Although it should be noted not all Web Project Managers are as camp as Ru Paul.

Web Project Management Blog Stats n Stuff

Back in April 2009 I started this web project management blog thinking it would probably die a quick death and no one would read it. To my surprise, and with some shameful self-whoring, it’s had a few visits and some people seem to like my over-opinionated arrogant waffling. A few ego stats…

• 51,295 Unique visitors
• 124, 125 Page views
• 446 Comments
• 3 Server deaths due to Smashing Magazine tweets
• 95 Visitors from George W. Bush’ Axis of Evil countries
• 3 Articles published on Smashing Magazine:
  • Guidelines for Successful Client Communication »
  • How to Explain to Clients They’re Wrong »
  • Effective Strategies To Estimate Web Projects »
• 1 Article published on Think Vitamin:
  • New Technology and Commercial Competitiveness »

The top five most popular posts are:

1. GTD for Web Project Management Revisited »
2. Estimating Time for Web Projects more Accurately series »
3. What Makes a Great Web Project Manager »
4. Pragmatic Web Project Planning series »
5. The 37Signals Planning Philosophy Mistake »

Recent Mobile Web Project @globaldev

I left Volume this year to join Global Personals as a Web Project Manager. I’ve been there six months now and so far so good. Good company, great people and a whole new set of web project management challenges having only had agency experience previously.

Fancy reading what it’s like to be a Web Project Manager at my gaff? A Day in the Life of a Web Project Manager »

I’ve launched several web projects to date, but recently delivered what was my biggest to date so far and under pretty extreme circumstances – a completely new Mobile platform for the business that currently serves over 10 million users.

This is one I believe both the @globaldev team and I can be proud of for a bloody long time.

• Announcing the WLD Mobile Web Platform »
• Building an API and Mobile Platform for 10 Million Users »

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Talking of which, @globaldev are growing rapidly and we’re opening a new London office in Waterloo this year and have a load of positions to fill, both for the London and our existing Windsor offices. So if you fancy any of these, or know of anyone that does, get in contact ASAP!

• Ruby on Rails Developers »
• Lead UX Designers »
• JavaScript Developer »
• Development Manager »

SXSW 2012

Regular readers will know a few of us lowly Web Project Managers submitted a panel proposal for this year’s SXSW: Web Project Management Lessons from Darth Vader. However, despite making it to the very final cut, once again it was access denied boooooo.

Next year I’m going to try again, only this time I intend to use some negotiation tactics I’ve recently learnt!

Web Project Managers Group reaches 1500

Started by Antonio Volpon on LinkedIn, back when I think both of us thought we were the only two Web Project Managers out there, I’m pleased to say the LinkedIn Web Project Managers Group has now grown to over 1500 members and is proving to be a really active community.

I highly recommend you check it out as there are new discussions going on daily where we can all learn a few tips and tricks about our dark art.

Web Project Manager Blogs Discovered

Finally I want to let you know about a few web project management related blogs I’ve come across recently that I’ve really enjoyed reading.

First up we have Suzanne Hayworth. So far she’s only posted a few short articles, but I’d like to encourage her to keep at it :)

Next, while not specifically on the topic of web project management, each post is an absolute gem that contains more expletives than you can shake a stick at and is generally directed at marketing and digital agencies alike – honestly people, have a read and you won’t stop giggling I assure you – for example:

When an agency offers you research, what they’re actually offering you is justification for their shitbrain, cowspunk, sexwater ideas – and they want you to pay for it.
Things I Don’t Want from an Agency, I Am The Client

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… I Am The Client

And on that note, I bid you farewell until the next post.

There are only two things known to excite the human race that take nine months to evolve from a seed into a fully formed being; a baby, and a SXSW Panel. However, babies only proceed to talk non-stop around six months later whereas successful SXSW Panel members begin immediately!

Here are five facts:

1. SXSW 2012 is here!
2. Web Project Management talks are in demand
3. I have submitted a panel and it’s called…
4. Web Project Management Lessons from Darth Vader
5. You like this and must vote for it now

After the phenomenal success of the 2011 panel submission, Project Management for Humans (that became a Core Conversation but had people queuing out of the door!), this year we hope to get onto that panel list as clearly there is a demand for web project management-based talks.

Brett Harned presenting at last year’s SXSW, like a boss

So, in preparation for next year’s event, once again I call upon you to login and cast your vote for a web project management-based panel I’ve submitted with a few familiar Web Project Manager faces.

Web Project Manager Force

Below are the details of the web project management-based panel, please head on over and place your vote by going to URL, logging in (or creating an account if you don’t have one yet) and clicking on the little thumbs up icon.

