FDD for Web Development Since this first application of FDD to Web development in 2000, I've worked to refine the process and have come up with an approach that has worked effectively on dozens of Web projects ranging in size from 2 weeks to 6 months. This refined approach uses the core of FDD, but introduces new elements to manage some of the areas that FDD doesn't cover. Below is a high-level overview of how FDD can be successfully applied to Web development. Project Overview Although it is not explicitly stated among the 5 processes of FDD, it is an important that every FDD project has clarity of purpose. This need be no more than a simple statement to define what the project is, and what it's supposed to achieve. Organization Purpose This might seem like a redundant element of a project. The organization’s purpose should be clear but, although it might be obvious to the client, it might not be obvious to the developer. Writing a single paragraph that explains why the organisation exists is an important step. Of course, this is often easier said than done; for smaller clients, the purpose is not always clear and this question can sometimes generate a very blank look! Still, it's well worth the effort to ask, as this knowledge can really help when it comes to the next step of working out the project's purpose. Project Purpose Once again, this constitutes a very simple statement, but it's often much harder to define a project's purpose that it seems. Most clients have many thoughts, wishes, expectations and desires wrapped up in what they describe as their "Website". In reality, the work must be defined as a project, with a clear purpose that everyone understands and agrees to. The Purpose should be a clear, concise and measurable statement of the business outcomes that the project is intended to achieve. Project Objectives The specific objectives of the project must be clearly defined. A series of bullet points is fine; the act of thinking this through and getting the client's agreement is the most important aspect of this part of the project overview. Consider this example, which suggests objectives that might be identified for ACME, an auto parts manufacturer: "The objectives behind the redevelopment are as follows: • Unify ACME's corporate image worldwide. • Build a commercially oriented Website projecting a simple, sharp, professional, advanced and confident tone, and one which puts userfrienddlines first. • Ensure the design of the Website adheres to the ACME Group Website Basic Guide Version 1.0. • Use the Website as a positioning tool to position ACMO as a technologydriiven leading global supplier of automotive parts, systems and components. • Provide the ability for ACME to update the site in-house using a content management system (CMS). " Project Scope Understanding and defining a project's scope is a challenging task. Once again, clients usually want to include everything and expect everything to be done for them. I'm not bad-mouthing clients --anyone who's familiar with the concept of scope creep will understand my point here. The key is to get an idea of what's in and what's out of the Website. I recommend the use of a technique that was defined many years ago and states simply what's in, what's out, and what might be considered. This is a great tool for getting clients to understand all the elements involved in a project. Here's how it might appear for our fictional ACME auto parts business: Target Market Once again, this is an important consideration. Many sites are constructed without proper regard for the target audience. To say that a site is aimed at the client's customers is not enough. We need to understand the demographics of that customer base and if we have to target one part of that customer base, we need to know which one it is. In reality, most sites have a number of target markets that need to be addressed. What proves to be a more practical approach is to think of it in terms of primary, secondary and tertiary target markets. Content The main difference between traditional software projects and Web development projects is the nature of content. Most Web projects entail a large amount of content. A Website may be an application or a hypertext system (eg. pages of content). Most projects are a combination of the two, in which case both aspects must be addressed. For projects with a large amount of content, information architecture and design become important elements of the project's success. Information Architecture In its most simple form, information architecture can be thought of as a sitemap. IA is the logical structuring of content to suit the purpose of the site. Although this seems like a straight-forward task, the importance of this process should not be underestimated. A well-structured site will be easier for people to use, and will be much easier to maintain. A good example of a poorly architecture Website is one in which users quickly turn to the search facility to find the information they want. Information Design Most people now understand the concept of a site map and many can put a reasonable one together. The next level, which is far more sophisticated, is to look at the design of information on the page: the information design. The current trend is towards the three column layout with a header and footer: Functionality This is where features come into play, and where the "application" aspect of the Website is defined. The key is to break the project into chunks of work that can be captured in the client's language, and to ensure that each "chunk" totals between 2 hours' and 2 weeks' work. Features that may be required for the ACME site (each requiring no more than 2 weeks' of work) include: • Subscription facility • Distributor search • Product search • Feedback form Project Management An integral part of FDD is the weekly report, which I've adapted for smaller projects. In a larger FDD project, the report would provide details of how many features had been started, had not been started, were in progress, had been finished, and were late. From this, an accurate "percentage complete" figure can be derived. In small projects, it's not always necessary to go to this level of detail. However, it is important to track progress and report this to the client regularly. I recommend doing this in the following two ways. Daily Wraps A Daily Wrap is a daily meeting with your team. It's a common task among agile processes. For example, in the Scrum framework it's called the Daily Scrum or Daily Stand Up Meeting. In this short meeting, each person states what they did the previous day and what they plan to do today. The goals for this meeting are to: • make sure no-one is falling behind • make sure everyone knows what the rest of the team is working on • ensure that any barriers or problems are raised and overcome quickly • help foster collaboration within the team From a project management perspective, the Wrap is an extremely effective tool to keep developers on track. When people promise to do something, and they know that tomorrow, they'll be asked in front of others whether it has been done, accountability results. The Wrap certainly makes team members think twice about what they promise, and about not following through! Also, the Wrap has a strong social aspect, which makes a huge difference to team work. Progress Reports The key here is to provide the client with progress updates on a weekly basis. There are many reasons for this, the first of which is to provide the discipline necessary to allow the project manager to review the project on a high level. The progress report doesn't need to be complex or comprehensive; it simply needs to state what has been done and if there are any issues that need to be resolved. I use the following template, which has proven to be very effective. Achievements What has been completed in the past week? This section helps to generate a sense of progress and satisfaction. Dependencies This technique is valuable in helping get things done. Often, the dependency is something the client has to deliver. By putting this down in writing, you make clear who is responsible for delays. Assumptions I can't stress enough how important it is to clearly state any assumptions you've made. If they're not stated openly, they can often cause major issues. For example, a developer may assume that data provided will be in a tabular, delimited format that is easy to import; the client may deliver it as a Word file, or worse: in a graphic format such as Quark or PageMaker. Document all assumptions! Issues Every project has issues, which need to be captured in a written issue report. Resolutions Hopefully, as the project progresses, the issues that are raised are resolved. It's good form to capture those resolutions so that, should questions be asked down the track, you can always go back to the resolution noted on the progress report. In particular, this helps with clients who have a habit of changing their minds. Project Website This is a large part of all FDD projects and, in those projects, is called the KMS (Knowledge Management System). All information for the project --all documentation, meeting notes, progress reports and so on --should be captured in an online location that both the project team and client can access at anytime. This helps to ensure consistency by placing all information in a central repository. Conclusion There is still no silver bullet! Adapting FDD for Web development goes a long way toward addressing many of the issues that arise in Web development, but it is not a complete answer. Areas such as requirements gathering, visual design, testing and deployment aren't covered even though they are needed for every project. But, given the lack of viable Web methodologies out there, having something that is effective, albeit incomplete, it is a big step forward.