Manage Your Web Development Project
The World Wide Web continues to grow at an amazing pace. Every day, thousands of websites are created. This means that there are many web development projects going on at once. This is a testament to how quickly the market is growing. As a web developer, you can also create your own website. However, before you can do this, you must know how to properly manage a web-development project. A well-managed web development project will produce better results and work more efficiently.
How can you manage your web design project like a pro? These tips and tricks will assist you in getting started.
Use Kanban
Toyota developed Kanban years ago as a project management strategy. Kanban principles can be found in many projects today, including web development projects. This system divides a web-development project into tasks, which you can take on at different stages. Kanban can be best used with a visual tool. Kanbanize is the best tool for this purpose. Kanbanize allows you to organize your web development project in cards and stages that you can then organize as needed. Every task is represented on the virtual board by a Kanban Card. Each card can be moved from planning to work-in-progress (WIP), then to testing and finalization. Kanbanize is visual so you can see your progress as you work on your web development project.
Use a WIP Limit
Kanban is just the beginning. Based on the projects that you manage, you can refine the strategy. You can refine the strategy by setting a limit on the number of tasks in the Work in Progress phase. WIP limits do not limit the amount of time each task takes, but the number and complexity of the tasks within a phase. You can limit the WIP limit to 3 tasks to allow your developers (or yourself) to focus more on them. WIP limits allow you to focus on the task at hand. This prevents you, from doing too many tasks at once, which can lead to project delays and not being managed properly. The above-mentioned Kanbanize has written a guide called What is Kanban WIP Limit? that will help you understand the concept.
Use the Board
Once you have the Kanban board setup, it is time to start using it. For project discussions, stop using email and text messages. Make sure that all discussions and notes made outside of Kanban boards are included to the Kanban board. The ultimate goal of Kanban is to have control over the project’s progress. This can be achieved by making sure the tasks and any changes are accurately reflected on the board. This prevents unintentional errors. It is all too common to miss emails and updates. It is possible to miss a simple change or note from a client and cause more problems in the future. This problem can be solved by adding the notes to the correct Kanban cards.
Create subtasks
Projects don’t need to be viewed as one big work. Kanban’s flexibility is another advantage. Kanban allows you to create your own tasks (Kanban Cards) and phases on the Kanban Board based on your development challenges. You can, for example, separate frontend and backend tasks using different card colors. You can then create a list of all tasks and assign them using cards to developers. Developers will move the cards along the Kanban board. Subtasks let you mitigate your risks better. There is no single point for failure. If a developer cannot reach a task or is ill, it will not affect the project. It is also easier to assign smaller tasks and maintain time efficiency.
Establish firm deadlines
To be successful in completing a web design project, time management is key. This requires being clear about your deadlines and completing each task on time. Kanban cards have their own deadlines so you can arrange each task to be completed on time. Developers who miss their deadlines are shown visually. It is easy to see what tasks are behind and take immediate decisions about how to keep the project on track. You can also have contingencies to deal with delays. Kanban makes it easier to analyze the effects of delays. What happens if the UI design arrives three days late? What is the deadline for the project to be completed? These details will allow you to communicate with the client.
Open and Close
Kanban cards can be moved along the board by developers working on the project. However, only those who have opened the cards can close them. This is a great way to add review and evaluation into your project management workflow. The developer can simply reassign your card to you when a task has reached its final stage. You have the chance to review all deliverables, and verify that the work is in line with your expectations. You can request changes or re-assign the task to the developer. Project managers often add phases for review and evaluation. This is a method you can also use. This is the beauty of Kanban for managing your web development projects. You can make changes to the system, and keep a high degree of efficiency all the time. These tips and tricks will make managing complex web development projects easy. You already have the tools, and the strategy to better manage your project. You can now create your Kanban board to manage your web development project like an expert.
