Client Vs. Developer Wars By Eric Holter docx

[...]... Finally, and to a lesser degree, I am writing for other developers The benefits of this process should be obvious to them since, like us, they contend with the barriers of communicating web development every day We have deliberately described our process in ways that can be adopted 13 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter by any developer, using generic web development tools The core idea behind the process... ability to communicate technical information non-technically 25 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter I’ve heard developers complain about their clients, dismissively saying that, “they just don’t get it.” However, I believe that of all the parties involved in a web project, it is the primary responsibility of the developer to help their clients to “get it.” A website is a technical system and it presents... 27 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter I usually discover that it’s not so much the site, but the frustrations they experienced in developing it, that left them with such a bad taste in their mouths Another factor that compounds negative relational dynamics is the different values that developers and clients bring to a project Not recognizing the gap between what developers value and what a client. .. of every other web development company The process started with the “planning/strategy phase,” followed by “design,” then “programming/testing,” and finally “launch/maintenance.” Like most web developers, we thought our process was carefully thought out and logi11 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter cal However, while the process seemed to make sense, it didn’t work No matter how hard we planned,... background information, inquiring about the client s goals and 17 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter objectives Everyone at OmniTechCorp agreed that the site needed a “new look,” one that would be more “cutting edge” and “interactive.” It was difficult to fully define the project because each person had his or her own idea of what the site should include By the end of the meeting they had nailed... frames) These were documents that showed generic page layouts and reflected the overall structure, content and functionality of a site Each document page would detail the content of one website page They were visually generic, but would clearly detail the site’s navigation, categories, tools, content and features I would 33 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter represent almost every site page in this... project The 15 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter narrative highlights problems as a means of drawing attention to the underlying factors that cause them The remainder of the book’s first half will discuss the solution 16 A Woeful Tale The following narrative is, unfortunately, typical of many web development projects Almost every project has at least some aspects of these frustrations Any developer. .. budget called for! And what is he talking about ‘providing content late,’ I’m not even sure what the content is supposed to be!” 21 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter Brian’s fears were confirmed as he reviewed the budget status He had gone over on HTML programming by almost as much as he had gone over on design At this point they were losing money fast on this project He would have to get the budget... depth of content.” “Are we supposed to rework the entire navigation 23 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter system and adjust every HTML page we’ve coded?” Ready to give up, Brian retreated to his office “They’ll go through the roof if I ask for more money,” he thought After thinking through all the possible things he might say to the client he finally decided to just do it and get it over with “It would... content or functionality They would get to those details later Brian had the unenviable task of telling the development team that the client felt the designs weren’t “quite there yet.” 19 Client vs Developer Wars – Eric Holter John and the web committee looked at the layouts They were less than impressed with the work but sort of liked layout three The HR director liked the navigation bar on layout one, . our process in ways that can be adopted Client vs. Developer Wars – Eric Holter 14 by any developer, using generic web development tools. The core idea. relationships between web developers and clients can often be turbulent due to miscommunication. Client vs. Developer Wars – Eric Holter 12 cal. However,