For web designers and developers, and especially project managers, this is a tough nut to crack. We work hard to create a design that not only gains the acceptance of the client, but also works for the target audiences and true users of the site. Oftentimes, in the midst of the project’s final stages, clients may desire to change a color or adjust the header or request alterations to the layout of content. This is a time consuming barrier to finishing the project, and frankly, many clients don’t know what they’re talking about.

Nevertheless, design redirection occurs, and we live with it, pushing on to find the light at the end of the tunnel. What we can do, however, is manage projects in a way that prevents and reduces the potential for design changes further down the road.

Most designs are not officially approved

In my experience with clients, a good majority of design work is never officially approved or signed off on. Sure, there’s a general consensus that the chosen design will be used, but the client doesn’t explicitly say, “This is the final design we’re going to use.” Unfortunately, without this finality in the design decision, the selected concept can sometimes float around the heads of stakeholders well after the impromptu consensus was reached, thus enabling a sense that changes can still be requested.

Instead of aiming for a general consensus, get the client to affirm that they approve of the design without any additional major modifications. Minor changes are obviously going to happen, but anything that will require immense time to amend, such as colors and layout, should be addressed before the design is approved.

Some people may even want to think about having the client sign an official form of acceptance on the design – for me, though, this is too formal, and likely to frighten the client. Verbal or written approval of the design is usually enough, and the client should know that major changes down the road will be difficult and may incur costs.

Spend more time on planning, less on building

Over the past couple of years, and especially the last few months, I’ve shifted my primary focus from the actual design and development work of a project to the planning. This is where I pour most of my energy – my quality time – and really coordinate with the client to determine exactly how the new website needs to look, act and work.

In the past, a former, more impatient version of myself could be seen jumping straight into the design and development of a new site, without consideration of whether or not it would all line up in the end. In most cases, the project did not line up, and I found myself doing patchwork on the design at the client’s request and running into multitudes of development problems because of poorly conceived decisions.

What sort of planning activities should you focus on? Site navigation, wireframes, target user profiles and marketing alignment are some of the more important areas. Site navigation and wireframing deals with the structure and layout of the new website, while user profiling and marketing alignment are more geared toward ensuring the site’s design is compatible and effective with the end user.

Work in smaller iterations

As I mentioned already, design is one of the toughest jobs out there. It’s subjective, hard to quantify and can be thrown into wild disarray based on the unique perceptions of others. There is no hard science behind it – no right or wrong answer – and the moment of truth is delivered during the unveiling of a fresh new mock-up or prototype.

Will the client like it? Will they want to change anything? Will I have to start all over?

If these questions run through your mind, you’re doing something wrong. While design is of course subjective, it doesn’t have to come down to a love it or hate it situation. Rather, through smart planning and bite-sized samples, you can feed design concepts to clients without throwing the whole pie in their face.

Here’s a practical application. Once you’ve met with the client and have established color schemes, marketing angles, user personas and any of that other good stuff, you should then think about producing a wireframe. Share that wireframe with the client and get their definitive feedback. Next, find examples of other sites out there that might be in alignment with the desired design parameters, or if you’re adventurous, go with a mood board. The client will toss around a few ideas, and you’ll have a pretty solid idea of a design concept at this point. When you finally do start designing, you’ll feel comfortable and confident, and you’ll produce an initial iteration of a homepage or subpage that is likely to be accepted. Don’t spend immense amounts of time tweaking the finer points of the iteration – just get the concept laid out, and then communicate with the client.

Notice in that example how much client interaction and feedback is involved? Lack of confidence is one of the biggest causes of the love it or hate it situation, and what leads to this lack of confidence is a failure to understand the client. Once you understand the client and feed them real ideas early on, you’ll find the confidence barrier gone and greater success in getting even your very first iterations accepted.

Change is not a bad thing. But change in the middle of a project can be disastrous. Avoid it by getting design sign off, planning and working more closely with the client during the initial design phase.

Getting the wrong message across can be detrimental to progress. Usually, when a client – or anyone for that matter – doesn’t comprehend a subject, they’ll make assumptions and draw incorrect mental maps. That incorrect interpretation can generate false expectations, or worse, dissatisfaction with the project’s progression.