Panel Title

Web Project Management Lessons from Darth Vader

Web Project Manager Speakers

• Sam Barnes (Project Manager at Global Personals)
• Brett Harned (Senior Project Manager at Happy Cog)
• Ani Moller (Project Manager at Shift)
• Cola Richmond (Head of PM at View Strategic)

Panel Description

Many web designers and developers do the unthinkable and join the dark side, they become Web Project Managers! However most underestimate its powers. Web project management is dark art and there’s no better master to teach us than Lord Vader himself.

The Sith are well known for their flipchart brainstorming prowess

In this discussion a council of battle-hardened Web Project Managers will look at what tips we can take from Darth with regards to the processes and challenges we face every day when planning, designing and delivering both small and large websites and web applications.

Working with internal senior management and Emperor-esque clients, managing Stormtrooper productions armies like a boss, dealing with Bounty Hunter contractors and making brave decisions based on mystic instinct – this guy has all the skills.

Not to mention the job that must have been the sitemap, wireframe and functional specification that resulted in the launch of the Death Star v1.0.

Join us in the digital Jedi temple to find how web projects can be delivered smoothly.

Some Questions That Will Be Covered

1. What are the best ways to manage multiple web projects?
2. How do I manage difficult clients?
3. What makes web designers and developers happy, and angry with Web Project Managers?
4. Agile or Waterfall, what works best for web projects?
5. What are the common pitfalls when managing web projects and how can I avoid them?

Target Audience

Web Project Managers, Digital Producers, Account Managers, Senior Web Designers and Developers, Digital Freelancers and even Managing Directors – if you work in digital it doesn’t matter what skills you have, if you can’t effectively manage projects you’re in trouble. This talk will have something valuable for anyone involved in the management of web projects.

• Cmon, get voting already!

Other Web Project Management Panels

As well as my own, I’m happy to say there are a growing number of web project management-based submissions this year that you may want to check out:

• Dealing With The “F” Word: Feedback
• Digital Project Management: Commonly Made Mistakes

If you’re based in the UK, live in, or fancy re-locating to the lovely Berkshire area (the term “lovely” excludes Slough) then check out some of these great opportunities at some great local digital companies I’ve had dealings with in one way or another.

Global Personals

My new place, heard it’s nice :)

Global Personals currently have a whole heap of roles to fill! They need a Development Manager, Ruby on Rails and ColdFusion web developers, Software Engineers, PPC Executives and more…

• Global Development vacancies »
• Global Personals vacancies »

Volume

My favourite place to work so far

With an ever expanding list of clients, web projects and products, Volume have a shed load of jobs right now and, as you may be able to tell from my previous post, I enjoyed working there loads and have no doubts you would too. Technology, Client Services, Creative or Social Media – Volume has a role for you!

• Volume vacancies »
• SociView vacancy »

Rawnet

Good people, nice offices, cool projects – FTW

Based in Windsor, Rawnet are currently looking for a New Business Development Manager and Web Designer to work in their fantastic offices that contains the Holy Grail, an on-site Costa Coffee! Nomz.

• Rawnet vacancy »

3seven9

Ahhh, my first love :)

3seven9 is where I was born into the digital world full time. They have a great team and are looking to hire a Digital Project Manager and Social Media Executive.

• Digital Project Manager vacancy »
• Social Media Executive vacancy »

Creative Jar

Friendly people and exciting projects lined up!

I’ve admired Creative Jar’s work for years and from their offices in Twyford they continue to knock out great looking websites and applications time and time again. They’re currently looking for a Mid-level Web Project Manager.

• Creative Jar vacancies »

Brandwidth

Already iOS app legends

Having met with a few people that work there and worked with another, I can honestly say Brandwidth seems like a cool place to work with a great set of talented people. No specific jobs advertised right now but they’re always on the lookout.

• Get in touch with Brandwidth about a job »

Langland

Award winning pharma marketing agency

I’ve worked with Langland and at their luxurious Windsor-based offices (right opposite Windsor Castle) and in the last year they’ve really ramped up the digital side of their service offering for their clients in the pharmaceutical sector. At the moment they’re looking for a Digital Product Manager, Digital Designer and Senior Creatives.

• Langland vacancies »

Nine Four

Always producing top quality work

Nine Four are a cool little agency in Berkshire who are currently looking for a part-time PHP / MySQL Web Developer.

• Contact Nine Four about a job »

Oh, and I’ll also be working on a Mac for the first time ever – yeah laugh it up fuzzballs, you know who you are!!

To get myself back into the article writing zone I thought I’d write transparently about my experiences at Volume, why I chose to move on and what I’m hoping to gain from my new role… plus do a little bit of pimping for both companies on the job front in a subsequent post.

