Phase 7: Evaluate & Maintain

    Overview
    Evaluating Your Site
Planning For Maintenance

In the last phase, launching and announcing, we discussed the handoff of materials to the maintenance team, and a plan for training. Planning for this updating far in advance of launch will allow for a seamless transition between the development team to the maintenance team. Even if it is the same team, the roles and responsibilities are very different. Determine how often the site will be updated. Daily? Monthly? Quarterly? Your company may already utilize a complex content management solution. Many sites today are generated from databases "on the fly" and are built to scale over time. Even if this is the case, someone needs to be responsible for the content creation - a role that sometimes is undervalued.

In a recent study, Forrester Research Inc. interviewed 8,600 web-using households to find out why people return to websites. High-quality content led the poll, closely followed by ease of use, quick download time, and frequent updating. Chart created by System Concepts.

Reviewing High-Level Project Cycle

A post project review is a chance for all key members of the development team and the client (if appropriate) to isolate specific issues in communication and methodology and resolve them in a professional and positive manner. Each project is a unique learning experience - with individual nuances that cannot be predicted. The post project review (sometimes called a 'post mortem' meeting) is a good way to get feedback and determine areas for continued improvement for next stages of development. The project manager should act as the moderator, and should allow individual issues to be discussed in a streamlined and proactive manner. In the event a dispute, allow either parties (or multiple parties) to voice their opinions, and then make a note to follow up with a more detailed discussion outside of the post mortem meeting. It is important to maintain a positive approach and avoid blame-storming or finger-pointing. Some projects run smoothly, many are difficult. Predicting the trouble areas and maintaining clear communication while managing expectations through this process will make the project successful for all parties.

Determine Continued Development

In the end, it is important to discuss the handoff of the project -- who will be maintaining the site, how should any outstanding issues or unresolved QA fixes be resolved; and a plan for the continued development of the site in iterative (re)launches 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and so on. As the web site continues to evolve, and additional business needs call for changes to the site, a plan should be put in place to delineate roles and responsibilities. Will the external design team be called upon to periodically update the site? Will an internal design team be taking over that role? Does the internal team have all the information necessary to continue development? Roles simply must be defined at this point, and in the case of an external design team, contracts need to be prepared to fund ongoing maintenance. A lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities will inevitably lead to unruly development, or worse, disputes over costs and deliverables.

The best advice we can offer is to encourage a regular iterative development cycle. Plan on revisiting the site design at scheduled intervals, and approach each iteration of the site the same way you approached the redesign that was just completed. Follow the steps outlined in this overview. Have another (albeit briefer) Discovery Phase, another Define stage, and so on. There is a tendency to only follow the outlined steps for "major" redesigns, but this is incorrect. These phases will ensure that the site development is well planned and maintains continuity with previous efforts. This disciplined approach not only avoids the design creep that plagues most sites, but will instill repeatability to your design and development efforts, assuring easier development in the future.

Bottom line, have a plan for maintenance. Determine the exact nature of content updates and have the proper maintenance staff in place. By carefully evaluating your team's skills you will make sure that your site does not degrade over time.

Summary

You've gone through the steps of development - you've defined, structured, designed, built and tested your site. You've launched your site and moved into the evaluation and maintenance mode. You have established means of tracking results to see if your original goals (or the goals of the client) have been met. Congratulations. Now is the time to refine your process, see what worked and what was a challenge so the next iteration of the site (or the next project) runs even more successfully. There are steps to follow, but each project has unique elements that make each team's methodology and process different. Take what works and modify the rest. This is a starting point, we welcome your input at the techniques message boards, and would like to know how you solved problems, and managed effective solutions.

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