This is why it’s essential to be crisp and clear when communicating the tough areas of web design. The web is a very visual and conceptual place where the application of creative thought is free and untamed, and unfortunately, hard to describe. Therefore, the following methods may help to communicate your creativity in a manner clients can appreciate.

• Surveys: Using a quick and painless survey to field your clients’ needs and methods of communication is a great way to proactively adjust to their way of thinking while gathering valuable information.
• Show By Example: Communicating complex concepts goes both ways, and the client will at some point need to describe their desires. To help them, suggest that they find examples from other sites or resources that highlight the specifics of their ideas. However, don’t build in the expectation that you’ll be copying the other site.
• Mixed Communication: Like investing, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to communication. Instead, use a variety of communication methods including email, project management software tools, telephone, and meetings. This will help to ensure concepts are conveyed and reinforced in a meaningful format.
• Tangible Deliverables: Wireframes, mock-ups, site maps, and asset inventories are all tangible deliverables. They convey, on paper, a description of your creative direction for the project. Where words are insufficient to outline a concept, use a solid deliverable.
• Communicate Backward and Forward: When explaining a concept or deliverable, describe the steps you took to get to that point. This will help the client understand your creative formula. Next, describe the steps you’ll take moving forward so that the client can have an early understanding of what to expect.
• Annotations: Annotations are like the little Microsoft Office paperclip assistant. Okay, bad example. But annotations are extremely important in providing textual backup to a visual concept. They can be used to explain your reasoning, and they’re useful for addressing potential client questions.
• In Person Unveiling: For the big-ticket items such as a completed prototype, you may want to consider establishing a face-to-face meeting. During the meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to respond in real-time to client reactions; otherwise, they could sit there, confused and unsure of what they’re looking at.

Of course, not all of these methods are necessary for a single engagement, so use your insight into the client’s preferences to formulate a workable communication strategy.

Those projects stink, and it’s okay to give up on them.

What? Give up? We’ve always been told to stick our chins up and grind out the hard work, even if it leaves us devoid of mental reasoning by the end of the day.

I’ll readily admit that I’ve cultivated myself never to leave a project hanging. That may sound haughty, but I actually view it somewhat as a shortcoming. Being able to confidently give up on projects that warp time and make money disappear is an admirable quality that I wish I could better attune to. This may sound counterintuitive to good customer relations, so let me explain my reasoning.

There’s no such thing as a perfect project, but there definitely is such a thing as a horrendously bad project. The best way to think about web project management in this stream of thought is by comparing it to chess. In chess, you sacrifice lower status pieces to give your valuable pieces more time and better plays. Sacrificing a pawn is forgivable, but if you lose your king, game over.

In thinking about client projects, one may counter that you should pre-qualify and avoid the bad apples from the beginning. Unfortunately, that’s unrealistic. Like chess, you’ll always find yourself with pawns that maybe you thought could turn into queens (for those unfamiliar with chess, if you can get your pawn across the board to the opponent’s side, it becomes a queen). Or, maybe the relationship started out great but turned sour.

Whatever the case, once you begin to accept the fact that some projects just won’t live up to expectations, you can start allotting your time more effectively. But first, how can you identify a project worth giving up? Here are a few qualities of potentially bad projects.

• The project is for a small amount of money, perhaps accepted based on the promise of more.
• The client is impossible to reach or communicate with.
• The client is susceptible to wild changes in needs or desires.
• The project never seems to end.
• The client continually forces scope creep on you.

Bear in mind, it may take more than one of these qualities to create a truly awful project. Also, notice how all of these qualities relate to the client or project. You need to think about yourself as well. Are you happy with the project? Does something about it seem off?

Now, the big question. Once you’ve determined that a project is no good, how do you go about giving up on it? Well, there are really only three ways I can see of approaching the situation.

The client does it for you. Sometimes the client will see the writing on the wall and confront you about ending the project. This is the best scenario, because you both understand the disconnect.