I can’t promise any web project management tips here, but perhaps can shed some light on the experience of moving from a small digital agency to a larger one – something I know many wonder about but fear. Would it be what many small agency teams think; red tape and processes getting in the way of real work, or not?

Well no, it wasn’t any of this, in fact it’s been a completely positive experience and, despite a serious shock to my system in the early transition days, I can honestly debunk the myth that working for a larger digital agency cannot be as much fun, creative and rewarding as the smaller ‘cooler’ places. Or to coin an ex-colleague’s phrase, it wasn’t “corporate hell” as many thought it may be.

Of course this is only my one personal experience… please post yours in the comments.

Before Volume, the smaller agencies

For years I’d worked solely in small digital agencies as a Web Project Manager where I would be given web projects, either just before pre-sale was complete or just after, and pretty much told to run it from there – I loved it.

Learning the ropes at small agencies is way fun

Image source

During my time at these smaller agencies I picked up invaluable skills in client and team management, plus got a swift kick in the naivety area with regards to commercial realities for both clients and agencies.

Despite being a tough manic life in a smaller agency, I don’t regret a minute of it as its hardcore valuable deep-end learning and you make friends for life by overcoming massive challenges.

It got to a point where I felt that despite the constant challenge that is being a Web Project Manager in a small agency, I’d tested many of my theories on running projects with reasonable success and it was time to enter into a new area of the industry at a larger agency to find out what it’s like.

I went to Volume twelve months ago with absolutely no idea what to expect. My goals at the time were to experience bigger agency life; see if I liked it, see if I could survive and ideally see if I could thrive and excel in it.

Volume, the bigger agency

Volume is a digital marketing agency based in Wokingham, UK. As well as working with clients like Dell, Oracle and Zebra they’re currently developing a quite frankly amazing social media mapping application called SociView, definitely check it out and tell your boss to!

SociView by Volume == sexy

My first few months at Volume were some of the most humbling of my career to date. I went from feeling comfortable, knowledgeable, competent and pretty much at the top of game, to realising my expertise at that stage was very much small agency-based and that this was a whole new ball game!

I was back to knowing nothing and feeling very green indeed – a bit like Luke blasting off from Mos Eisley and losing a laser battle with a retarded looking floating ball.

A humbling experience for even a Jedi

Image source

For the first few months the senior members of my team had to endure questions from me almost every five minutes on who I should speak to, what I should do with this enquiry, what happens in the standard workflow now, what does this site or application do – and so on – but the support I received was amazing.

Within a few months I was working away while the frequency of questions slowly but surely became less frequent and then before I knew I was just one of the team running projects and dealing with queries with little support.

Not only was I getting on with work, but I was also observing how a larger digital agency operates and it sure was an eye opener and I highly recommend it to anyone who works at small agencies and think they have a rounded view of how businesses are run – I’m sure you do, but body shape jokes aside, my experience is now all the more rounded.

Volume is a really great place to work and I learnt so much. Not only new skills but also on a human level. Going to a company of one hundred people I fully expected to seriously dislike at least ten, but to my complete surprise that number was zero!

Thank you Volume, you showed me people are nice!

Image source

Everyone there is so hard working, supportive, friendly and the management set out plans and actually follow them through. The offices are stunning and the employees are treated really well. Of course I heard a few gripes in my time there (and yes uttered a few myself), but I wouldn’t mind speaking to those people in a few years after they’ve tried a few other places and asking them for a revised opinion – trust me, it’s a very good place to work and there are much worse out there!

On a personal level, from working in such a friendly and positive environment, I also noticed my own personality and outlook on things in general change quite dramatically over the months.

I remember presenting an early detailed web project schedule to a Senior Management member and feeling really defensive from the start, as if I was ready to fight my corner as to why I felt it had to be detailed and why it would take as long as my schedule suggested – but I wasn’t challenged, in fact the realistic approach and detail was appreciated, boy was I embarrassed at being aggressive – and from that moment on I felt I had exorcised any demons I had, felt valued, motivated and actually positive! Yes I know, me, positive! The mind boggles ;)

…and to anyone reading this and thinking “Wow, what a total arse licker!” – all I can say is, if you know me then you’ll know that licking boss’ arses is not something I do and that I always speak my mind truthfully and openly whether you’re a junior or a CEO, perhaps too truthfully on many occasions. My old MD once described me as:

…having about the same amount of tact as being hit in the face with a brick.
My old MD

This still makes me giggle because he was spot on at the time :)

Watch the video below and imagine you’re the dog, I’m the cat, and I want to communicate with you I disagree strongly…

Subtlety is key in web project management

Watch the video on YouTube

Simply put, if I didn’t honestly think this about Volume I just wouldn’t have written this post.

