Project Timelines &
Responsibilities
There is something about having a deadline that helps us complete
a project. This is especially true if a Web site is just one of
the many responsibilities of your job. Long-term goals can be set
into time frames of three to four months, or a semester, especially
if the developer is a student who will be leaving at the end of
the semester. Keep in mind that one person may be writing the content,
while another is creating the design.
Request photos and biographies of staff and faculty early in the
project timeline. Photographs should include names, so they can
be returned after they have been scanned. Provide a deadline for
these materials to be submitted.We suggest that you avoid delaying
the Web project because of missing profiles or photos. Instead add
them at a future time.
Meet with the individuals who will have input on the project. At
this meeting assign names and deadlines to each of the tasks on
the checklist (PDF). This suggested
meeting agenda may be helpful:
- Determine Target Audience
Discuss the purpose of the Web site and who is your intended audience.
More details are provided in the Target
Audience section of this guide.
- Determine Responsibilities & Project Timelines
At the meeting with the core group, fill in names and dates on
the check list (PDF) to establish
who is responsible for each task and appropriate deadlines.
- Establish Web Site Architecture
Information architecture shows how information will flow on your
Web site. Organizing similar types of information together and
choosing clear headings will make your site more user friendly.
More details are provided in the Architecture
section of this guide.
- Review Web Page Layout Options
Determine the Web page layout before you begin to develop your
site. Web page layout options
for the MHC Web design may be obtained by using the Document Interface Wizard.
- Review Progress
It is important to set a date to reevaluate the full project timelines.
About a month before the scheduled "go live" date, meet
again to assess what is crucial to be completed by the time the
site is live. Due to time restraints, there may be parts of the
site that you will add later as the content becomes available.
For information on obtaining access to Webspace, please read the
request access ection of Policies.
Before developing your site, we suggest that you create one or
two sample pages for the core group to review. Once the group agrees
on the design, then populate your site. We also suggest that you
review your timelines a second time and adjust them accordingly.
If you are running close to your deadlines, consider adding sections
at a later time.
LITS workshops
are available for learning how to use various Web development tools,
such as Dreamweaver for creating Web pages, and Photoshop for creating
and manipulating images.
A Document Interface Wizard
is available to help you obtain the MHC Web design more easily.
For assistance with creating or redeveloping a College Web site,
email webhelp@mtholyoke.edu,
or go to the Faculty Resource Center (Monday-Friday 2-4:30 pm).
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