Announce your intentions. If the client doesn’t have a clue about your dissatisfaction with the project, tell them straight up. Pick up the phone or setup a quick meeting. Whatever you do, do not send an email. Web project management is like dating. You can’t break up via a text message unless you want to be perceived as a jerk.

Desert the project. This is the worse case. If you find the client intolerable or impossible to reach, and the amount of money due to you not worth fighting over, then abandon ship. Just freeze your activities on the project, and work on something else. You may want to revisit the project after a week or even a month, but it’s simply not worth the stress of dealing with it in the short-term. This tactic may seem like an absolute no-no, and you’d be right. Employ it only as a last resort, and make sure you carefully analyze the opportunity cost involved. No one wants to waste endless amounts of time trying to end an already rotten project.

And finally, when you have succeeded in ending the project, here are some tips that may help to alleviate any tension between you and the [former] client:

• Offer up some alternatives. For example, if the [former] client is cheap, suggest they look into GoDaddy for their needs.
• Be amicable, even if the [former] client is a tough nut. A friendly attitude can be like a cool stream of water over some hot coals.
• Use your network to refer them to someone else. Be careful, though, because you don’t want to taint your network by shoving your bad clients onto other people.
• Go the education route, and explain why the project isn’t working. Lack of knowledge can lead the [former] client to make assumptions.
• Make yourself available for an hour or two to provide transition support, and definitely do not, under any circumstance, hold their site or domain hostage.

If this seemed like a surprisingly negative post, then I’m sorry, but this is what life can be like in the busy world of web design and development. Not everything works out, and occasionally, you have to value your time above that of projects and clients. Otherwise, you’ll miss opportunities, spend countless hours chasing undesirable projects, and worst of all, never be happy.

Differentiating between tactics and strategies can be difficult at first. A strategy is an overall goal; something you want to achieve. For most, a solid project strategy would be the successful completion of the work and the satisfaction of the client. Tactics are the tools and methods you employ to make the strategy’s goals attainable. For example, proactive communication is a feasible tactic for the strategy I outlined.

You might be thinking the strategy is a piece of cake. Who doesn’t want to complete a project or end with a happy client? But having a strategy in place is just the first step. You need a plan to implement that strategy. Therein lies the hard part.

Planning, like nearly all proactive tasks, requires discipline. You need to sit down, turn off distractions, and concentrate an immense amount of attention to details you wouldn’t normally consider in your day-to-day project activities. Once you’ve nailed down a plan “template” that you can start each project with, the process becomes easier. However, each project is going to have unique requirements that you’ll have to analyze in order to flesh out the meat of your plan.

Do project plans need to be written documents? No. But there should at least be a known process that unfolds almost naturally with your projects. For instance, you should know that the first step in your project is to have a call with the client, and you should know what sort of information you’ll need to gather from them. Furthermore, you should know what the steps take place afterward so that you can think ahead to step three or five or twelve, and connect back to the first step in case there’s a special issue the client will need to address. This is proactive planning.

The problem we fall into with poorly planned projects is a lack of foresight. We find out toward the end of the project that there’s a much simpler solution to a problem that could have been discovered by connecting previous steps. If you know one of your projects steps is going to involve database integration, use that knowledge to ask the right questions in the first step.

Written project plans are obviously desirable, although not every project is large enough to merit the effort. In most cases, a straightforward scope of work document (or spec sheet) coupled with an in-depth listing of planned project milestones is all you need. Bigger projects will ideally have more substance such as mission statements, goals, capabilities, team members, and so forth.

Spending that initial hour or two at the beginning of projects to understand and plan for the coming challenges is an investment. Over the lifespan of the project, you’ll see that investment grow in value. Use your time wisely.

Believe me, we’ve all been there and will continue to experience that uncertainty in projects. Web sites are complex, and the job of creating them requires tons of flexibility. I’ve always said that the key to managing smarter projects is by being proactive and by communicating effectively. But what specifically can be done to finish those lingering projects and to be satisfied with the end result?

Get as much done as you can before actually starting the project work

The initial phase of any project is the most important one. It’s at this point expectations are shaped, communication established, and a roadmap fleshed out. The initial phase is also where you can get the most done.