All in all at Volume I picked up more invaluable skills than expected. I now have experience in working in that larger environment and the different pressures, priorities and challenges that come with that.

I’ve now worked with comparatively huge budgets and large teams, plus with multiple departments, all with their own set of priorities, and learning how to traverse these tricky waters so that everyone remains happy and gets what they want – trust me, this requires a whole new set of skills to small agency life but is an extension to agency / client relationship management.

Also I learnt what it’s like to have a formal team structure with support lines in place. Coming from a small agency background, this is one of the best things about a larger organisation – never was I alone with a problem, never did I not have people to help me left right and centre – bliss!

I really could go on and on about the benefits of working for a larger digital agency. So what are the downsides? Well for me personally there really was only one and that was no longer being in full control of all aspects of a web project.

Are Web Project Managers control freaks?

Image source

No longer was ‘I da man’ but instead I was now part of a much bigger project team, all playing their part to bring the project to delivery. But this was my small agency mentality, and to be quite honest, my arrogant side coming out. No, I wasn’t the man anymore, I was part of a large team and this is how larger agencies operate – I had to grow up a little.

But the great thing about working for a larger organisation is if you air these concerns at the appropriate time a good management team look for opportunities in future projects where you can flex the muscles you want to – and that they did for me too.

So what the hell Sam, why are you leaving a job that you appear to love so much!? The simple answer is that despite being pretty damn happy in my job I had this little voice urging me to try and step up again, to venture into uncharted waters – believe me, a part of me wants to punch that little voice right on the big fat nose but I think that may constitute self-harming.

The Mindf*&k

After being given an offer for a Senior Web Project Manager position at medium-sized well respected agency, that was more similar to the smaller agency environments I’d worked in previously and clearly full of lovely people, I suddenly had this horrible feeling that this perhaps was not what I wanted right now after all – this was a massive surprise to myself and for weeks I just couldn’t unscramble all my feelings and decide what it was I actually wanted – extremely frustrating for all those involved.

On one side I had Volume, a great place to work with great people where I felt happy and on the other, a Senior Project Manager position – a step up in position, responsibility and for an agency whose work I’d admired for years.

Confusion is a total bitch

Image source

What I slowly figured out was that I didn’t want to go back to the smaller agency side of things just yet, not to say I never will, just not quite yet. I felt it was something I’d spent years doing and if I wanted to would hopefully have the credibility to go back into if I wanted.

What I actually wanted was to be a Web Project Manager in a company like Volume, in terms of size and organisation and all the plus points over small agency stated above – not something I’d done before hence brand new skills. From the Web Project Manager interviews I’d started last year I’d noticed a few interviewees working in this capacity and I remember thinking at the time “Hmmm that sounds interesting, I’ve never done that”.

This is the primary reason why I became interested in my next role at Global Personals.

Global Personals, the next challenge

My Web Project Manager role at Global Personals will be familiar in some ways in that I know quite a few people that work there, know they’re top notch at what they do and more importantly I genuinely like them, however quite unfamiliar in other ways…

Global Personals, not Personnels as I keep saying

At Global I’ll be a Web Project Manager who has no clients and isn’t creating a new site or application for various businesses from scratch. Instead I’m swapping clients for management and new builds for new delivery of new features to a large existing platform.

Like with my journey to Volume, my expectations at this point are quite open. All I know for sure is that this seems like it will require a hybrid of my web project management experience (schedules, budgets and scope) combined with my more recent skills I was able to develop at Volume and particularly relished and enjoyed e.g. liaising between departments, understanding and communicating both technical and commercial requirements to those that need it and generally helping the existing web project management team deliver projects, and if I’m lucky, try to improve a few things for everyone along the way.

Time will tell if this is how things pan out, but it’s a brand new experience for me, in areas I’ve not walked before, and as sad as I am to have left the awesome Volume team, and as scared as I am to enter the unknown, I do so with excitement, enthusiasm and a whole fresh outlook on what a workplace can be like and how much I enjoy learning new stuff – how can this be a bad thing?

I don’t imagine many comments on this post, but I would love to hear about any experiences anyone has had going from the small agency life to the bigger one, or perhaps vice versa…

Article includes obligatory Star Wars image of course

I had the idea for this article back in November last year and it was originally meant to focus on the reality of using HTML5 and CSS3 on projects at that time, specifically issuing a cautionary message about using it too early on real life client web projects for the sake of it, rather than making an objective decision that it would ultimately benefit the client’s business.

However, as mentioned in the article, the web world is different to others and moves fast and even since November the commercial practicality of using these new technologies has increased due to advances in the industry’s rapid knowledge gathering and sharing culture – amazing.

