Budget and time matter and thus process matters. Headway employs a methodology that ensures that we can structure each engagement to meet our client's organizational needs in an accurate and efficient manner. This methodology also is sufficiently flexible to adapt if business objectives, workflow or project approaches need to shift during the project lifecycle. The following serves as a foundation that ultimately determines the workflow, resources to be utilized, dependencies, and methods used to achieve the best solution.
DISCOVER
Compile all information and conceptual ideas related to the project.
DEFINE
Formulate the strategy and requirements to achieve the client's objectives.
DESIGN
Produce the creative, visual and functional design and solution architecture.
DEVELOP
Configure and test all logic, integration, and structural elements that make up the solution.
DEPLOY
Final test, refinement & deliverly of completed project.
Web solutions generally are not static brochures nor are they complete desktop applications. They fall somewhere in between and present unique challenges when it comes to designing for what usually is a wide range of audiences and expectations. With extensive knowledge of launching websites of many sizes and degrees-of-complexity Headway also believes these factors or approaches below play an important role in making the process more pleasant and time/cost effective for all involved and the end result better.
Clear and Comprehensive Communication
To say that communication between vendor and client is important would be quite the understatement. Direct access to and communication with clients of all sizes is paramount for a short engagment that often becomes a long term engagement... no nonsense, no organizational politics, and no sales pressure before, during and after a client engagement. Web solutions can grow and evolve organically as your needs do.
Concurrent Design & Reviews
By offering our clients staged access to sites in development, some of the design and review processes can be done concurrently to help make the development process more efficient and minimizing the number of design iterations needed.
Concurrent Content Loading
Since content and formatting data is segregated from the layout and functional layers, populating the site can be done during the site design process. We find that this helps client visualize the content in the context of the site design, and can shorten the time required to compile and load site content.
Scope Creep Limits
Throughout the course of many medium to large web projects, it is quite easy for the scope of requested work to expand particularly as the power and benefit of the web becomes more apparent to organizations that are shifting more of their business or organizational workflow online. "Scope creep" is closely monitored throughout the project to ensure it doesn't impact budget or timeline while also offering sufficient flexiblity to improve the approach taken to achieve the best possible solution as ideas change and different needs arise. We have limits in place that prevent projects from exploding in size, unless clients expressly authorize such changes, and are comfortable with the results. It is important a solution provider understand the many interdependencies within web solutions that range from design, formating, data, databases, logic, function, technology, platform and user-interface.