How is this possible? I like to think of the time and effort I spend on the initial phase of a project as a high-interest yield investment. I deposit my chunk of time spent communicating with the client, and I expect to receive big dividends at the end of the project.

For example, before even touching the project work, I try to clarify the following questions:

• Where is this site going to be hosted? What are the capabilities of the hosting account?
• Does the client have content prepared? Will they need a copywriter? (I try to push this question into the pre-sales process.)
• What sort of control is the client going to need over the finished site?
• Will the client need any third-party accounts such as Wufoo, FeedBurner, and Google Analytics?

I’ve made the mistake in some projects of leaving one or more of these questions unanswered. The result was confusion toward the end of the project. The client would hit me with questions I was unprepared for, or I would run into technical incompatibilities with what I was developing. This isn’t good and will blur the finish line for your project as you run around trying to come up with alternative plans at the last moment.

Develop smarter contracts

Everyone preaches that you should always have a written contract in place and they’re absolutely correct. However, there’s an obvious difference between a one-page contract you typed up in your off hours, and a contract that was carefully crafted and critiqued by a qualified attorney.

Smart contracts can translate into finished projects because they’re able to assess and address multiple outcomes. For starters, a smart contract plans for the possibility of client content delay by tying the payment schedule to a specific date and milestone. Problem contracts tie the payment to the “web site launch” or “completion of the web site.” This is bad because the client can delay the launch indefinitely by not getting the content done. In the smart contract, you can demand payment as soon as you reach the specific date and milestone, and there’s nothing that lights a fire under clients faster than an invoice. They’ll receive the invoice – and hopefully pay it – and they’ll have more incentive to get their part done so that the site can be finished.

Another component of smart contracts is their precise language. There is no room for different interpretations in a strong contract. When you come toward the finish line for a project, the smart contract will back you up instead of serving as a liability. For example, I’ve had some clients think I was to develop the content until I pointed out in the contract that this was their responsibility. The problem was resolved in a mere minute, and the project was able to move forward without confusion.

Be aggressive about client obligations

Clients play an essential role in web projects. They can’t sit back and let you do all the work. You need their input on designs, content, collateral, and a number of other project-dependent deliverables.

Don’t let slow clients continually move the finish line. This is by far the trickiest part of managing a project. How can you encourage clients to become more invested in the project?

I’ve already mentioned one method, which is the invoice, but that should serve as a last resort. Instead, the best way to cultivate proactive clients is by being proactive. You may even need to become aggressively proactive.

Proactive behavior involves constant communication with the client in which you ensure they’re staying on top of their obligations. You must also communicate to the client the work that has been done. Sometimes, when clients can see the progress you’re making, even if it’s just baby steps, it can motivate them to become more involved. Getting things done is an infectious behavior that can be transmitted to other people. So get things done, and be aggressive in showing your progress to clients.

Define the finish line

Once you near what may seem like the end of the project, make it a reality by establishing a wrap-up meeting. This meeting can serve as the de facto finish line in which you discuss the finalities of the project and set a specific launch date.

I emphasize meeting with the client because it really is essential to see them in person, or at the very least, hear their voice over the telephone. This helps to impress upon the client the importance of the communication to take place.

During the meeting, you should only focus on items that relate to the launch of the web site. This includes the launch date, final payment, final deliverables (hopefully, there aren’t many), and of course, how the client can get into the content management system. I stress again establishing a specific launch date. Ingrain this date in your client’s mind, and they’re likely to stick with it.

Thanks for tuning in. As always, if you have any feedback or ideas of your own, please feel free to leave a comment!

Why don’t you know? Perhaps they aren’t vocal and prefer to seethe in silence, or maybe they’re too busy to guide you in a more suitable direction. The fact is, they have chosen not to communicate this dislike of your work, which is a very big problem.

Some clients may never voice any concern, and instead just go along with the show. In the end, they’re left unhappy and with a site that they don’t think achieves their goals. Other clients may just go behind your back and hire another designer. Whatever the case, the client isn’t happy, and you’re left to pick up the pieces, wondering what went wrong.

