As soon as we start working on a project, we make it a point to inaugurate the single most important member of the project team: the invaluable Client Project Lead.

In every project team there are roles to be filled, and most of them are pretty technical in nature. We don't expect our clients to be experts in website design, or programming, or e-commerce, or CRM solutions; expertise in those areas is our stock in trade.

But there's one are the client knows better than we ever could: the client's own needs. That's why we need the Client Project Lead on the team.

What's more, because our approach guarantees a flexible and customer-centered development process, we really do need regular input from the client's viewpoint.

Who is this person?

Except in the rarest of cases, the Client Project Lead is selected by the client from among their own staff. That's probably not surprising news. Every client wants to keep abrest of their project's progress, so naturally they'll want to have at least one person interacting directly with the development team.

Why is the Client Project Lead so important?

The Client Project Lead serves as the primary point of communication between the client and the Project Coordinator. This makes for two important implications:

1. When a large client organization has multiple staff with an interest in the project, the Client Project Lead helps to clarify potentially competing or even conflicting priorities. This helps to ensure the project has a clear direction at any given time. We encourage clients in this situation to have regular discussions among all their concerned staff, and then to entrust the Client Project Lead with communicating their consensus decisions to us. The unworkable alternative is that we become accountable to multiple client staffers, each of whom may have their own understanding of how the project should progress.
2. By having a single point of contact, we're able to ensure that the Client Project Lead is fully informed of the project's ongoing progress, and is fully involved in the decision-making and guiding process and the project moves forward.

Does every design firm work like this?

Well, no. In fact, many do not, and when we began, we didn't either. We did what a lot of design firms do, which is do talk with the client in the beginning, and again at the end of the project, but rarely - or only when necessary - while the work is in progress. It's a common model, in which the design firm attempts to plan every single detail and every possible contingency up front, by writing lengthy specification documents. These documents then become the guiding authority for development. If the client wants to change that document along the way, it can involve a lot of headaches on both sides.

This can work well in very small projects, where the project goes from start to finish in a short time, and where the client can afford to avoid making changes. But in custom website development projects, even the most experienced firms will be unable to predict the future, and decisions will need to be made along the way. It's at this point that the value of the Client Project Lead, and an approach that embraces change and accountability, become clear.

What does the Client Project Lead actually do?

In general terms, the Client Project Lead simply represents the client's interests. Specifically, this includes some basic tasks that ensure the project is handled as the client needs and wants:

• Clarify and prioritize: Features and capabilities will need to be clarified, and the client will want some capabilities available sooner than others. The Client Project Lead discusses and clarifies those capabilities, and sets priorities for which should be rolled out first.
• Periodic review: As each stage of the project is completed, we meet with the Client Project Lead to explain what's been completed, and to look at what's scheduled for the next stage.
• Occassional clarification: Because we divide our projects into manageable iterations (stages of two or four weeks), most questions are handled during the review process between stages. But when questions do come up during an iteration, we turn to the Client Project Lead for his or her expert knowledge (or access to such knowledge) of how the client needs things to function.

Is this person responsible for testing the completed product, or ferreting out bugs?

No. Our internal processes include robust testing procedures to ensure all features work as intended. Our goal is to deliver 100% bug-free products, and that means ensuring quality before it gets to the Client Project Lead or anyone else. Of course, if a bug is found, we hope the Client Project Lead will take the time to let us know, so that we can live up to our reputation for quality.

Is this a role I can fill?

Absolutely. This role requires no specific technical skills or experience. Any client employee, volunteer, or executive can fill this role, as long as they're dedicated to the oragization's own goals and vision, have a good understanding of how the organization works, and are empowered to make day-to-day decisions on the direction of the project.

What else do I need to know?

You'll want to get a good understanding of our approach and how we work. And if you want to know more or have any quesions whatsoever, get in touch with us and see how helpful we can be.