Page 101 - DMGT521_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Project Management

Notes Secondly, by having the Low Budget Guide, we’re able to review which processes are efficient
and which are time-consuming. Using this standard, we can minimize build time by
adjusting our processes in certain areas. We’re basically fine-tuning ourselves into the
fastest website builders we can be. And lowering build time directly increases the profit
margin.
Finally, it ensures quality. Having a repeatable process means that every time you follow
the guide, you become more proficient. This not only increases the speed at which you
work, but decreases deviation from a tried and true standard. Practice makes you a whole
lot better.

Choose a Framework
Or choose several frameworks and tailor them to specific website types. For example, if
you want to quickly implement a custom design on a WordPress website, check
out Carrington JAM (short for “just add markup”). It’s a blank slate for custom WordPress
themes, with a lot of the heavy lifting already handled. I personally use a version of
Carrington JAM that I’ve converted to HTML5.
If you’re not using WordPress, I would recommend looking into the HTML5 Boilerplate.
If you’re adventurous, you can apply the Boilerplate to a Drupal, Joomla or
ExpressionEngine theme. Then, when you deploy the content management system, your
front-end framework will already be in place. Django is another fantastic and fast
framework, if you’re familiar with Python.
Use a Theme

There’s no shame in using a pre-built theme to construct a website for a client. In fact, you
should be proud of doing so if the budget demands it. Using a theme can cut build time by
at least half, if not more. Instead of spending 30 hours coding a website, you would be
spending 15 hours fine-tuning a theme, tailoring it to your client’s branding and inserting
content. At $1500, you’d be getting paid $100 per hour. How, from a business perspective,
would turning an opportunity like that down be considered a good decision?
That being said, always follow the licensing agreement that comes with your theme.
Honest people put hours of effort into building themes. Never, never, never break the
copyright, and always adhere to intellectual property laws.

Work on a Modular Fashion
What exactly is modular coding? Looking at various websites, you’ll see that certain areas
are common to all of them. WordPress serves as a good example of breaking a website
down into “modules.”
At our studio, we have built a code library around modules. We have custom Twitter
and Facebook widgets, custom post templates, image gallery widgets, the list goes on.
When you write new code, think of it as a module that needs to be flexible enough to
function on other websites with as little customisation as possible. For example, instead of
having to write an image slider from scratch, we’d be able to pop in a tiny PHP function,
pass along a few variables, set a few styles in CSS, and we’d be done in less than 20
minutes.
Building a code library over months and years enables your business to cut down on
major coding time. And if you refine the module every time you use it, you will ensure
that the product grows ever higher in quality.

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