Acuit Projects on the Web

What do we mean by Projects on the Web?  Do we mean Web Projects?  No!  This refers to our unique method of administering the progress, milestones and final delivery of a software product - even Web Projects!  It is really an exciting and innovative part of our development process.  And in this brief article we disclose all the details!

During the development of any software product there are a number of people who care to know the details and progress of the work.  These individuals also need to a connection to, and input into that development process.  Acuit has developed a unique method for presenting status as well as soliciting input for team members.  It all revolves around the use of a Project Web Site.

The Project Web Site
Every project we are project leads or managers over has a Project Web Site.  This is the central watering hole for developers, project managers, company executives and beta users.  It is the one place that can be counted upon to contain the most up-to-date information.

So what's on there?
This site can contain any documents or files that are relevant to the project, but the most common are these.
          The nightly build
          The final specification document
          An up-to-date project and milestone schedule
          A form used to submit bugs
          A contact page for all project members

The nightly build is the often accessed file, by far!  At Acuit, we have developed an extensive build lab tool that allows us to build and ftp an entire nightly build of a product to an ftp site.  That product is built on a daily basis with the contents of source control on that day.  This allows QA engineers, users and managers to get the daily build at their convenience.  Just download it and install.  Each daily build is marked with a build number which is used to reference that exact build.  Developers are able to recreate a particular build if necessary.  It the least it help identify the timeframe under which bugs and defects appear.

Other documents like the updated specification and project schedule are always on the site.  This allows project members to access these documents when necessary, and nobody can claim to have an old copy.  The latest is always there.

Clients find the bug tracking page to be very useful.  It allows them to submit bugs for the product they are reviewing at their own convenience.  It might be in the middle of the night or on weekends.  The Internet never sleeps!  The bugs are submitted directly to a bug database and the appropriate developer notified immediately.  This allows users to have a direct input into the development process.  This bug tracking forum can also be opened up to a limited beta test group of end-users so that they have a appropriate and easy place to send feedback.

Who participates?
One can just about guess all the users of the Project Web Site based upon the contents listed above.  It involves just about every member of the project team for one reason or another, and may even include end-users.  Each user is assigned a username and password to gain access.  The following list are those most likely to use the Project Web Site.
          QA Engineers - to get the daily build and report bugs against it
          Product Managers - to help guide the development of features and specs
          Project Managers - to monitor the progress of development and create schedules
          Executives - to monitor and learn the product as it matures
          Marketing Managers - to learn how to sell its unique features and guide them
          Sales Executives - to prepare for launch events
          Developers - to have a place to put the results of their work for others to review
          End users - to report feedback on versions they review

Benefits of a central point of contact
One can quickly see the value of such a central point of contact!  It has worked out remarkably well for us to have such a site for each product we develop.  Everyone involved is happy to have a single repository for project related information and feedback for various daily builds is always at our fingertips.  Developers get immediate feedback and users and managers get the satisfaction of knowing that somebody is listening.

Also see: About, Typical Project