How can we avoid this mess in the first place?

There are five simple, though effective, methods below that can help you to discover, address, and alleviate client concerns before they turn into a whirlwind of trouble.

Practice being proactive

Being proactive takes a lot of work. Most of us are reactive, meaning we respond to issues as they’re brought to our attention. On the other hand, proactive behavior requires a certain amount of foresight and planning, which can be tough when you’re juggling multiple projects. Proactive communication can help get your clients to express themselves more openly, because you never leave the ball in their court. For example, if you’re requesting feedback on a design, you need to be proactive in following up when the client fails to respond. Otherwise, the ball will be stuck in their court far too long, and your proposed design will grow stale, and the inaction – regardless of who’s at fault – will be viewed negatively.

Work in small steps

Working in baby steps and continually communicating is a great way to keep your client in the loop. By involving the client early on, and in more steps of the process, they can help you make minor course corrections before the direction of the project heads down a dark, ugly spiral. Once the direction turns sour, you’ll have a hard time buying back the trust of the client in your abilities.

Ask questions

When interacting with the client on feedback, ask more forceful questions. I don’t mean questioning their feedback, but rather digging further into what they mean. Oftentimes, by probing a client on a specific piece of feedback, I can learn much more about their desires than I could by producing another design iteration. Getting to the root of the feedback can eliminate bad design direction early on.

Have confidence in your work

Sending mock-ups and designs to a client, especially if conceptual in nature, is nerve-racking business. You will be rejected at some point in your career, and that rejection can be painful. Nevertheless, the potential for rejection should never cause you to shelter your work. Instead, you should strive to be more open with it. Get it out there, and fast. By being transparent with your work, the client becomes a participant in, rather than an audience of, the design.

Know when to be defensive

The client is not always right. A shocker, I know, but as a design professional, you need to understand when it’s appropriate to defend your work. If the client questions aspects of the design that you think are spot on, be willing to explain why you chose that direction. Of course, this type of communication needs to be extremely professional as to avoid condescending or rude tones, which can alienate clients.

There you have it. Five extremely easy ways to discover and repair client issues with your work before they destroy the project. If you have a method of your own, please share!

But what if we could avoid the mess in the first place?

It’s not easy, but it’s certainly feasible. Moreover, preventing client anger is something you should strive for, because no one likes dealing with angry people.

So, how can we prevent the anger? Below I’ve outlined eleven tried-and-true methods of proactively handling projects and clients before they succumb to strained feelings.

Clarify expectations

Right off the bat, you should clarify the roles of everyone involved in the project. Who is responsible for what? Defining these areas of accountability will help the client understand what they are responsible for and what you are responsible for. If you don’t define this, they may expect you to do everything, and when you don’t meet that expectation, problems will occur.

Set goals and deadlines

Projects operate on a series of finite deadlines, goals and milestones. In other words, you should always be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Be transparent about it, too. When clients know what date to expect a certain activity to be complete, they’re in the know, and they won’t become angry during the gaps of seemingly empty time between activities.

Be responsive

Many self-management and efficiency experts advocate a minimalist style when it comes to email. They say you should only check it twice a day and respond only when necessary. Unfortunately, for effective project management, this just doesn’t cut it. Clients, who have presumably paid you money, expect to receive attention when they call or email. If their attempts at communication go unanswered for prolonged periods of time, the client will quickly become distressed.

Communicate frequently

I’m going to expand even further on the previous point. Not only should you be responsive, you should also be proactive in your communication. When you check off a milestone in project management software such as Basecamp, it’s announced in the system, and you may think that the client will notice this. That may be true, but it’s better to err on the side of excessive communication and independently notify the client that a milestone has been met. Furthermore, it doesn’t hurt to send out occasional status updates on the project, especially if you’ve gone dark because of coding or design activities.

Determine communication preferences

Let me expand even further on the two points above. Figure out how your client prefers to communicate immediately (as in the beginning of the project). Some may prefer the dreaded telephone while others may be fine with email, and still others may actually embrace tools like Basecamp. Regardless, determine the most effective way to communicate important updates to the client and use those means to deliver the message. I’m not saying you need to call a client constantly if they prefer the telephone. Most people are capable of handling multiple communication channels. However, if that client does prefer one channel to another, use the preferred channel for the most important messages.

