Post on 25-May-2015
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Putting it All Together:Designing a Library Website using Project Management
Techniques
Katherine E. PitcherReference/Instruction & Web Development Librarian
Milne LibrarySUNY Geneseo
Geneseo, New York
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Abstract
Using project management techniques to organize and plan a large-scale redesign of their library website.The presenter will show how these techniques were used to manage a complex web project and how project planning and workflow can be used effectively in a library setting.
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
2003-2004 StatsPublic liberal arts college
5550 students (5307 undergrads)
Faculty-to-Student Ratio: 18.79:1
Computer-to-Student Ratio: 1:640.4 % admission rate
SUNY Geneseo
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Total space: 70, 591 square feetAnnual visitors: 550,396Hours open per week: 106Print resources: 516,700Current database subscriptions: 98Computer workstations: 90Laptops: 185Multimedia classrooms: 4Staff members: 32
Milne Library
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Background
Milne Library website originally created in 1995
Redesigned in 1999/2000 Minor revisions and updates periodically No web development services or team
to oversee site No web librarian
1999 version
2005 version
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Spring of 2005
Reference ~10 hrs per week Instruction ~ 20-25 classes a semester Government documents
Supervising 1 clerk and 2 student workers
Webmaster for special projects Collection development Another hat??
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
How to do it all? (you can’t!)
1. Prioritize
2. May have to give up something (“delegate”)
3. Ask for resources (“communicate what you need”)
4. Know your limits
5. Use project management techniques to manage workflow
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
What is project management?
The planning, organizing, scheduling, leading, communicating, and
controlling of work activities to achieve a pre-defined outcome on
time and within budget
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
What is a project manager?
A Project Manager controls the progress of the project against any detrimental influences on the time, cost, and quality involved in regard
to the client, the place of work, market forces, other external
influences, and the development team
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
A good project manager is… Communicator Troubleshooter & problem-solver Able to take responsibility Knowledgeable about:
Working practices Technical details
Web Development
Librarians and Library Staff
StudentsFacultyStaffAlumniCommunityOther Libraries
Information Technology
Administration
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Find out what resources you need Write clear objectives Once you have your outcomes, you then
can plan what resources need to be acquired to get the job done
What are your requirements?
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Find out who can do it
Get your team in place: Programmer Production Designer/Graphic Artist Content manager Project manager
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Find out how you are going to do it Talk to your people Schedule Create a project plan Budget
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Milne Library Web Project
Advisory committee formed by director 3 librarians, 3 professional staff Chaired by Project manager Oversee redesign of site as well as
make policy recommendations to Library Management team
Ongoing library team
Web Project Manager
Programming Design & HTML Production
Multimedia Content
Mark Bonnie Steve Rich/Librarians
Web Team
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Project Management Cycle
Define
Plan
Launch
Manage
Close
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Defined project method
Checklist Framework Accountability Progress reporting Standards Control mechanism “Big Picture”
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Development
4 phases of workflow Each have their own stages and
deliverables
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Phase IPreproduction
Project clarification Solution definition Project specification
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage OneProject Clarification
Why? of project planning Discovery stage Gather information Ask questions of your stakeholders Analyze other library websites Identify needs Determine overall goals & objectives
(write these down in a document!)
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage TwoSolution definition
How? of project planning What requirements must you meet?
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage ThreeProject specification
What? of project planning what you have to deliver how you are going to do it with what resources by when
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Project Communication
Write your communication brief Email Listserv Project website or blog Regular updates to your stakeholders Meeting minutes
Project blog
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Phase IIProduction Content Design and construction Testing and launch
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage FourContent
Form a separate subcommittee to deal with content
Do a content inventory of existing content on website (what do you want to keep? discard?)
Develop a content delivery plan
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage FiveDesign and construction
Form separate subcommittees to deal with design and functionality issues
Prototyping Recommendations sent to all librarians
for comment & feedback Works closely with content
subcommittee
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage SixTesting
Develop a quality control plan “bug-tracking” Designate someone, but this may fall to
project manager QC Cycle
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Quality Control Cycle
Tester tests
website
Tester finds error
Tester reports
error
Error fixed
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage SixLaunch
Develop plan for launch day: What files need to be moved? How are you launching? When are you launching? Who needs to be notified?
Launch Day
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Phase IIIMaintenance
Maintenance Ongoing and eternal
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Stage SevenMaintenance
Develop a maintenance plan Who will be responsible for changes and
updates? When & how often will it be updated? How will changes be made? What areas of the website need
maintaining?
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Phase IVEvaluation Review and evaluation Ongoing assessment Use a survey tool to gather feedback
from users Conduct usability testing
Stage EightReview and Evaluation
Ongoing assessment
November 3, 2006 Brick & Click: An Academic Library Symposium
Dos and Don’ts
Do make sure you have key players involved
Don’t set up unnecessary meetings “just” to have them
Do communicate with your team members regularly and follow-up after meetings
Don’t forget to get buy-in from stakeholders (administration, librarians, staff, etc.)
Do ask questions!
New Milne Library Website
Library School Reunion Website
Recommended Resources:
Friedlein, Ashley. Web Project Management: delivering successful commercial web sites. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2001.
Goto, Kelly and Emily Cotler. Web Redesign 2.0: workflow that works. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Press, 2005.
Contact Me:Katherine E. PitcherReference/Instruction & Web Development
Librarian
SUNY GeneseoMilne Library, Room 201a1 College CircleGeneseo, New York 14454(585) 245-5064pitcher@geneseo.eduhttp://www.geneseo.edu/~pitcher