideas, etc.)• Communication (Phone, Email, Basecamp, Meetings, etc.)

• With Team• Collaboration• Open communication and feedback• Availability• Commitment

• With Both:• Realistic timetables with contingencies in mind (illness, birth, death, busy

season, etc.

Distributed Team

• Peter, Martha (Client)• Tony (Acct Mngr/PM)• Marlon (Developer)• Meg (Designer)• Jeff (Lead Architect)• Lori (Public Relations

Marlon& Meg

Jeff& Lori

Peter, Martha, & Tony

Everyone is a “Freelancer”

• Work for hire• Hourly or Project rate• Sign a designer or developer agreement that

protects you and client• Freelancers may have full time jobs• Nights and weekends is the new normal• What you think should take a day can take a week

or more

Four Keys To Success with Virtual Teams

1. You must lead differently.

2. You must arrive at decisions differently.

3. You must build trust differently.

4. You must communicate differently.

Erin Meyer, Forbes, 8/19/2010http://onforb.es/1VKfTVo

5 Tips for Building a Successful Virtual Team

1. Inclusion is Key

2. Make Time to Celebrate Team Achievements

3. Bridge In-Person Collaboration Sessions with Online Collaboration Tools

4. Take Time to Get to Know Each Other…Outside of just the Work Context

5. Encourage Creative, Informal Virtual Team-Building Activities

Erika Head, Redbooth, 7/2/2014http://bit.ly/1VKggiH

Open Communication• Enforce communication tools with client and

developers• Teach them and show benefits• When everything is in writing, no one can say they

didn’t know

• When all are collaborating, transparency breeds camaraderie

• Developers and Designers should communicate with client (business owner)

• In scrum/agile, everyone has a voice in the project

Scope Creep• Examples:

• Client wants more revisions or additional features than scope allows for

• Designer returns revision after revision, but not good enough

• Developer has already worked on a feature, but client asks for something new.

• Where does it stop?

Developer Mishaps• Client and Project Manager pass Business Reqs

to developers• “Yes, I can do that”• Process invisible to client and Project Manager• Don’t make assumptions• Get involved• Work through every feature

Offshoring• Holy Grail or Holy Hell?• Culture, Identity, Perspective• Your English is not their English• Over promise, under deliver• Confusion• Pad with project management hours• Code quality

My Toolkit• Skype• Basecamp• Trello• Harvest App• QuickBooks• OmniGraffle• Adobe Document Cloud

• Google Calendar• Team Viewer• GoToTraining• Camtasia• Awesome Screenshot• CloudApp• Evernote