How to manage a development website

Building and managing a development website is not a simple task. It requires many organised and precise steps starting from planning and collaboration to testing and deployment. This guide will help you to know key strategies for how to manage a development website and help you to keep your website on track and produce better outcomes.

Here is a complete guide of steps for understanding how to manage a development website.

• Table of Contents

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  Define Website Scope and Objectives

Setting and defining the purpose, and scope of the website is the first step in managing a development website. Deciding target audience, and features and establishing KPIs are also major tasks in the pre-launching time.

• Assemble the Right Team

Collaboration across different roles is an important matter in managing a developing website. Here is the list of different roles for managing the developing website.

Early planning of roles and responsibilities is required to avoid overlaps and efficient management of developing websites.

• Choose a Project Management Methodology

In the case of how to manage a development website, it is important to maintain the team’s workflow and meet client needs. Choosing an appropriate project management methodology is important for managing these areas. Two approaches are:

The Waterfall Methodology:

Waterfall methodology involves completion of tasks in sequential phases and it is a linear approach. The phases include planning, design, and development, coding and testing. Finalization of each step is required before progressing to the next step. You can use this methodology if you have clients who have predetermined budgets and fixed goals.

The Agile Methodology:

Agile methodologies involve completion of tasks in short development cycles or sprints. It is a requirement of collecting client feedback after completion of each sprint. You can use this methodology for your project or website if you have clients who have evolving goals.

• Developing a Workflow

You need to establish a structured workflow for managing a development website. The following steps should be present in a structured workflow.

1. Planning: Understanding and setting requirements, research conduction and wireframes creation.
2. Designing: Development and design website prototypes and features, website layout finalization.
3. Development: Developing and integrating websites and its functionalities by coding.
4. Testing: Performing the website across devices and browsers for testing and assuring the quality.
5. Launch: Website deployment and monitoring of the performances.

• Priorities Communication

You need to develop and maintain transparent communication between teams and stakeholders. You can use different tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack for real-time collaboration. You can review progress by scheduling regular check-ins.

• Monitoring Progress with Milestones

You can measure the progress of the website by breaking into different small milestones. Some examples of milestones for monitoring progress are:

1. Completion of wireframes.
2. Backend development phase.
3. Testing and QA completion.

• Conduct Thorough Testing

Testing is an important phase for ensuring the better performance quality of the website. Some testing methods are Cross-browser testing, Responsive design testing and performance testing which can be used to check the quality of a developing website.

• Post-Launch Planning Maintenance

Launching is not the last step in managing a developing website. You need to know more steps along with the pre-launch steps and guides on ‘how to manage a development website’. Such steps are:

• Updating regularly for plugins and software.
• Performance monitoring and measurement through different tools like Google Analytics.
• Collecting user feedback for continuous improvement.

Additionally, seven free templates can play a considerable role in the field of website project management. These seven templates can include content management templates, sitemap whiteboard templates, PMO team templates, agile scrum management templates, website work to cope of work templates, website design project plan templates, and bug plus issue tracking templates. You can think these all are quite easy, particularly if you maintain a client website project with the help of various instruments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can understand that managing a developing website requires the right balance of strategy, flexibility, communication and collaboration. It is also important to choose an appropriate methodology which aligns with the needs of the project along with the successful completion of each step.