However, both then and now, adopting and using these new technologies currently takes more time than not using them and this gives web agencies running projects a real dilemma and became the focus of the article – how do you find the time to learn these (and any) new technologies while remaining commercially competitive in terms of healthy cash flow and agency strategy, and when should you use them…

As well as discussing why exactly the web world is different when it comes to new ‘inventions’ and the dilemmas digital agencies face, the article also discusses the following:

• Sensible approaches to adopting new technologies
• Using new technology where commercially appropriate
• Being honest with clients
• Adding value through incremental experiments and metric tracking

While I expect a heap of feedback from folk about how you can use HTML5 and CSS3 now without incurring additional time and cost, I think this is a bit of a fantasy mostly only those monitoring web project budgets and agency bottom lines will recognise.

But it is these same people’s challenge to keep their business, and staff, technically up to date and able to offer their clients all the advantages of new technology while keeping the cash flow positive – and that is not an easy thing!

Read the article now innit »

Well I’m back on the grid now…

This is a great example of how to agree web project targets with client’s and get a signature on that all important contract.

Interview in New Media Age Magazine

January saw two personal appearances in NMA Magazine, once on a list of favourite websites by Rob Smith (cheers Rob!), and then Justin Pearse, Editor of NMA, contacted me about doing a QnA on being a Web Project Manager, which of course I was only happy to do!

My printed chubby face “sponsored by round” lolz

SXSW 2011 News

As some of you will know from a previous post, back in August 2010 I was invited by Brett Harned, Senior Project Manager at Happy Cog, to be a part of a SXSW panel submission called Project Management for Humans (No Robots Allowed).

SXSW 2011, where all the cool kids gather

Well after months of waiting and several announcements by SXSW we suddenly saw our panel pop up on the accepted list this month. We reacted with dignity and composure, and videoed the actual moment we heard the news.

However, we then noticed as little “CC” next to our panel’s title and it turns out this is code for a SXSW ‘Core Conversation’. This means there would be no panel as such, but instead a more informal meeting in a room, with two original panel members, and between 50-200 people – the two panel members being the organiser and one panel member picked by SXSW.

The informal discussions that pop up in the hallways between, during and after panel sessions have traditionally been one of the most productive parts of the SXSW Interactive Festival. In 2008, we formalized this process with the Core Conversation program which has quickly become one of the more popular aspects of the event. In these less formal hour-long sessions a single moderator will introduce the topic to be discussed and then facilitate the conversation.
SXSW 2011 Interactive

In the end they picked Brett Harned and Pamela Villacorta to host the Core Conversation so that means no SXSW for me this year. But it does mean for the first time there will be SXSW time dedicated to the subject of web project management and that’s a real achievement – next year we’ll have a panel, then some key notes… then a Hollywood movie? :)

Good luck to Brett and Pamela, hope it all goes great! Don’t forget to get a video and pictures for us!

Looking for Guest Authors

Fancy writing a blog post but can’t be arsed to set up WordPress? Then how about being a guest author on my blog?

Stick to what you know for that first blog post

Image source

If you’re interested then mail me and we can start talking about possible topics, and it could be anything to do with the web industry, not just web project management.

Still looking for Web PM Interviewees

For regular followers of my blog you would’ve seen quite a few Web Project Manager Interviews published over the last six months, well I’m still looking for more people to interview, and this includes anyone running web projects; from freelancers, to Web Project Managers, Digital Producers, Account Managers and Directors.

If you’re interested just mail me and I’ll send you the questions and answers template, and don’t forget how cool being a Web Project Manager makes you!

This stuff will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus
Blain, Predator, 1987

Ok, that’s all for now…

If so then let me see those fingers!

I’ve teamed up with Brett Harned and Dave DeRuchie from Happy Cog, and Rob Borley from Headscape to put together a panel submission for next year’s event and we need your votes to help us get there!

The panel team has been put together by Brett and is entitled “Project Management for Humans (No Robots Allowed)”

Whether it’s on the front lines or behind the scenes, Project Management is critical to every discipline in web development projects. Keeping your internal project team and your clients happy while making sure that the project runs smoothly are not easy tasks, but you don’t have to be a robot to run a project! Simple humans can make sure a project is delivered on time and on budget. This session will cover the basics on how to manage your project like a pro and keep your clients happy. A group of seasoned project managers will share their experiences (and horror stories) on projects they’ve worked on, and point to specific, useful methodologies that have helped them to gracefully manage large and small projects alike.

So, web project managers unite, head on over to the panel picker, register an account and click the little thumbs up icon on our submission page.

Koochie Koochie Koochie Koochie KOO!!

Big thanks in advance, leave a comment to say you’ve voted and I’ll add you to my Xmas card list for sure!

