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[atlarge-discuss] Collaborative Web Development book suggestion



This book was brought to my attention by Paul Neilson of the CPI-UA list
(List-Subscribe: <mailto:sympa@vancouvercommunity.net?subject=subscribe%20cpi-ua>
List-Archive: <http://vancouvercommunity.net/lists/arc/cpi-ua>)
who found it at Amazon.com.

I haven't read the book myself and wouldn't recommend using anything Microsoft in our work but the team development and project management aspects might be of interest.

Regards,

Judyth


---Fwd

Collaborative Web Development: Strategies and Best Practices for Web Teams        
by Jessica R. Burdman (Paperback) 
Avg. Customer Rating: 4/5 stars        
************************************************************************

About the  Author

Jessica Burdman is Director of Production at Red Sky Interactive. Ms. Burdman  has also worked with Microsoft on their Solutions Framework for ensuring the  quality of Web projects that feature Microsoft technology. In addition, she  serves as a spokesperson for USWeb's Web Certification Program for Project  Management.

Amazon.com
In  her introduction to Collaborative Web Development: Strategies and Best  Practices for Web Teams, author Jessica Burdman quotes industry leaders as  saying, "Web development is crazy." Throughout the remainder of the book,  Burdman breaks the process of Web development down to manageable chunks and  offers techniques to help you successfully complete Web projects without pulling  your hair out. 

This isn't a book about development tools or programming languages--it's a  user manual to the process of managing site development from conception to  completion. The focus is on team development since almost all such projects of  any scale involve a diverse collection of professionals. Brief interviews with  seasoned team leaders add real-world perspective to the topic.  

Burdman provides frameworks for analyzing both the project at hand and the  team you have at your disposal. She tackles the process with a discussion of  getting the project off the ground in an organized and complete manner. The  material here is presented in plain English instead of with the usual heavy  emphasis on flowcharts and management theory. She also doesn't stop with the  summary of a single project cycle but covers client issues, team communication,  and ongoing team cultivation as well. This book may not make all your projects  go smoothly, but it will sure help. --Stephen W. Plain  

Topics covered: Project scope definition, cost budgeting, team  assembly, content planning, team and client communication, client education,  quality assurance and testing, team evolution, and case studies.  

Book  Info
Provides in-depth discussions on  crucial topics; working with clients to determine the goals and scope of a Web  project, developing a Web site development cycle that is appropriate for a  project, and meeting quality assurance standards for Web projects. Softcover.  CD-ROM included. 

Card catalog description
"Written by a leader in Web development methodologies and processes,  Collaborative Web Development brings structure and sanity to what is often an  overwhelming and chaotic process. Drawing on the front-line experiences of  practicing professionals and numerous real world case studies, the author will  help you get a handle on the issues and challenges you face, with proven  strategies for effective coordination among team members and clients, a smooth  development process, and a successful end result."--BOOK JACKET.  

From the Inside  Flap

If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what  you're doing.
- W. Edward Deming  

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
- George  Santayana (1863-1952)  

Over the two years that it has taken to conceptualize and write this book,  many people have asked me what inspired me to write about Web development, and  why is this book different from the many other books out there on the  bookshelves? This book doesnit offer a single-minded solution to the myriad of  problems and issues that Web developers face. Itis not a solution in a box, or  an "Idiotis Guide" to anything. Itis naive to assume that it would be possible  to offer the single solution for Web development because of the many kinds of  Web applications that exist: entertainment-based, information-based, commerce,  or advertising. What this book does contain is a treasure of ideas, methods,  devices, tips, advice, stories, and even a CD-ROM full of useful templates and  tools to help you develop the Web team and Web development systems that best  suit your environment and project objectives. Who Should Read This Book?  

