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DRUPAL PROCESS MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
Drupal Process Management _____________________________________________ 1
Table of Contents ___________________________________________________________ 1
Process Management ____________________________________________________ 2
Classic process:_____________________________________________________________ 2
Developer’s revenge: ________________________________________________________ 2
Drupal Process Management:_________________________________________________ 2
Plan ______________________________________________________________________ 3
Strategic Brief: ____________________________________________________________________ 3 Kick-Off Meeting: _________________________________________________________________ 3 Competitive Analysis: ______________________________________________________________ 3 Content Types: ____________________________________________________________________ 3 Site Map: ________________________________________________________________________ 4 Wireframe: _______________________________________________________________________ 4Design ____________________________________________________________________ 5
Creative Brief Delivered: ____________________________________________________________ 5 Creative Brief Feedback: ____________________________________________________________ 5 Homepage Designs Delivered:________________________________________________________ 5 Design Feedback: __________________________________________________________________ 5 Design Revisions and Internal Page: ___________________________________________________ 5 Final Design Feedback: _____________________________________________________________ 5 Final Design: _____________________________________________________________________ 5Develop ___________________________________________________________________ 6
Prototype Build: ___________________________________________________________________ 6 Content Input: ____________________________________________________________________ 6 Custom Code [As Needed]: __________________________________________________________ 6 Prototype Build Complete:___________________________________________________________ 6 Theming: ________________________________________________________________________ 6Verify_____________________________________________________________________ 7
Train _____________________________________________________________________ 7
Support ___________________________________________________________________ 7
This document was derived from notes taken by Alejandro Chaux of UCAR
Communications while attending the “Drupal Process Management” session held at
Drupalcon 2009 in Washington, DC. The presentation was given by Drew Gorton of
Gorton Studios. The presentation was presented under the Creative Commons license:
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States.
PROCESS MANAGEMENT
Classic process:
Plan, Design, Develop, Verify, Launch, Train, and Support. Prior, you had to design
prior to developing because the designed was mashed in with the code. Designers
really drove the classic process. That is no longer true with CMS. For example, the
Intro was an experience pushed by designers, most people wanted to skip the intro.
Leads to long term degradation of the site. They don’t think about upgrade paths,
administrative ease of use, scalability. It’s not the designer’s strength.
Developer’s revenge:
Develop before design can backfire as well. Leads to long term disinterest. Ends up
boxy and clunky in the design.
Drupal Process Management:
Need to get designers and developers to talk to each other and work in synch with each
other.
PLAN
DESIGN
DEVELOP
VERIFY
LAUNCH
TRAIN
SUPPORT
ALPHA
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Plan
STRATEGIC BRIEF:
Introduce the organizations to each other, establish big picture goals, and use as an
ongoing reference.
Led by: Account Exec.
For: All
Approved by: Client Lead
KICK-OFF MEETING:
Introduce the teams, get a sense of excitement going, clear project goals, and get client
stakeholders talk to each other. If there is more than one stakeholder, there will
probably be disagreement, so important to get them all in one room. Be assured they
have not talked to each other about the important stuff! Developer team should be
listening and give technology recommendations given feedback. If there are
disagreement among the stakeholders, this points it out and they have to figure out how
to work going forward.
Led by: Project manager
Attended by: All client stakeholders, Account Exec, Wireframe lead
Optionally attended by: Prototype lead (Developer/Configurer), Creative lead (Designer),
Verification lead (Detail person)
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS:
See Wikipedia for a good description.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitor_Analysis
Done by: All Client Stakeholders
CONTENT TYPES:
Develop a content types documents, ingredients for the site. The document should be
relatively low-fi. Example: “Partners” should have an organization name, image, url,
teaser, body, contact information and address. Other things to include are non-CCK
type info: What is going to appear on the home page, automated by date.
Led by: Project Manager or Wireframer
Approved by: Client Project Manager
SITE MAP:
Also very low-fi. No need for flow charts. A good site should facilitate connections in
many ways, not linear as in an org-chart. Show loose hierarchical structure. Also
identify taxonomies to be used. Secondary navigation for site.
Led by: Wireframe lead
Reviewed by: Project Manager
Attended by: Client PM
WIREFRAME:
Final document in the planning phase. Allows design and development to happen in the
same time. Take content types and established organization principles and arrange it on
the wireframe page. Emphasize that it is not to scale. Serves as the defining document,
starts to define the web site. You can give variations for all the different possible pages
that can appear on the site. Define all major types of pages with wireframe example.
Led by: Wireframe lead
Reviewed by: Project Manager, Design Lead, Development Lead
Approved by: Client Project Manager
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Design
With wireframe in hand, hit design track running.
CREATIVE BRIEF DELIVERED:
Describes the design process to the client, what the thought process is. Who is the main
audience? Who is the competition? What is unique? What are the key objectives?
Design direction: progressive, bold, clean and clear. Once agreed upon, then actual
designs.
Led by: Design Lead
Approved By: Project Manager, Client Project Manager
CREATIVE BRIEF FEEDBACK:
Once there are designs, there is feedback from the client. Sometimes can be difficult,
but and you have a piece of paper, the creative brief, to refer to and keep design on
track. What about that, you said it was important during the creative brief??? (CYA)
HOMEPAGE DESIGNS DELIVERED:
This is tied in with the creative brief feedback. Give a couple of designs that the client
can pick from. Having more than one option allows you to pick elements that they like
which may be spread across the designs.
Led by: Design Lead, Design Team
Approved by: Project Manager, Client Project Manager
DESIGN FEEDBACK:
DESIGN REVISIONS AND INTERNAL PAGE:
FINAL DESIGN FEEDBACK:
Develop
PROTOTYPE BUILD:
• Site
Skeleton
o Drupal
core
o Contrib
Favorites
o
Minimalist theme (Yahoo YUI Reset + Drupal Regulars)
o Database
development
• Content types built
•
Wireframe dissected for views
•
Actual Content Entry
o
Verification
o Training
•
‘Prototype’ – Basically text HTML in blocks. Do not show to client, will probably
scare them thinking you are building them a site in MSDos!
Led by: Development Lead, Development Team
Approved by: Project Manager (Internal Only)
Kept Honest By: Verification
CONTENT INPUT:
CUSTOM CODE [AS NEEDED]:
PROTOTYPE BUILD COMPLETE:
THEMING:
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After design is finalized (design can continue to be refined as needed):
Most effort goes into presentation of the Alpha, after that, Beta and Launch should be
relatively easy, low pressure events.
Verify
Train
Training materials are essential. You and they should have printed versions that you
can refer to when they call with questions. “Go to page 7, see the body area? Click on
the image icon, select the image, and when done, select post to front page and hit
submit…”
Support
PRESENT ALPHAALPHA FEEDBACK [LAST] LAST OPPORTUNITY FOR FEATURE
PRESENT BETA FEATURE FREEZE
BETA FEEDBACK [LAST]
COMPLETE BETA FEEDBACK LAST OPPORTUNITY FOR CONTENT CHANGE REQUESTS LAUNCH QA CODE FREEZE/CONTENT FREEZE
DELIVER LAUNCH CANDIDATE CLIENT REVIEW
LAUNCH
TRAINING MANUAL TRAINING