Address problems upfront

I don’t care if you’re a model of perfection, mistakes and problems will always occur during a project. How you respond is what will determine the level of anger in the client. When a problem happens, communicate openly with the client about it and offer an immediate plan of action for defeating the problem. Implement the plan and keep the client informed during the process. Problem solved.

Be honest

Most people don’t like liars or politicians. Therefore, don’t act like one. Be open and truthful to your client about every aspect of the project. Of course, there are times where the damage of a truth outweighs the telling of a small fib, so you have to use your judgment. However, and as clichéd as it may sound, honesty is the best policy. Additionally, politico speak will frustrate your clients. If you don’t have an answer or don’t know, just simply tell the client that you’ll get back with them. Or, even more frightening, you might have to tell the client, “no.”

Ask questions

If you think liars and politicians are bad, then you most certainly detest yes-men and yes-women. These are the people who accept everything the client says and offer simple statements of acceptance such as “yes” and “we can do that.” There’s no thought involved and everyone’s happy – for that moment. The anger will arise, though, if it turns out you can’t do that or something isn’t feasible. Instead of trying to appease, aim to be pragmatic. This means asking questions and looking at all possible viewpoints. Clients may resist a little at first, but in the end, they’ll love you.

Get everything in writing

So far I’ve mentioned liars, politicians and yes-people. Now, to complete the list, let me throw in the lawyers. However, I mean this in a good sense. When contracting with a new client it’s vital to get everything down in a legally sound document. Otherwise, arguments will form around he-said, she-said logic, which never gets anywhere. A well-written document with a lawyer’s stamp of approval will clear the air of uncertainty.

Don’t be afraid to educate

Sometimes clients get angry and frustrated because they don’t understand. They don’t understand the content management system, or maybe the wire frame you sent them is hard for them to read. This is where you need to step up to the plate and educate your clients. Effectively educating a client about the web design process can help alleviate irritation and leave you with a more informed client.

Be empathetic

Some anger happens for reasons outside of your control. A bad day, flat tire, recent divorce and so on can all seep into your project. The best way to manage this is to be empathetic to the client’s current demeanor. Ask yourself why they might be angry, and if you think it’s because of something outside the project, treat them carefully. You don’t need involve yourself with their problems, but be willing to give them some breathing room.

Then again, that’s part of the game and what makes project and client relationship management such a diverse and interesting field. Each day throws a new rock at you. You just need to be sure you can catch it.

What kind of skills does it take to make an effective web design project manager? I asked myself this and came up with six definitive qualities. I don’t think you need to master each one, but it doesn’t hurt to be constantly sharpening and refining these skills.

Communication

Being able to communicate effectively is probably the most important quality of a strong project manager. Usually, there are multiple stakeholders that you must coordinate with, and each of those stakeholders has their own communication preferences.

Here are some tips on exercising your communication abilities.

• When beginning a new project, identify all of the stakeholders and then make notations on how each one prefers to communicate. One may prefer to be kept up-to-date daily via email while another may be more lax and perhaps call or email once every couple of days.
• Spend time observing people, their personalities and how they communicate. If you know any master communicators, try to observe their skills in action. People with different personalities communicate differently. A Type A person will be all over the wall while a Type B person might seem more reasonable.
• Practice active listening. Active listening is a form of conversation that allows you to really engage in what the other person is saying. One method is to use a statement said by the other party and form it into a question. For example, if your client is on the phone and says, “I think our users are getting confused over the navigation menu,” you could reply with something like, “So you think the structure of the navigation menu is difficult for users?” This will show that you’re engage and it will allow you to really dig deep into what the other person is saying. Of course, don’t ask questions as if you were an interrogator, but ask enough to make sure you aren’t going off performing tasks that are not aligned with the client’s expectations.
• Constantly practice all forms of communication. If you’re an email junkie, practice making phone calls, and vice versa if you’re a phone addict. Hold an occasional meeting as well, as that’s the most effective form of communication.

