Tools to help bring teams together
For teams that are close to each other physically or far apart, collaboration tools ensure that your teams work in harmony together.
When you undertake a project such as web development, you will see the collaboration between team members from multiple departments providing input in the success of the project.
Read on to learn about the different kinds of tools that are available to make your collaboration between different departments smoother.
What is Web Development: A Quick Refresher
Web Development is the design and creation of a website or application that is accessible on the Internet or through an intranet (a private network).
In addition to this, web development also consists of the routine maintenance and updating of the website to improve efficiency our usability.
Web development can be the creation of a singular page with a wall of text, a web application, e-commerce pages/ interactive business pages, and even social media sites.
The development team all plays integral roles in the structuring and design of a website and its functionality.
Key members of a web development team
In order to create a functional and user-friendly website, there are several integral members that need to be included in the team.
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Content designers
The people taking on these roles need to be adept at several things including, UX design, user experiences, digital engagement, accessibility, web writing, and the creation of content. The content design sub-department will make use of content writers and graphic designers to utilize their unique skill sets to achieve this. Their role is inclusive of, but not limited to the content that needs to be created to populate the website.
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Front-End developer
When you visit a website, everything that you see and experience is created by a front-end developer. They know the ins and outs of the web language that is required to create the user interface of a webpage that is functional to the visitors. In other words, they create the way the layout appears to the visitor and the function each part of the layout will serve.
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Project manager
While not always actually designing, the project managers oversee the entirety of the project from start to finish, to make sure that it is complete and functional by the deadline. They break down all the tasks and then they assign team members to their specific roles relating to the project.
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Web designer
One of the most important roles of a web designer is creating the layout of the website. Unlike a front-end developer who focuses on the functionality of the website, the designer focuses on the visual appeal and creative aspects of the layout.
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QA Engineers
Quality Assurance engineers in a web development team make sure that everything within the software runs smoothly and there are no hiccups. They will actively test the website to ensure that it runs well.
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SEO Specialist
They collaborate with the content creators of the team, to ensure that the output is keyword-optimized, and follows all the SEO guidelines that align with rankability on search engines. In order to achieve the best results, there are certain factors regarding the layout and usability of the website that need to be optimized to the benefit of the user – this will also aid with the rankability of the site.
Collaboration Tools and How They Benefit the Team
Now that we know some of the many people who are involved in getting a website up and running, the tools that are listed below are important, as they aid with team collaboration and promote efficiency. These kinds of tools become more important to teams that work remotely.
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Communication tools
If you and your team are not working in the same space, let alone the same building, communication tools can help people stay updated with the progress of projects, field questions and provide information.
Useful tools: Two forms of communication need to be implemented in order for projects to be successful. These are chat-based and video-based means of communication. You can make use of Microsoft’s Teams application which has both features. Zoom and Google Meet are other options that provide video conferencing, while Slack and Bitrix provide chat communication channels.
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Tools that aid research
Research is imperative before starting any project. It gives you an idea of how the project can turn out in the long run. You need to compile data and relative information that will help guide the progression of the project.
Useful Tools: Your team will need tools that help with collating and organizing research points. If you are using documents for the research period, you need to ensure there is a cloud version for team members to access in order to make contributions. Microsoft Office and Google Documents are great in this regard, as only team members with explicit permission can have access to the documents. Another tool that is useful is Notion, which allows team members to create separate sections for research and all contributions are tracked.
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Coming up with Ideas
When it is time for teams to come up with ideas based on the research conducted and the data compiled, a meeting with a whiteboard where the entire team can visualize the plan would be ideal. However, this may not always be possible, in this event having a tool that can serve the same purpose, albeit digitally would be better.
Useful tools: Cloud-based documents would be your go-to option. Here teams with access can provide their insights directly on the documents. Another great idea would be to use a digital Whiteboard, like the one from Microsoft. It has all the functionalities of the real thing, just based on a different platform.
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Planning and Project Management
Once you have a way forward, the next step would be the team’s Project Manager taking hold of the reigns. They will have to formulate a structure and delegation of tasks. The proper planning of a project ensures that you will reach your deadline without any issues and gain genuine insights and feedback.
Useful Tools: Most project management tools have in place individual task options that you assign to relevant team members. The individual tasks can include deadlines, you can add comments, imagery, documents, etc to help the team members complete their tasks. Once they have completed it, they can pass it on to the next team member. Tools that have these types of functions include Monday, Bitrix24, Trello and Productive.
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Creating the Website’s Blueprint
The process of creating a website’s blueprint to work from is also known as wireframing. This process sees the relevant designers create the structure of a website layout. Basically, the designers create a rough sketch using simple shapes and color schemes to indicate how the design of the website will look.
Useful Tools: For wireframing the most useful tools will be the ones that have design tools in place. These include Microsoft’s Visio, Sketch, Miro, and Adobe XD.
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Prototype Creation
After the wireframe part of the project is complete, it is now time to implement the functionalities so that the website can go live. Here, teams will be able to work on website to ensure that all aspects are running smoothly. To make sure that this part of the project runs well, you should have both your web designers and developers work with each other to maximize productivity and reduce back and forth between the two departments.
Useful tools: To aid both teams, tools such as Wix, Figma and Sketch. These tools will help both teams work well together effortlessly.
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The Testing Stage
Before a website gets released for public use, teams need to make sure that the website or application is both user-friendly and in great working order. The best way to make sure that everything is covered, it would be best that teams are updated regarding changes in real-time so that they can be well attended to immediately.
Useful Tools: One tool, User Testing, allows teams to view the website while on a video call. Another tool User Zoom provides a report to all the team members involved. Rutti is a great app that allows users to make note of changes on the live website. This helps people see the actual places where changes need to be implemented before retesting.
Considerations
In order to implement software, applications, and tools for your teams, you need to make sure that they have a full understanding of how to use them effectively. For chat tools, and project management tools, it is relatively easy, but for more intricate tools for the designers and developers, you would need to provide training. There are many online courses available, as well as in-classroom options that will help make sure your team reaches their full potential and put out excellent results.
Final Thoughts
In order to put out a website or application that exceeds your expectations, you need to facilitate the collaboration of several different teams in order to pull it off. If you have the right tools for all the different teams collaborating on a project, then it can help teams do their work effortlessly.