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Project Management

Whooshing Sound of Deadlines

By Alex B. January 26th, 2016

We live in a busy world where we set goals and try to find the best use of our efforts to achieve them. Nobody likes time wasters who are unable to meet deadlines. 

It is true for all spheres of life but I would like to talk about deadlines in web development. It is obvious that every client cares about time and no agency wants to lose face. 

Douglas Adams, English writer best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, once said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” So what’s wrong with deadlines? What hurdles may possibly prevent us from moving like Jagger? How not to get wrong with the year estimate?  Here are some thoughts. 

Goals

No vague goals or something as “I want it like here” or “I love it like there but make it look better”.

Not clear aims and requirements may cause problems with the final result.  Nothing illustrates this situation better than a short comedy sketch “The Expert”. Seven red lines with green ink have already become a meme. However, it is so true sometimes. 

Clients may have not clear vision or doubts. Clarifying as much as possible is crucial.  It is quite disturbing to find out that you have been building a carousel for kids and have finished up with a surface-to-air missile launcher.

Creativity

Creativity is cool. It helps to stand out of the crowd and draw attention. It is always great to add some fresh notes to the general concept, and to be the guy who did it first. 

However, it is great to experiment in the early stages but not in the course of development process. Bright ideas may interfere with the deadline and may shift time and cost considerably.  So try to agree on everything in the beginning.

Attention to details and discipline

Co-operation, participation, attention… There are so many "-tion" words that lead us to the idea that successful results are achieved in teamwork. 

Note that both sides should participate here:

- A web agency provides its expertise and development resources, skills

- A client provides his market vision, ideas and introduces his company

Each participant is like a brick in the wall. Each contributes to the final result.

Cooperation is vital for achieving good results: within a dev team and between the team and the client. So talk, listen, discuss.

Conclusion

Meeting deadlines should not necessarily be all pain along the way. With enough amount of analysis, "careful creativity" and discipline great results can be achieved. 

Alex B.

Alex B.

Project Manager at iKantam

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