Organization

Projects are a mess of milestones, expectations, plans, ideas, people and messages. It’s the job of the project manager to organize this mess into a cohesive, well-oiled machine that can get the job done. Poorly organized projects are always a source of misery especially when no one has any idea what’s going on.

Here are some tips on becoming a better organizer.

• Implement systems and procedures to help automate as much as possible. This could be in the simple form of a checklist or it could require a complex series of software that help manage the workflow of the project. The key is automation and accountability.
• Constantly evaluate your own methodologies. Figure out what is and isn’t working. Is there a certain activity that takes too long or becomes too cluttered? Review options to alleviate that pain point.
• Make sure you get buy-in from all of your stakeholders, partners, co-workers, subcontractors and subordinates. If you throw a system at them that they aren’t familiar with or willing to use, you’re going to have problems keeping the project organized.
• Research project management software and tools that can help you keep milestones, goals and communication on track.

Planning

What’s a project without a plan? A project plan, even if just a mental picture, is essential in establishing a desired outcome. Without a plan all you really have is an undefined job that needs to get done in an undefined amount of time. Chances are, that project will never get done.

A project plan doesn’t necessarily need to be a lengthy document with charts and situation analyses. Instead, a project plan just needs to get you to the point where you can clearly identify milestones, responsibilities and tasks, and communicate that in an effective fashion to the stakeholders involved.

Here are some tips on flexing your project planning muscle.

• Get in the habit of completing scopes of work. A scope of work is a pre-project document that outlines what needs to be done and provides some specific recommendations. If you’re a good salesperson, you can convince your client that this is worth paying for. Otherwise, I would still recommend completing one at least for more complex projects to make sure you and the stakeholders understand the requirements of the project.
• Practice using software to setup and track milestones and to-do items. You may be good in the setting up part, but you might need to really practice the tracking part. If even just one milestone gets off track, it can derail the project. Get on people’s cases if you have to, but practice getting milestones done on time.
• Communicate directly with new clients and ask them specifically what they envision as the perfect project. This isn’t something that needs to be shrouded in mystery and your client will likely have some excellent feedback.
• Learn how to be adaptable by developing contingency plans or options. No project is ever going to be perfect, but you should at least have some options on the table for when things start to go awry.

Networking

Projects are about people. Communicating, delegating and outsourcing all involve a human element. While your in-house network is probably strong (since you’re likely a freelancer or small business), it’s the outside connections that matter most. Where do you go if you need an experienced programmer you can trust? Or, what if you need assistance with administrative duties? Exercise your networking skills to build a group of people you can fall back on when the workload exceeds your abilities.

Here are some tips on getting your network in order.

• Start soliciting resumes of freelancers with complementary skills. Are you a designer? Find some good developers. Craigslist is a great place to begin.
• Use your social media networks to fish for some prospective freelancers. Twitter and LinkedIn have worked in the past connecting people.
• Develop a document that specifically outlines what skills you need. You can use this as a cheat sheet to qualify people for your network.
• Familiarize those within your network as much as needed with your systems and methodologies. It may hurt at first, but it will hurt even more if people within your network are utilizing incompatible methods.

Negotiation

Negotiation is a tough nugget to crack. There are many theories on how to approach different situations, and in the end, your situation always seems to be the unique case. Regardless, being able to negotiate with a variety of people is a valuable skill. Whether it’s fleshing out the details of a proposal or settling on a service charge with a vendor, negotiation can save you time and money.

Here are some tips on practicing these essential skills.

• Negotiate everything. Even if it’s a small transaction, put on your bargaining hat and see how flexible people can become. This will help soften your nerves for the larger deals.
• Like good communication, practice active listening. If someone won’t budge on a project detail, get to the root of the issue. Many times, we’re so afraid of offending someone or losing a project that we don’t thoroughly understand the other party’s need.
• Find out what’s important to the other party. What is their end goal? You can use this knowledge to make sure your negotiating tactics line up with this goal.
• Determine what issues you’ll take a stand on. Sometimes the best option is to end negotiations; however, you need to know what your fallback level is so that you don’t end up losing much, if anything.