Volume is a 100 man (and ladies) digital agency located in Wokingham, Berkshire (UK), they’re growing fast and looking to hire more people to join the team so I thought I’d let you know in case you fancy a change, or know of anyone looking for a new challenge.

The positions they’re looking to fill are:

• Technology Analyst
• Head of User Experience (UX)
• Social Marketing and Strategy Planner
• Events Executive

Technology Analyst

This is my current title and you’d be joining the Technology team, working alongside myself and one other Technology Analyst.

Do you want your head to be cut out and placed on this picture? Join Volume today and I’ll open Photoshop.

A Technology Analyst’s role is to analyse client requirements, create functional specifications and manage multiple web projects in accordance with Volume’s technology standards and processes. Amongst other things, in this role you’ll be:

• Gathering client requirements
• Project planning
• Writing functional specifications
• Working closely with the account management and development teams
• Leading User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
• Providing ongoing project management

If this sounds interesting to you then mail me or contact Volume for more details.

Head of User Experience (UX)

Volume’s Head of User Experience is a new role defined from the need to deliver more creative and user friendly web applications. This role is to head the UX team which is part of the Technology department.

A sign some clients see when thinking wireframes are designs

Candidates should have a proven track record of hands-on working within a digital agency and possess skills and experience in UI, UX and accessibility disciplines.

A firm understanding of industry-standard web development applications as well as a great sense of creativity would be ideal.

Responsibilities will include managing the UX developers, leading user research, creating user interface concepts, prototypes and wireframe.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the concept and UX of a variety of digital projects for Volume’s key clients. Candidates will ideally be degree educated with a high level of usability knowledge, including information architecture (IA), interaction design and user research.

They should be highly experienced in web technologies and practices. Successful candidates will be instrumental in driving improvements to our service to ensure Volume web applications continue to compete at the highest level.

Calling all sitemap and wireframe addicts! Mail me or contact Volume for more details.

Social Marketing and Strategy Planner

Are you a Twexpert? (I actually thought I’d just made up that awful word, but of course Google says no with its 18,700 results) – Ok, on with the job description.

The Social Marketing and Strategy Planner will support the Head of Social Marketing & Strategy with all ongoing social marketing activity across client projects and develop social marketing strategies and campaigns for clients.

Ultimately they will maintain consistent and high levels of interaction across the social media sphere for Volume clients, in line with campaign objectives and contribute to:

• Social Marketing Planning
• Social Marketing Strategy
• Social Marketing Insight and Analysis
• Social Media Research and Development
• Social Marketing Campaign Execution

Read the full job description and contact details »

Events Executive

The Events Executive works with the Events team to ensure that clients’ events run smoothly and that all other aspects of the project are delivered on time.

Work will be assigned by the Senior Account Manager- Events; the Events Executive’s remit is to ensure that these tasks are completed on time and to a high standard whilst adhering to strict budgets.

The Events Executive is proactive in finding tasks that need completion and should be able to communicate their progress clearly. Events Executive should be looking to learn more about the events procedures and also their clients, in order to increase the effectiveness of their work and contribute to the team.

Duties will include, but are not limited to, producing a variety of reports, data management, onsite work at events, confirming attendance at events, liaising and dealing with queries from participants prior to and following events, venue searching, booking catering, managing all event stock and using clients’ online systems.

Read the full job description and contact details »

It’s a “best of” compilation of articles about professional freelancing that have been published on Smashing Magazine and Noupe in 2009 and 2010.

Not only does this eBook cover quite literally everything you’d ever need to know about working as a freelance web designer in articles from authors like Paul Boag, Cameron Chapman and Alyssa Gregory.

I’m also proud to say it also includes articles written by myself and Rob Smith (who I recently interviewed on the subject of web project management)

Crusty Jugglers…

Check out the book contents, then head on over to Smashing Magazine to download a sample and order your own copy!

*Note: Bold author name denotes a “whoop!“

• Essential Habits of an Effective Professional Freelancer (Rob Smith)
• Common Questions of Web Designers (Andy Rutledge)
• The Designer Who Delivers (Aurimas Adomavicius)
• Critical Mistakes Freelancers Make (Robert Bowen)
• The Importance of Customer Service (Robert Bowen)
• Creatively Handling the Admin Side of Freelancing (Robert Bowen)
• Pitching Like a Pro (Cameron Chapman)
• The Finances of Freelancing (Luke Reimer)
• How to Identify and Deal With Different Types of Clients (Robert Bowen)
• How to Improve Designer-Client Relationships (Aaron Griffith)
• How to Communicate with Developers Effectively (Ryan Scherf)
• How to Educate Your Clients on Web Development (Aurimas Adomavicius)
• How to Explain to Clients They’re Wrong (Sam Barnes)
• How to Respond Effectively to Design Criticism (Andrew Follett)
• How to Persuade Your Users, Boss or Clients (Paul Boag)
• How to Create the Perfect Client Questionnaire (Cameron Chapman)
• Getting Clients: Approaching the Company (Peter Smart)
• Converting Prospects into Clients (Alyssa Gregory)
• Marketing Rules and Principles for Freelancers (Jeff Gardner)
• How Many Ideas Do You Show Your Clients? (Graham Smith)
• Freelance Contracts: Do’s And Don’ts (Robert Bowen)
• What’s in a Price: Guidelines for Pricing Web Designs (Thursday Bram)
• Quality-Price Ratio in Web Design (Jeff Gardner)

