The term Project Management has come a long way since the days of Henry Gantt, who is considered the forefather of modern project management. In his time it was fair to say that all projects had an end, one was geared with a task and upon its completion the contract was fulfilled. Now it is fair to say that over the hundred plus years the concept of what business is has changed quite drastically. With modern technology leading the way, business has become more of an evolving relationship instead of the original one-and-done contractual-type work.

The business that we, BitWise Solutions, Inc. are in is one that cannot be clearly defined by having a means to an end. Since Web Development, Analytics, and SEO is a constantly evolving group of technologies, is it fair to say that a project really can ever just end? We are in the business of continuous innovation which stretches much further and broader than the word “project” can project. We’re not looking for an exit strategy; we are looking for engagements that give us the opportunity to continually improve the ROI on whatever services a client needs.

If you, the potential customer, were looking to do business with us, would it make sense to have us build out a website, application, or develop a web strategy, and not have us continue to work with it as technology advances or becomes more efficient? The whole purpose of what we do here is to help make your business better, and that simple concept never stops. We aim to grow our business relationships to be as beneficial for everyone as possible and putting a set end time to that hinders the ability to succeed to the highest level. So please, next time you stop in for an appointment, please leave that outdated word at the door; we’re in the business of Continuous Innovation.

Would you invest $100k in an asset and forget about it?  Amazing to me is the fact that many CEOs would invest $100,000, maybe $250,000, in a web site plus an equivalent amount on staff salaries, with no plans to measure ROI, growth, effectiveness, etc., over time.  What other corporate asset would warrant such reckless use of the precious resources of money and time?

The Non-Techie CEO

Further, what executive would drop such money and not strategically leverage that asset to its fullest?  The answer to this question is:  the executive who believes “I.T. is handling it…” – the executive who thinks it’s all about “technology”.  Such executives find it easier to hide behind the statement of “I’m not very tech savvy…” rather than taking the time to plan, organize and direct (the basic tenants of management) resources around the company’s investment in web assets.  You need not be a “techie” to take such ownership of corporate web strategy.

Build It, Forget It

It’s time the executive suite own, leverage, manage and expect results from your web—related assets.  It’s no longer acceptable to build it and forget it.  Failure is certain when you don’t use such assets strategically, rather waiting on the proverbial Marketing vs. IT battle to shake out.  Seldom, after 16 years, have I seen a productive, effective, efficient nor healthy Marketing vs. IT collaboration around a company’s web site.  When I have seen it, the executives are in the game, setting strategy/direction and ownership, not leaving such to just happen.

End of Projects

It’s time to stop thinking about your website or application as a “project”.  Projects have a start, an end and iron-clad targets that are established at the beginning of the project.  Most web site projects require several months, and multiple iterations to complete.  Unlike a project, a website or application should be a living, breathing, effective, ROI-focused, analytics-backed asset that is dynamic, flexing with the changes in the business climate.  Traditional project management methodologies work great for static targets, not living websites and applications.

Pajamas to a Party

Finally, my dear friends…  Some of you are simply wearing your pajamas to a party.  So many web sites, I submit because too many executives follow the mindset outlined above in this post, are tragic.  The designs are dismal, the messaging is off key, the content is from the Renaissance era and the functionality is missing in action.  Stop fooling yourself into thinking that your prospective customers and partners aren’t using your web site as one of their first steps in due diligence.  You do it when looking to work with another company, right?

It’s time to park your pajamas, get serious, own it and leverage your web assets as you would any other investment.  On June 30^th @ 8am at BitWise (Carmel), we’ll be talking about these points and more, with case studies.  Come and hear how your fellow execs have taken the reigns of their web assets and are leveraging such for true competitive advantage in the marketplace.  Oh yeah, by the way, even though our event is at 8am, please do not wear your pajamas.  Contact Kim Smith at 317-805-4376 or by email kim.smith@bitwisesolutions.com to register.

As with many businesses, the product itself seems to get all the attention; the new car smell is intoxicating and exciting. In the website and application development business, the actual website or application projects get the spotlight but, not unlike a new vehicle, they still require maintenance and updates.  Most of the time though, support and maintenance services get overshadowed by the fun projects, but this service plays an essential role in keeping client's websites and applications operational and working the way they need them to.

This week, we closed our 5,000th maintenance ticket since we starting tracking the metric four years ago and YTD we've helped 76 of our clients keep their website or application working at peak performance.  That's a big milestone for us!  The cool thing about it is that those are 76 clients that we've been able to help long after the project closed.  We don't just say, "see ya later!" when the project is completed, we're shaking your hand and saying, "see you in 3,000 miles, oh and if you want to make it go faster, we'll be right here standing by."