Website Project Management: The 2023 Comprehensive Guide

The need for website project management has been growing in the past decade. It is understandable that, as any business grows and diversifies, its needs expand. With this growth comes the need to invest in new technology. 

Project management for websites is the process of planning and executing a web development project. The more complicated your business becomes, the more likely you will need a website project manager for your website. 

The responsibilities of a project manager (PM) can vary greatly depending on the type of website. They typically include setting deadlines, creating timelines, overseeing cost and scope, and overseeing the entire project from start to finish. 

Alvanda allows full customization of a web development project, so that the manager can have a complete overview of what everyone is working on at all times: their overdue tasks, daily tasks, and future tasks.

What is Website Project Management: Definition

​​Website project management is the process of organizing, planning, and managing a website or web-based application development project. It usually involves: 

• Identifying business goals.
• Gathering information. 
• Forming plans to meet the objectives.
• Creating an initial estimate of cost, time, and resources. 
• Setting deadlines.
• Scheduling meetings.
• Assigning responsibility for various tasks.
• Communicating with stakeholders to monitor progress.

The 5 Elements of Website Project Management

1. Stakeholders

Stakeholders are the people who will be impacted by your web development project. It is important to identify all of them before you start planning your website. You also need to understand their goals and expectations. 

The more stakeholders you identify, the more likely it is for success for your project. These can include, but are not limited to: end users, clients, partners, managers and executives.

2. Project manager 

Website project managers are responsible for overseeing all aspects of a website’s completion, including design, development and quality assurance. They coordinate a team of designers, programmers and testers to ensure the site is completed on time and within budget.

3. Resources

Resources are key for website project management. With so many different skills required for a successful web design and implementation, it is important to have the right team in place from the beginning. This includes marketing (SEO & CRO specialists), designers and developers.

4. Project management platform

One of the most important aspects of website development is managing the project. An efficient way for a project team to account for all details is using a project management platform. 

This platform will be your guide throughout the website design & implementation process. It will also help you achieve your deliverables by keeping track of deadlines and goals for your project.

5. Project management methodology

A project management methodology is a set of principles and practices that guide you in organizing your projects to ensure their optimum performance. Methodologies are also called “workflows”, because they act as guidelines for how work gets done.

“Agile” is the most popular web development project workflow by far. It works great with development because it focuses on self-sufficiency and flexibility. Constant feedback and changing situations are handled well when using Agile, as adaptability becomes key.

However, it’s less suited for big projects with many variables and trajectories that shouldn’t change. It’s better to look into the “Waterfall” method for those.

The Role of a Project Manager

The PM is responsible for making sure the web development project is completed on time, within budget and to the satisfaction of all parties. 

They do this by setting realistic expectations, managing changes to scope, accessing expertise, ensuring quality assurance and monitoring progress. 

Among their key responsibilities are: 

• Ensuring that the project progress is documented and discussed with all stakeholders. 
• Managing any risks or issues associated with the completion of the project. 
• Planning for and executing cross-functional integration, if necessary.
• Keeping an eye on the timeline and budget and making sure that they’re respected.

Web Development Project Phases

Initiation

It is the beginning phase of website project management. In this phase, a project manager develops the project overview, selects a team, and defines the goals of the website. Will it be educational, will it promote a product, who’s the target audience? 

Planning

In this phase, all the information from phase 1 is put together in a well-thought plan. A sitemap is created, a high level structure and an easy-to-understand navigational system. 

This is also the phase when the team decides everything that’s technical. Hosting, content editing, platform, domains, what contact forms will there be, what plug-ins are needed. 

Execution

In this phase, all the pieces are put together: development, copywriting, and design. The team takes all the individual elements of the website (graphic elements from the preliminary design, content and functionalities) and uses them to create a functional website. 

Monitoring

The monitoring phase is the longest phase in the website project management process. The primary goal of this phase is to ensure that everything works as expected and all content is accessible and functional.

