WebFeat: managing a complex Web design project in an academic environment

WebFeat was a World Wide Web site design project undertaken on behalf of six units (five departments and an administrative office) in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. The effort was undertaken by seven student/faculty/staff teams: six teams supporting the six participating units and a seventh "core" team to provide design and technical guidance for the overall effort. The management of this project required innovative coordination and communication strategies. However, the success of the project derived as much from conventional as from innovative project management features. The four main success factors for the project, beyond the plain excellence of the students taking part, were the sharing of physical office space, the use of face-to-face meetings, the use of online/paper tracking and reporting tools and the use of team-building e-mails.