Meryl's Notes Blog

Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler have released a new book from New Riders titled Web ReDesign: Workflow that Works. The kind folks of Webreference review the book earlier this week and it sounds might fine. I have not had the opportunity to check out the book, but it sounds like the book I wish I had written. The authors have scores of Web design process experiences and they share their stories in an interview with Webreference.

Many complain the processes put chains on people and stifle creativity and progress. I’ll be honest and say that putting processes in place for the first time does create more work. HOWEVER, once you get through that, it does make a project go smoother. It doesn’t matter if you create your own life cycle, follow CMM, or use Rational’s RUP. It’s not about how much money you spend. It’s about getting something in place and documenting it. I try to tell people two remember two things when it comes to processes and projects: (1) COMMUNICATE (that’s a biggie… repeat it ten times or until it is ingrained in your brain) and (2) when people do the work, ask if it’s documented. I’d hate to see an employee leave and all the rest of ‘em scratch their heads to figure out what dear departed employee did.

More gotchas posted.