In reality, monitoring happens throughout the web development project. PMs must ensure that all aspects are respected and implemented as discussed, and within the agreed timeframe. Feedback is passed back and forth, with routine checks being done on the project’s progress.

Finalization

The finalization phase of website project management is the least understood, but often most vital. This stage includes making sure that each of the previous phases were done correctly and that your development team has followed through on every detail. 

All of these web project management tasks can be successfully accomplished if organized with Alvanda, your go-to solution for:

• Business scalability tools.
• Real-time analytics.
• Inline support.
• Procedure and process templates.
• Automated reports.
• Updates in real time for all users.
• Better productivity and morale.
• And much more!

Phase 1: Project Initiation

These are the 4 crucial steps which must be undertaken at the beginning of a web development project:

Business Case Creation

You need to be very precise in specifying what the problems are, and why you can solve them. Similarly, mention how you’re going to solve them, and add multiple recommendations. Don’t be afraid to highlight risks too; it shows you’re aware of what you’re getting into.

• Keep it short and simple.
• Make it easy to understand.
• Give clear examples of the problems and available opportunities.
• List recommended solutions and alternative solutions.
• Create a short S.W.O.T analysis.
• List project requirements and expected results.
• Short plan explaining the overall needed resources.

Proposing Solutions

Take each opportunity presented in the business case and explain how you could capitalize on it. Present a possible solution for each scenario, and how it could best be implemented and achieve results.

Likewise, go through all potential solutions for your web development project. Do what’s called a “feasibility study” and showcase how each method would be more or less ideal depending on the specific factors and risks of the project.

Creating the Project Charter

This is the key deliverable for the ending stages of the Initiation phase. It will help your website project management process a lot. You can’t go into phase 2 without a clear and concise charter. Basically. It’s a combination of the previous steps of this phase. 

You take the business case and combine it with your feasibility study. The result is going to be the project’s vision, scope, deliverables, timeline and specific deadlines. Make sure to consult all stakeholders before finalizing the project charter.

Allocating Responsibilities

Any project heavily depends on the right people doing the right tasks. The first thing to do is create a job description, so that the proper people can be picked for them. A few tips:

• Create an overview for the role; what is its core purpose?
• List all associated responsibilities.
• Specify who this role would report to.
• Mention salary and other benefits.
• Ask for relevant qualifications and a performance evaluation.

Phase 2: Planning

Planning must be done with 2 distinct parties.

Planning With the Client

You can’t execute on what the client wants if it isn’t crystal clear. A good first step is giving them a questionnaire to fill out. Add valuable questions and variables, such as:

• Who are you targeting?
• What must the website have?
• How many pages will the website have?
• Do you need a content management system?
• Could you give 3 examples of designs that you like?
• What budget do you have?

The more answers you get from the client, the easier it gets to formulate deliverables. Then, clarify the scope and the objectives. Don’t leave anything to interpretation. The only thing left then is giving the client a quote. 

Planning With the Team

Once you know exactly what the client wants, it’s time to do website project management with the team. However, make sure you’ve also discussed crucial aspects with them before promising anything to the client!

In this step, you should simply clarify minutiae with the team, rather than surprise them with a plan they can’t adhere to. For example:

• Finalize the list of deliverables.
• What are the concrete tasks that must be done? Who can do them?
• How much time will the project take?
• Do you foresee roadblocks or dependencies?

Once it’s all planned out, get the final sign-off of the client and other stakeholders.

Phase 3: Execution

This is the brunt of the work for the team, and its efficacy will depend on how well it was planned. The project manager’s role here is more limited. PMs will hold team meetings and communicate with stakeholders as required, but they’re not involved in doing the actual work.

However, while execution is happening, PMs will simultaneously assist the web development project through the next phase.

Phase 4: Monitoring

This is not a standalone phase. In essence, it begins alongside execution. While the teams already know what must be done, it is the role of a project manager to “keep them in check”. PMs look at the performance of all members involved in the project.

By having a birds eye view, they’re capable of managing outputs (both in quality and quantity). After all, a project manager is a leader, and website project management also requires them to see if anyone in the team is getting burned out. 

