The Chameleon Net blog http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/ ...spreading *Web Karma* en-us Chameleon Net Ltd Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:49:31 GMT newtelligence dasBlog 1.8.5223.2 danm@chameleonnet.co.uk danm@chameleonnet.co.uk http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992 http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992.aspx timb@chameleonnet.co.uk (Tim Bedwell) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992

Having recently joined Chameleon Net as Head of Operations I was asked whether I could write a short blog to talk about my first impressions of the company and talk a bit about my role here.

Well, this is my second month here and so far, so good.  I’ve been really impressed at the type of projects the company is involved with, the different work being carried out within these projects and the internal teams themselves.  I’ve worked in companies that try to offer web development or e-marketing services before, but not one that offers all these services in-house and successfully to such a wide array of clients.

The challenge for me now is to see how we maintain and handle growth within the company as the company increases.  The main things I'm going to be focusing on in the next few months are looking at how we run projects, different project structures/methodologies, and also how we handle our release process.

In any company projects are run in different ways, but there are common themes that run throughout any project - communication, organisation, and planning.  It's important that if we want to deliver successful projects we look at how we handle all types of project from the pre-sales process to client sign off and I'm going to be running internal workshops as well as speak to our clients to see what we can do to improve.

As well as having used very traditional waterfall project methodologies to run projects, I've also used the SCRUM project methodology which is something I'd like us to explore here.  By its nature it's a highly flexible form of project management where projects are broken down in to smaller forms and teams work on tasks together to ensure quicker delivery times.  It's something I think that could benefit our internal teams/clients here.

Release management is another area I will be looking at.  I'd like to see how we communicate with our clients when carrying out new releases, how the communication for this process happens internally, as well as how best we document all work being carried out.

There's a lot to work on, I better get back to it now!!

Cheers

Tim

Welcome to Chameleon Net http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992.aspx Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:49:31 GMT <p> Having recently joined Chameleon Net as Head of Operations I was asked whether I could write a short blog to talk about my first impressions of the company and talk a bit about my role here. </p> <p> Well, this is my second month here and so far, so good.&nbsp; I’ve been really impressed at the type of projects the company is involved with, the different work being carried out within these projects and the internal teams themselves.&nbsp; I’ve worked in companies that try to offer web development or e-marketing services before, but not one that offers all these services in-house and successfully to such a wide array of clients. </p> <p> The challenge for me now is to see how we maintain and handle growth within the company as the company increases.&nbsp; The main things I'm going to be focusing on in the next few months are looking at how we run projects, different project structures/methodologies, and also how we handle our release process. </p> <p> In any company projects are run in different ways, but there are common themes that run throughout any project - communication, organisation, and planning.&nbsp; It's important that if we want to deliver successful projects we look at how we handle all types of project from the pre-sales process to client sign off and I'm going to be running internal workshops as well as speak to our clients to see what we can do to improve. </p> <p> As well as having used very traditional waterfall project methodologies to run projects, I've also used the SCRUM project methodology which is something I'd like us to explore here.&nbsp; By its nature it's a highly flexible form of project management where projects are broken down in to smaller forms and teams work on tasks together to ensure quicker delivery times.&nbsp; It's something I think that could benefit our internal teams/clients here. </p> <p> Release management is another area I will be looking at.&nbsp; I'd like to see how we communicate with our clients when carrying out new releases, how the communication for this process happens internally, as well as how best we document all work being carried out. </p> <p> There's a lot to work on, I better get back to it now!! </p> <p> Cheers </p> <p> Tim<br> </p> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,cef3b70f-83a3-4b24-9975-33fa9630a992.aspx Project Management http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7 http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7.aspx chris@chameleonnet.com (Chris Thorn) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7

Clients often ask Chameleon what resources they need to allocate to a project. Most of the time they are thinking about content migration/population of a new content managed site and this is important. However, arguabl

y the most important stage of any project is the scoping stage – if the requirements specified don’t actually meet the needs of the organisation or its target audiences then the new site is not going to be fit for purpose.

Likewise if the user journeys are not sufficiently thought out (in our case we use Wireframes to thrash these out) then it is unlikely the user journey through the final site are going to be simple and efficient.

The basic rule is the more time and effort put into the scoping stage then the development/implementation process will be more efficient (and therefore quicker) and the result better. So this is where client time and effort is needed the most.

The problem is scoping is just not fun! It requires one not just to think of the requirements of the new site but also how these requirements could met effectively, which sometimes involves compromise because one goal/requirement of the new site conflicts with another. One has to put one’s self in the shoes of the target audiences, conceptualise, extrapolate, visualise, spend time explaining how the organisation works and ensuring that the document output captures the requirements adequately and the outlined solution meets those needs. This is probably on top of one’s normal day-to-day job, it’s a tough order!

However, in some ways building a new web site is like building a new house, if the plans are not good then the more decisions will have to made during the build when options will be more limited, solutions less elegant, they will probably take longer to implement, could ultimately cost more and the finished product may not be as slick. You just have to watch Grand Designs to see the results!

So although it can be tough going and you may be frustrated that it takes longer than expected and be under pressure from senior management for the design and build to begin – skimp on scoping at your peril.

Think of your new site like your Grand Design, put in that extra effort during scoping and I assure you, you will be happy with the result!

Client Contribution to Project Success http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7.aspx Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:31:12 GMT <font size=2> <p> Clients often ask Chameleon what resources they need to allocate to a project. Most of the time they are thinking about content migration/population of a new content managed site and this is important. However, arguabl </font><font face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>y</font><font size=2> the most important stage of any project is the scoping stage – if the requirements specified don’t actually meet the needs of the organisation or its target audiences then the new site is not going to be fit for purpose. > <p> Likewise if the user journeys are not sufficiently thought out (in our case we use Wireframes to thrash these out) then it is unlikely the user journey through the final site are going to be simple and efficient. </p> <p> The basic rule is the more time and effort put into the scoping stage then the development/implementation process will be more efficient (and therefore quicker) and the result better. So this is where client time and effort is needed the most. </p> <p> The problem is scoping is just not fun! It requires one not just to think of the requirements of the new site but also how these requirements could met effectively, which sometimes involves compromise because one goal/requirement of the new site conflicts with another. One has to put one’s self in the shoes of the target audiences, conceptualise, extrapolate, visualise, spend time explaining how the organisation works and ensuring that the document output captures the requirements adequately and the outlined solution meets those needs. This is probably on top of one’s normal day-to-day job, it’s a tough order! </p> <p> However, in some ways building a new web site is like building a new house, if the plans are not good then the more decisions will have to made during the build when options will be more limited, solutions less elegant, they will probably take longer to implement, could ultimately cost more and the finished product may not be as slick. You just have to watch Grand Designs to see the results! </p> <p> So although it can be tough going and you may be frustrated that it takes longer than expected and be under pressure from senior management for the design and build to begin – skimp on scoping at your peril. </p> <p> Think of your new site like your Grand Design, put in that extra effort during scoping and I assure you, you will be happy with the result! </p> </font><img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,8d3fe033-325a-44b0-910d-1a9d078ecfa7.aspx Project Management