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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


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.


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


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


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


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??


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


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


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


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


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?


Find out who can do it

Get your team in place: Programmer Production Designer/Graphic Artist Content manager Project manager


Find out how you are going to do it Talk to your people Schedule Create a project plan Budget


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


Project Management Cycle

Define

Plan

Launch

Manage

Close


Defined project method

Checklist Framework Accountability Progress reporting Standards Control mechanism “Big Picture”


Development

4 phases of workflow Each have their own stages and

deliverables


Phase IPreproduction

Project clarification Solution definition Project specification


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!)


Stage TwoSolution definition

How? of project planning What requirements must you meet?


Stage ThreeProject specification

What? of project planning what you have to deliver how you are going to do it with what resources by when


Project Communication

Write your communication brief Email Listserv Project website or blog Regular updates to your stakeholders Meeting minutes

Project blog


Phase IIProduction Content Design and construction Testing and launch


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


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


Stage SixTesting

Develop a quality control plan “bug-tracking” Designate someone, but this may fall to

project manager QC Cycle


Quality Control Cycle

Tester tests

website

Tester finds error

Tester reports

error

Error fixed


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


Phase IIIMaintenance

Maintenance Ongoing and eternal


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?


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


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) [email protected]://www.geneseo.edu/~pitcher

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.geneseo.edu/~pitcher



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