How to Make Good Web Development Decisions

Good decision making processes in web development can save time and money and prevent unexpected nuisances or even disasters. These decision making processes should therefore be applied to all issues in web development, from as sudden server outages, to negotiating with a client or the whole website building process.

The ability to confidently make good decisions in such a specialised field as web development requires experience, but forethought and consideration will always aid a smooth working process. Often those working in website development are working under considerable stress and pressure from a high workload volume and impending deadlines, so it is understandable, if not ideal, that important decisions are often made rapidly. These quick decisions need not be bad quality, however, with the implementation of structured decision making models.

The web development industry works through team structures, with developers working with designers, clients or other developers. Collaborative work can often get confused and complicated by poor communication. A clear decision making process, however, ensures that all members of the development team are aware of what decisions are being made, and why. Good team decision making processes allow each member the opportunity to involve themselves fully in the website development process and supply quality input. This should prevent a client protesting to a change made to the web development after it has been made, saving time and money.

A basic decision making model, SHEL (Software, Hardware, Environment, Liveware) can be a very useful visual brainstorming tool in interviews with clients. The model is represented visually as a cross, with the central consideration, the end user, placed in the middle of the four other considerations. The software consideration can include factors such as whether to use Flash or Javascript, the liveware considers the content of the website and aspects such as use of social media, the environment factor asks the question of what else the user is interested in and the hardware component considers how the user is likely to access the website.

The SHEL model is particularly useful for making clear decisions in web development as it places emphasis on all decisions made in relation to the eventual user. By laying out website development decisions in this logical and comprehensive manner, the developer can avoid rash decisions and fatal mistakes in the website.

It also necessary to evaluate decisions made once the web development project is complete. Formulating clear goals and purposes before any other work is done will make evaluating the project a simple matter of judging the website against your, or the client's, expectations. Working along strong and conscientious guidelines guarantee the end product is of a high standard.