Visit Smashing Magazine and buy the eBook »

Beniot Alvarez, Divisional Managing Director of Volume.co.uk, has very kindly created a free Google Android application that will let you stay up to date with the latest posts on my blog.

Obviously they went for a grey colour star rating – 5 stars! ;-)

All you need to do is search on the Android Market for “Sam Barnes” or “Web Project Manager” and hey presto, you should be able see it, download and install.

A huge thanks to Benoit for creating and distributing this, proof that once a developer, always a developer ;-).

Follow Volume on Twitter »

Here’s a few screenshots of the app in action.

The home screen view

The article list view

The article view

… and trust me, while you’re reading this I’m working on a more traditional web project management article that will undoubtedly include some sweet Star Wars references.

Williams F1 website praised in Times Online

Last week Rawnet’s Williams F1 website was voted 2nd out of the Five Best Formula One Websites by the Times Online.

I don’t like F1 but I love sexy F1 websites

Massive congratulations to all those who worked on the site. I have to say having sneaky peeks in the office right now of the 2010 Williams re-design, I reckon it’ll be 1st place next time round! Read the Times Online article »

Work with me and lose at FIFA 10

Due to a consistent growth in business Rawnet are looking to fill several new positions, so let me ask you:

• Are you a Web Project Manager or RoR developer?
• Want to work in stunning converted gothic mansion?
• Want to sit on an Aeron chair while sipping Costa coffee?
• Want to lose at FIFA 10 so much you go home crying?

The Rawnet office: Where Xbox champions are made

Image source: Dorin Vancea

If the answers to any of these are yes, then head on over to the Rawnet website to read about the Web Project Manager role and apply, or the Rawnet tech site for the Ruby on Rails position.

New Rawnet site imminent

The brand new Rawnet website is now in its final stages of development and will be launched very soon and all I can tell you right now is that it’s looking sexual!

Follow Rawnet on Twitter if you want to know the minute it’s live.

Pokeeee! LOLZ

But if you want see some of the latest sites we’re designing then check out the Rawnet Facebook Page. Go on, don’t be boring!

Web projects completed

Here’s a little taster of the projects I’ve delivered in the last few months. If you want to see other projects I’ve launched then check out my Projects page (after this post of course)

Go Ape U.S.

I don’t like heights either hmmm

With Rawnet designing and delivering the original Go Ape UK website several years ago, I took over the account at the end of last year and one of the first jobs was to deliver the U.S. version. Visit the Go Ape U.S. website »

Go Ape Intranet

OMG – LOLZ – 404Z

One of the biggest web application projects I’ve managed. The goal was to develop an Intranet that would replace the e-mail and MS Excel processes being used by the company nationwide.

All departments now use the Intranet on a daily basis, from filling in daily reports at Go Ape sites around the UK, ordering new stock with warehouse inventory management, to creating and maintaining the company’s document repository – a massive project but one I’m pleased to say the client loves and I’m proud of for a whole load of reasons, including the 404 page which of course no one ever sees ;-)

Take a peek at the PCs in huts if you ever visit Go Ape and see if you can see them using their Intranet – I did that *sniggers* with the help of the Rawnet team naturally!

Folens

The Twitter bird looks positively disturbed

The goal of this project was to re-design and provide all front-end development for this leading educational books supplier in the U.K. I’m happy to say most of the design and code we delivered has been used! If you see any problems or dodgy design, it wasn’t us!
Visit the Folens website »

Portico

They have badges like that at McDonalds too

No web design this time round, just tasked to manage delivery of the front-end templates and back-end CMS code development. Visit the Portico website »

That’s all folks, stay frosty.

Related reading:

• Other Web Projects delivered by me »
• Old News: Websites, articles, jobs and feeds »

I don’t know about you, but I’m always fascinated what other Web Project Mangers’ are up to when they’re not putting the world to rights on Twitter or in blog comments.