Leadership

There are endless types of leaders. Some are good and some can be really bad. Project leadership is essential in not only determining the direction of a project, but leading the way as well. Sometimes you have to crack heads to get things done and other times you need to know when to be compassionate. In any case, the leadership style you choose to take on should fit with your personality and it should benefit the outcome of the project.

Here are some tips on becoming a better leader.

• Determine what kind of leader you want to be. Are you going to micromanage or give people a wide berth? There’s no one correct way, but you should always stick to your principles while knowing when to be flexible.
• Always let clients and stakeholders know that you’re leading the project. They want to know who’s in charge and you need to step up to the plate.
• Embrace conflict. Some people wither away when potential conflict nears, but you should take it head on and exercise leadership skills to manage it. You may fail, but you’ll never fail at learning something new for future projects.

The skills don’t stop there. Hopefully, these can serve as a beginning foundation to build on. The one thing I’ve noticed that is most demanding of project managers is flexibility and adaptability. Always be willing to accept new ways and methods, and do the occasional check on yourself to make sure you’re always optimizing.

This seems to be the price we pay for the freedom of doing things our way. Fortunately, it’s an easy issue to overcome. I’ve outlined below proven ways to dedicate more quality time with your projects without sacrificing the other parts of your business. They’re proven because I’ve implemented them with success and am confident you can too.

Find the zone

The zone is that block of time where you have the most energy and creative power. This could be in the morning, afternoon or even in the middle of the night. Ideally, you would have two or more zone periods since you’re probably juggling multiple projects. Identify when these zones occur and then block them off as project-only times. You’ll use these zones to do only things that relate to a single project with a specific start and end time.

Prepare for the zone

About an hour or two before your zone is about to hit, prepare for it by writing out what you need to accomplish. This could be a simple checklist of objectives and tasks. Each item you list out should contribute to the progression of the project and you should be able to complete them within the allotted zone time.

Schedule around the zone

After you’ve identified your zone times, schedule the rest of your day to support it. If possible, schedule meetings before or after a zone time so they don’t conflict. If you have phone calls or emails to return, do that at a specific time that doesn’t coincide with your project time. I would recommend planning out your complete day on a piece of note paper so that you can move seamlessly from one task to another.

Eliminate notifications during the zone

While you’re in the zone, you need to minimize, or ideally, eliminate any sort of notification that could interrupt you. This means email, phone and social media. Turn it all off and don’t check it. I even lock my office door to prevent any physical interruptions. If a client has an emergency, I give them a special toll-free number they can call which rings to my cell phone.

Constantly evaluate your effectiveness

Once you start getting comfortable with your routine, you know it’s time to shake things up. Being too comfortable can lead to laziness which is the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish. Instead, determine what is and isn’t working with your project methodologies and brainstorm new ways of doing things. Maybe you aren’t as effective in the morning as you thought you were, so try scheduling your zones for the afternoon. Or maybe you have too much free time on your hands and need to schedule a third or fourth zone time. Whatever the case, always check yourself to make sure you’re being effective with your projects and your time.

I hope these methods can help you streamline your daily project processes. Everyone has their own habits and ways of doing things, and I’m always interested in hearing about it. Leave a comment and let me know!

So I had a name and then I had an idea (doesn’t it always work in that order?). I wanted to create a site that aggregated the best articles and blog posts on project management for web design and development. I see a severe lack of emphasis in this area. It seems as if every post in the design world is geared toward tutorials or specific design techniques.

With that in mind, I set about creating Project Palace for web designers and project managers who want to hone in on their project management skills.

The type of articles on Project Palace, which are currently handpicked by me from select sources, will range from specific project management techniques to more general self management articles. It will not become another generic freelancing or tutorial site, I promise you that.

New posts are now up on Project Palace and the gates are open. Please feel free to check it out, and please do subscribe to the RSS feed. And of course, if you have articles you want to feature on Project Palace, use the “Submit Article” link in the footer. There’s a lot of growth potential with this, so come back and check for daily and weekly updates.

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