While having deliverables ready on time is essential, it should never come at the cost of overworking the designers, developers, copywriters, etc. There’s an ebb and flow to website project management which must be balanced professionally but elegantly. 

A good PM will divide their attention between ensuring progress & adherence to the project workflow and removing any “blockers”. These “blockers” can be poor communication, unclear task allocation or even improper task allocation. 

Monitoring is both a granular process and a bigger-picture process. Visual aids especially are very helpful: charts, graphs, percentages, etc. Through monitoring, it also becomes obvious if certain team members require additional training.

In this way, this web development project “phase” also actively contributes to the evolution of the people involved in its success.

Phase 5: Finalization

The final stage in website development is the finalization phase. This is when the development team reviews the changes that have been made throughout Execution, to assure adherence to requirements.

They will then complete any remaining pending tasks and take care of any last-minute revisions.

Quality Assurance

The process of Quality Assurance is the systematic analysis and evaluation of a system or product to assure that it meets specific requirements. Quality assurance is typically an ongoing effort that starts at the very beginning of the development life cycle.

For a website, this means checking that the implementation respects the approved design strictly, and has all necessary functionalities. It also involves checking for bugs.

Publishing

The publishing phase is the phase of a website project’s life cycle where it’s ready to be made accessible to the wider public. In this phase, developers make sure that every detail which was “ironed” to perfection on the staging domain is transitioned to the production (live) domain.

This is when all pages are submitted to search engines and web directories, which is called “indexing” (a process done through algorithmic “crawling”). This process may take up to three months for a more considerable effect.

However, without it (and other SEO optimization), there’s no chance for your website to rank and attract “organic” users.

Client Training

Websites are dynamic and need to be updated accordingly. One thing to consider when planning for a website project is client training. This can be in the form of video tutorials, helpdesks, or written manuals. 

Training your clients on how to use the system is important. It is an investment in time up front, but it will establish goodwill with your clients. They will be more willing to think of you for future projects or recommend you to others.

Beginning of Digital Marketing

This last step is about making sure your website looks great and runs smoothly, and that the content is up to date and well organized. You’ll also want to make sure you have a strategy for attracting new visitors and keeping them around.

Web Development Project Best Practices

The most important thing to do is to understand the project for which you are responsible and keep an eye on its progress. You should also maintain a document with your tasks and deadlines, which you will need to refer to if anything arises. Here’s where Alvanda can help. 

Identify Requirements

These typically include gathering requirements, creating wireframes or prototypes, which are used to map out all the different parts of a website. It also includes testing these wireframes with site visitors, so that nothing is overlooked before launching.

Set Limitations

It’s critical to set boundaries early with your clients to ensure you aren’t putting in extra work that wasn’t agreed on in the original web project. The most common constraints are budget and time. However, website projects may also have design constraints that might limit the team’s creativity. 

Maintain a Flow of Communication

As a project manager, how can you ensure your team is meeting your expectations? While each team might have different working styles, there are some universal qualities to look for when assessing a team’s performance.

One of the most important things to do is to make sure the project work is following company standards. You’ll want to check that documentation is up to date and that the team is aligned with your company’s vision. 

Maintain open communication so that information flows freely throughout all phases of your web development project.

Use a Website Project Management Software 

A project management software allows companies to organize their projects into manageable chunks. The software will help the company assign key tasks to team members, monitor progress on tasks, and stay on top of deadlines. A project management platform provides the following features (and more): 

• Project tracking and reporting.
• Project collaboration among stakeholders.
• File sharing.
• Integrated calendar to schedule project deadlines.

There are many aspects that go into a website project, and there is a process for each. These steps have to be followed in order for the project to be successful. It is imperative that you follow these steps as closely as possible for the best results.

That’s why we created Alvanda. With Alvanda’s process optimization features, you streamline your business processes and tasks, while also keeping your team on the same page. 

Optimize your website project management process for success with Alvanda. Start your free trial today!