Once you have a clear idea about what the client wants from the new site, you can begin the design process with a good, strong list of adjectives and a firm knowledge of what to keep in the design. Often clients already know what doesn't work, and it's up to you to figure out what does work and how to adapt and enhance it in a new model.

Problem: Management of Content Delivery

The management of a client's content delivery poses specific problems. Say you need to use content from the existing site, plus 150 new articles, which Jane from Texas is writing to flesh out some new section of the site. You have set up an asset-delivery system, which includes naming conventions and versioning, and you've given the client a deadline for content delivery. But who's editing the content? Did the schedule leave room for the editing process? Who is going to go back in and make sure the existing content makes sense with the new material?

Does the client know that approved content needs to be in on 1 June in order to get a final, edited version together by 6 June so they can approve it by 9 June and it can be sucked into the database on 10 June? And then what's your plan when their writer sends a new version of the first article on 8 June and says, "Can't you just slip this in?"

Solution

This is a case where it's necessary to mentally walk through each step of the process ahead of time. Address all the "what ifs" before you start. Clients get squeamish when you talk about final anything, so make sure your process has as few "leaks" as possible, and let the client and your team know exactly how it works. Then own it - but be ready to tackle a new wrinkle at a moment's notice.

Problem: Dueling Vacuums
Or "you engineer on that side, I'll design on this side"

There is a tendency among smart and independent workers to scrap the collaborative process and head merrily down a path of their own making, particularly in accelerated production cycles. Getting Information Designers and Engineers to meet and review each other's work can be difficult, not because they don't like to collaborate but because they consider it a luxury they can't afford. However, when one person designs a set of interactions and another builds a template and a third connects a database, a simple change in interaction or navigation can become a real nightmare for those never let in on the little secret.

Solution

Facilitating communication is the main job of any project manager. This goes beyond knowing how and when to schedule a meeting. Sometimes it requires addressing each team member individually. I ask designers, "Has an engineer taken a look at this screen design and let you know if it's possible to implement it?" And I ask engineers, "Has a designer explored the layout or interaction implications of this approach?" Risk asking the stupid questions. By simply making sure people talk to each other, you can solve huge problems before things go too far. One missed review session can lead to a 180 KB homepage because there's no other way to implement the design that a misinformed client approved.