The importance of good Project Management

Any new client that comes on board needs to feel confident that their project will be delivered on time and hassle free. 

Good project management should alleviate any stress to the client so it’s important to get the initial brief right, set expectations on timings and keep in regular contact for peace of mind all round. 

For any new enquiry that comes our way, we need to ensure that we fully understand what the client is after, be it a brand-new bespoke website or a user journey and design overhaul. Asking the right questions from the beginning is essential in pulling together a thorough and detailed proposal which outlines everything the client needs and the added value from working with our team. General questions we need answers to from the off are the client’s likes and dislikes of their current site, how an improved site will better serve their business, design aspirations and must-have features. This allows us to figure out the level of work involved and an approximate timescale for all of the scope needed. 

As a Project Manager, it’s my job to get the ball rolling and get as much detail from the potential client as possible so I can brief the team and make sure all bases are covered. On submitting our proposal, I like to give the client or their representative time to digest all of the information and see what their feedback is. Not everyone who approaches us is tech savvy so it’s crucial not to alienate anyone with too much ‘tech talk’. As someone who isn’t from a tech background who has learned on the job, I find it easier to explain certain aspects of a build in a language that both they and I understand so that it doesn’t become too overwhelming or daunting. 

Another key aspect of project management is managing expectations and making sure a client understands that we work on multiple projects at a time and that timelines need to remain flexible (to a point) for anything unforeseen. Delays in receiving feedback can have a knock-on effect of an agreed launch date so putting dates against different parts of the project is necessary. It is a solid team effort from both the agency and client side as everyone wants the same end result and is working towards the same goal. We want to deliver websites which are top notch with no compromises and that’s what keeps us moving forward. 

The development side of the business is always busy with the ever-patient Steve Elford going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure our clients are well serviced. I am thrilled to say that after a long search we have now welcomed a new Junior Developer to the team which will really open up the dev studio and allow Steve to dedicate his time to more client work and also the technical advances he’d like to make to our own website and the CRM he’s developing. Now that the team is expanding, it’s even more important that we have a solid system in place for keeping on top of the workload. 

The majority of my time is spent managing the dev studio schedule which has its challenges but when things slot into place and tasks are being ticked off the list, there is great job satisfaction for me. As someone who prides themselves on their attention to detail and organisation, I like to know that I’m all over it and that expectations are met across the board. 

If you have a project that you’d like to discuss, please do get in touch with me as I’m always happy to chat through ideas or initial thoughts to see how we can help. 

Jo Jensen
Account Director
jo@whitespace.studio / 01273 258000
whitespace.studio