This book is for a project manager or producer, or anyone who is responsible  for putting together a Web team. It will help you understand what you need to  know to build the right team for the project. It will also help you understand  the Web development cycle, the issues you face with clients, be they internal or  external to your business. This book will help you understand the costs involved  in Web development, time lines, phases, and cycles so that you can create a  process that suits your team and the needs of a specific project. The figure  that follows this Preface will give you a "picture" of the bookis organization.  Heading toward Sanity  

Why did I write this book? Many reasons. I had produced more than 20  Web-related projects and at least half of them seemed akin to torture. Through  conferences and networking I developed a circle of friends and colleagues who  were creating Web sites: the production manager at Cisco; the managing editor of  the Miami Herald, the vice president of Snap! Online; producers at Red Sky,  Novo|Ironlight Interactive, Ikonic/USWeb, and CKS Partners; and project managers  at Netscape, Microsoft, and the Servinet Consulting Group. They were all saying  the very similar things: "Web development is crazy." "Web projects are  death-march projects." "I need to take three months off to recover."  

I began to develop a theory that the central problem with Web development is  the lack of clear standards or methods for creating Web sites. There are many  kinds of sites and applications. The people who are building Web sites today  come from many backgrounds. On e-business sites, I worked with software  engineers, security experts, information designers. In advertising, I met brand  stewards, copywriters, graphic designers.  

Each kind of site required a certain team and a certain methodology. There  existed good practices that I could use from my e-business background, but they  needed to be modified to fit with the needs of the team and the project. To try  to enforce processes without the teamis buy-in meant certain project failure.  

This book contains interviews with people from the following fields: software  development, advertising, multimedia, film, publishing, teaching, and writing.  It shows how and why we, as Web project managers and developers, must create  methodologies and standards for developing Web applications. Not every  suggestion I offer will work for you; your organization will have to decide what  works best for its Web team. But, it's important to work toward developing  methods that your entire team supports, understands, and wants to use.  

When you can do that, and when you are able to articulate the method, then  you will start to gain some sanity around developing Web applications. Not that  you wonit ever experience a chaotic project again, you will. This book will,  however, help you develop strategies to make those projects run as smoothly as  possible, thereby reducing team burnout and, ideally, help your group achieve  true job satisfaction and profitability whenever you take on such a project.  

Acknowledgments  
[snip]

From the Back Cover
Developing an effective and successful presence on the Web is a  requirement for all organizations. As the Web has matured, the development and  management of sites has become increasingly complex. Today, Web site development  requires the close collaboration of diverse professionals such as programmers,  interactive designers and engineers, animators, videographers, writers,  marketers, and businesspeople--all working within a highly coordinated and  structured development process.  

Written by a leader in Web development methodologies and processes,  Collaborative Web Development brings structure and sanity to what is often an  overwhelming and chaotic process. Drawing on the front-line experiences of  practicing professionals and numerous real-world case studies, the author will  help you get a handle on the issues and challenges you face, with proven  strategies for effective coordination among team members and clients, a smooth  development process, and a successful end result.  

You will find in-depth discussions on crucial topics such as: 
* Working  with clients to determine the goals and scope of a project 
* Pulling  together an effective team 
* Developing a Web Site Development Cycle that is  appropriate for your project 
* Planning the project, establishing  procedures, and setting a timeline 
* Communicating effectively with team  members and clients 
* Managing the client relationship 
* Balancing scope  and technical sophistication with cost and time constraints 
* Managing  large-scale Web sites 
* Meeting quality assurance standards for Web projects  

So that you can benefit from the experiences of those who have been through  the process, this book includes concise interviews with accomplished Web site  managers and developers who reveal valuable insights and practical suggestions  for successful Web site development.  

The accompanying CD-ROM contains samples and demo versions of a variety of  development tools and management software programs, including Microsoft Project  98 and FrontPage 2000. Also included are practical templates, forms,  questionnaires, outlines, style guides, and other tools that can be easily  tailored to meet your specific Web development needs. 0201433311B04062001

##########################################################
Judyth Mermelstein     "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..."
Montreal, QC           <espresso@e-scape.net>
##########################################################
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once 
they have exhausted all other alternatives." (Abba Eban)
##########################################################
See the UNESCO OBSERVATORY ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY!
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/observatory  



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