Project management: Designer versus Programmer

It’s ShowTime again, the project manager looks grim, the programmer struts in “I’m gonna break ya” … the designer stares him down, the bell rings… smackdown, and its only morning tea break!

If your design studio resembles a scene from wrestlemania, take heart, you’re not alone!  There is mortal combat out there between two creative forces butting heads over the creation of an online masterpiece. The Project manager aka “the Ref” is breaking into a sweat over burgeoning budgets, wasted time and a design project that looks light-years from delivery.

The two parties that pay for the showdown, the client and the design studio owner, are stuck in the audience looking on wringing hands, the anxiety levels are rising. The problem is that once the cycle gets going it’s hard to stop, the lateness of delivery looks bad to the client, upcoming projects get pushed back to a later starting date. Clients complain and do your business untold damage as your reputation wavers.  Stress levels peak at all levels of your business, even the work experience kid is having a crap time, productivity and staff moral are non-existent, and the boss is sweaty palmed and manic. Profits dry up, no movie night this month for the staff, hey that’s cool, they hate each other anyway.

So why the opposition?

Well it’s all the Programmers fault…. yeah well that works! The battle ground opens up over the differing opinions between designers and programmer in how to execute a webdesign. How do we make the website work, how can we make couple creativity with functionality and deliver a product that not only looks sexy, but is slick in its maneuverability! Both parties are keen and lock horns over ultimately the same goal… they both want the best for the client.

Your three step guide in stopping Armageddon in your design studio…

Tools of the trade

Your worst nightmare, a dentist wielding an angle grinder…  webdesigners and programmers  can be just as scary without the right tools or experience.  One example I see time and time again is a Programming Team customizing a Content Management System for every website, how long will that take… another guesstimate and your profitability on the project is over before the site is even in the staging phase! Customising your own software is neither profitable or clever. Source products like Pegboard CMS that your whole team can utilize, be trained on and that don’t need to be customized on every build. Make the CMS do the hard work and free the programmers up to undertake specific tasks that can be managed on time and on budget.

Go back to the basics and look at how you scope a project for the client. It’s here that a project will end up either being profitable or not so profitable. There are some excellent Project Management tools and wireframes that guide you through the project from quotation to handover. All the details are managed for you and it leaves little room for things to go pear shaped, as you can go through the process step by step  to  the delivery of the product and final payment.

Bring back the thrill

Designers and Programmers are primarily artists. It is not rocket science to conclude that programmers and designers are more often than not, poor on time management and budgeting skills. Using a top notch CMS and quality project management software you can get the best out of your creative team. The thrill of programming up a completely new environment and creating a online artform is at the heart of all designers. That’s what they do best, that’s what we need to nurture.

Hassling and attributing blame usually comes out of panic… if you stop the rot before it begins you will produce A1 websites without anyone being KO’d.

Who’s the Boss?

Here’s the conundrum… both the Design team and the Programming team battle for control. In the functionality phase the programming team have the leverage, while the designers and project managers are at their mercy.  Sometimes the control lies completely in the hands of the unwitting programmer who doesn’t even want the responsibility but is left in the reality that no one else can deliver the goods.

Get them all talking in the first phase of the project.  Make sure that both designers and programmers are consulted as a key resource for your quotation. Make projections with them and help your team to own key decisions that impact the outcome of your projects. Once this is achieved the project manager can run the project in consultation from beginning to end not just calling meeting when the proverbial hits the fan!

Make the change sooner rather than later. It will save you stress and ensure your quality staff stick around and attract other great staff who want to work in your chilled out design house! To see lasting changes to your team’s culture you need to get team work happening now. Your bottom line will thank you for it, trust me, I see this scenario play out with companies around the globe no matter where they are.