Creating an effective website project workflow when collaborating with different teams

For many businesses creating an effective website project workflow can be quite challenging, and if you add the pressure of collaborating with different teams (which could be working in the same building or remotely across different locations) the thought of it sounds even scarier.

I get it! Thinking about everything and everyone involved, it can be overwhelming. Let’s break it down in some simple steps to help you to jump on that journey.

Define project goals and objectives

Before you start the project, it's essential to define the project goals and objectives. This means identifying what the project is designed to achieve and what success looks like. It’s important not to skip this step as it will help you to stay focused and easily identify issues throughout the project.

Identify the stakeholders

Next, identify the stakeholders who need to be involved in the project. These could include clients, team members, external companies, or other stakeholders who have an interest in the success of the project. Identify their roles and responsibilities (how they will contribute to the project) and ensure that the appropriate team members have access to the necessary information and resources.

Create a project plan

Once the goals and stakeholders have been identified, create a project plan that outlines key milestones, timelines, and deliverables. This plan should be detailed and specific enough to guide the work of each team member. The project plan should also include contingency plans to address potential roadblocks or issues that may arise.The aim is to have a full breakdown of tasks and deadlines, from the beginning until the post-launch.

Assign tasks

Assign tasks to each team member based on their skills, expertise and availability. Depending on the size of your team, it might be a good idea to hold a meeting at this stage to discuss the project with some of the lead team members, they will be able to point out the best professional for the project/tasks.

Now that you know who’s going to be working on the project, you can assign the tasks and ensure that everyone understands the tasks, what they are responsible for and what their deadlines are. It’s essential that you hold a kick off meeting and if you can also send a project brief document to the team, that will give them the chance to hear about the project, ask questions and get ready to start working on it.

Note: Assigning tasks should also take into account any dependencies that exist between tasks or teams.

Determine communication channels

Determine how you will communicate with each other throughout the project. It's essential to establish clear communication channels to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Effective communication is critical in any project, especially when working across multiple teams. This could include email, video conferencing, project management software, or other tools. Make sure everyone involved knows which channels to use and when to use them.

Communicate

Meetings are great for keeping everyone on track and up to date on the project's progress. You can hold meetings to discuss project progress and address any issues that may arise. Meetings should have an agenda, be well-structured, and have clear action items or next steps identified. Or if the channels agreed are message based communication, then keep track of messages/questions to ensure nothing is missed or forgotten. The aim is to ensure communication is happening and everyone is on the same page, so find out what works best for you/ your project.

Use collaboration tools

Use collaboration tools like project management software, instant messaging, or video conferencing tools to stay connected and collaborate effectively.

Collaboration tools can help teams work together more efficiently and effectively. There are many tools available that allow team members to share files, communicate, and track progress. Choose the tools that work best for your team and make sure everyone is trained on how to use them.

Review and test

Finally, review and test the website regularly throughout the project to address any issues or bugs. This includes regular code reviews and testing to ensure that the website meets the project goals and objectives. Make sure to document any issues that arise and have a plan to address them.

Self Reflection

I know you might think: “All done, I can relax and never look at it again!”. I’m sorry to crush your dreams on that one. After the work is delivered, the post-launch phase begins.

Take some time to look back at how things went and hear from the team on what to improve for next time. We all make mistakes, use this opportunity to learn from them and get better.

Post-launch

Don’t forget that the work is done, but there’s always more. Check how the website is performing, look at ways to improve your Google Lighthouse scoring, understand what are the most visited pages and how to make them better, keep improving!

Summary

If after reading my tips you still feel the same way, that’s completely fine. Maybe you are better off spending your time on improving your sales, business finances or anything else. We can do all the hard work for you, so you can use your time to do what you do best. Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can help you with your website project workflow.