Important things I have learnt

1. McDonalds coffee is now drinkable
2. I am the last PC user in the world
3. Jack Bauer could probably bruise Chuck Norris
4. Tropical punch should be a controlled substance
5. A Bruce Lee/Stormtrooper wallpaper makes me happy

iBruce Wallpaper – Gold Dust

Image source: iDesign for iPhone

Ok, onto the more relevant content…

Smashing Magazine article published

Due to the popularity of my Estimating Time for Web Projects series I decided to re-write the two articles into one and submit to Smashing Magazine for publication. To my humble surprise and child-like joy, it was accepted and published last month by Vitaly Friedman, Chief Editor (a genuinely nice and down to earth guy).

The article received really positive feedback and with front-page love on Digg and Delicious meant my server ground to a halt once again – joy.

Effective Strategy To Estimate Time For Your Design Projects »

New sites launched

Project managing the new sites below are a big reason my posts have been almost non-existent, with another two launching soon, as you can imagine, I’ve been pretty beat in the evenings (please submit sympathy via comments), so much so, Rawnet are looking to hire a new Web Project Manager, get in touch if you’re interested.

View Rawnet’s Web Project Manager vacancy »

HHIC

Central Heating.co.uk – Rated 80/100 by NMA

Recently rated 80/100 by New Media Age (NMA to you and me) in their Site Inspection section, this was my first public sector outing as a Web Project Manager. It was one of those projects that just went well from the beginning, was a pleasure to work on, the results blew the client away and made everyone at Rawnet proud little soldiers.

View the HHIC website »

Neocol

Neocol.com – A web project with all the trimmings

This project had it all; design, front-end, back-end, animated elevator presentation, SEO, copywriting and print marketing material design! This one took real tenacity to manage and a long time to get live, but finally managed it this week and the client is over the moon as it really does blow competitor sites out of the water.

View the Neocol website »

Tax Automation

Tax Automation.co.uk – Nostalgia inducing goodness

This was a really fun web project to manage because the client wanted to target a very specific target audience of “40 – 50 year old male Finance Directors in large corporate companies, with the site having an air of sophistication and a twist of wit” – not your everyday brief!

This brief was answered by making sure the designs were clean and crisp, yet relatively simple to build XHTML and CSS templates from in order to keep the solution as cost effective as possible, and for the target audience, it was decided to focus on using imagery that would spark some nostalgia, reminding them what equipment they used to use in the 1970′s – I absolutely loved searching for retro office equipment on iStock, good times!

View the Tax Automation website »

BaxterStorey

BaxterStorey.com – Birth of the Flowerpot Functionality

Rawnet were commissioned to provide web development for BaxterStorey’s new website. The branding and design had been finalised before we came on board which meant working with not only the client but also another agency, which, as those who have had to be the lynchpin between multiple agencies will know, brings about a whole new set of challenges.

As with most projects I had to write the functional specification for this one, and will always remember, from this day forward, having to define the “flowerpot functionality”.

On time and on budget makes Jack a happy boy.

View the BaxterStorey website »

Delicious feed updated

Ok, so hardly exciting, but over the last month I had built up a ridiculous amount of bookmarks, RSS feeds and Twitter favourites that I’d deemed worth a read when I got some time. Well I found that time recently and read everyone, adding the best of the bunch to my Delicious feed. Some of my personal favourites include:

• Brad Egeland: Characteristics of a Project Manager
• Rob Borley: Under Sell, Over Deliver
• Drew McClellan: Cost Effective Development Techniques
• Karl Staib: Stay Happy During Stressful Projects

The Vendor Client relationship – In Real World Situations

If you like these articles, you may want to subscribe to my Delicious RSS feed as I will be keeping this up to date from now on in a true GTD style – Operation BookmarkZero begins!

View my Delicious links »

ScrnShots: Web design inspiration

ScrnShots: Start building your inspiration library

For those diehard fans out there, you will have noticed a new call to action in the sidebar, underneath my shallow and desperate plea for Twitter followers – ScrnShots. This is where I upload all of the websites and website design elements I happen to chance upon, and make me go “phwooar nice!”, as I cybersurf the beautiful waves of the digital super information highway.

I recommend everyone involved in the industry, not just designers, should keep some kind of inspiration record that they can draw upon when embarking on new and fantastic projects. From a web project management perspective, you can use it to brief designers, developers and even present examples to clients to communicate solution ideas.

*Note: I don’t believe I have diehard fans, just fans of Die Hard. Yippee-ki-yay!

View my ScrnShots collection »

More articles coming soon…

I have a bit of time off work at the moment so intend to get disciplined and write a few original articles – I’m hoping this public statement will force me into delivering the goods, if I fail, I will make up a very good excuse thus shifting all responsibility to something out of my control.

What Web Project Management topics would you like to see covered next?

^ Back to top