Not so long ago, one of our clients asked me the question, «Why does my project need a personal manager, and can we do without one?»
And at that moment, I realized that there are Clients who genuinely do not understand why they need a project manager (read personal manager) even for a small project, what functions they perform, and what is hidden behind the doors of the web studio from the moment the contract is signed until the project is delivered.
At first glance, a manager responsible for organizing project management is an employee whose services can be easily dispensed with. Why involve another person in the work who, apparently, has nothing to do with creating modern attractive designs or clean code?
In reality, things are somewhat different.
Today, I will reveal all our cards (within the Privacy Policy of our studio) 😉.
We can start by analyzing the main areas of responsibility of project managers.
Our studio has 3 personal managers. Each of them has their own projects that need to be developed on time and delivered to the client. No two managers ever work together on the same project.
How the Client sees the work of project managers:
Initial consultation – Decision-making on website (application) development and other services – Signing the contract – Carrying out work – Project delivery
In fact, the project manager coordinates work not only directly with the client but also with the development team.
Let's take a closer look at what a personal manager does and what their main responsibilities are.
📌 First, the client is «brifed» (the «Interview» stage). Through their website (application) development-oriented brief, the manager tries to gather as much information as possible about the Client's business and their competitors. A Technical assignment is developed.
📌 Next, they pass all the collected and compiled data to the designer. The «Prototype development» stage begins. Here, the designer develops a prototype of the future website based on the received data. The project manager coordinates it with the client. If there are any revisions, the prototype is updated and agreed upon with the Client.
📌 Then, the designer develops the website design based on example sites and the corporate style (or any preferences of the Client).
It is worth noting that one of the project manager's responsibilities is to ensure that the client does not introduce new «wants» during the website development process that were not discussed in advance (and accordingly, these «wants» were not included in the Technical assignment and paid for).
In such cases, all the Client's wishes within the framework of the Technical assignment and the allocated budget for development are feasible, BUT:
- for an additional fee;
- an increase in project delivery time.
This allows the manager to adhere to both the limitations of the project situation and the interests of the client.
📌 After fully agreeing on the design layout with the Client and providing the content, the task left is «small». This is the creation of the website itself. At this stage, the client's participation is not required.
📌 For a while, the manager leaves the Client alone; during this period, the layout designers and programmers work: layout designers lay out, programmers integrate, and then everything is thoroughly tested several times.
And finally, after numerous tests, the Client can finally see their brand new website. If the Client is satisfied, the project manager hurries to sign the Act of completed work and finalize the project.
📌 At the «Project completion» stage, the website is transferred to the «live» domain, which is fully open for indexing by search engines. Access to the website and a brief instruction on its management are provided to the Client.
The Client is satisfied and can use their own website; the project manager is happy, and the designer, layout designer, and programmer breathe a sigh of relief.
So who is the Project Manager?
Project Manager — is the magic wand without which the quality development of your website is impossible; a universal soldier who knows all the nuances of your project like no one else and is the link between you and the team of specialists.
This is a person who understands you with half a word, a specialist who will help you navigate what exactly your business needs.
