[lang_nl]De eerste regel in het nieuwe jaar is erg van toepassing op waar ik zelf momenteel mee bezig ben. Ik ben mijn eigen weblog aan het aanpassen en loop daar tegen veel dingen aan die ik later goed kan gebruiken bij andere implementaties. Dat scheelt straks weer. Mijn tip is dan ook: probeer zelf dingen uit.

Probeer zelf dingen uit
Wil ik een weblog bij mijn site? Wat is een wiki en is dat handig voor onze organisatie? Beide vragen waar experts antwoord op kunnen geven. De beste manier om erachter te komen of iets daadwerkelijk geschikt is voor je organisatie of site is het zelf uit te proberen.

Denk je erover om een weblog aan je site te hangen? Probeer het eerst eens uit. Start een weblog bij een gratis dienst zoals Blogger, WordPress of Web-log en ga bloggen. Schrijf desnoods over andere onderwerpen dan je zakelijke onderwerpen, maar zo ervaar je in ieder geval wat het is en kan je goed bepalen of je iets wel of niet wil gaan gebruiken.

Het projectmanagementvoordeel van het zelf uitproberen is natuurlijk dat je beter kan sturen op wat je wil omdat je weet waarover je het hebt.[/lang_nl][lang_en]The first rule in the new year is very applicable to what I’m currently doing. I am adjusting my own weblog and during that process I come across a lot of things that I can use for other good implementations in a later phase. My tip is: try out things yourself.

Try out things yourself
“Do I want a weblog on my site?” “What is a wiki and is that a good tool for our organization?” Both questions where experts will know the answer. The best way to find out whether something is actually suitable for your organization or website is to try it yourself.

Thinking about adding a weblog to your website? Try! Start a weblog with a free service like Blogger, WordPress or Web-log and start blogging. If necessary write about other subjects than your business issues. This way you can experience blogging and determine whether or not it’s something you want to use.

The projectmanagement advantage of trying it out yourself is obviously that you can better control what you want because you know what you are talking about.
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[lang_nl]Deel 7 van de regels van Internet projectmanagement gaat over een heel belangrijk onderwerp: communiceren. Dat geldt voor zowel opdrachtgever als leverancier. Deel 7 dus:

Communiceer over de voortgang
Tijdens een project is het van groot belang dat alle betrokkenen weten wat de situatie is. Het is daarom belangrijk dat je blijft communiceren. Communiceer als leverancier de voortgang van het project en communiceer als opdrachtgever welke verwachtingen je hebt en wat jouw visie op de voortgang is.

Het communiceren kan op verschillende manieren. Belangrijk is persoonlijk contact (bellen, afspraken om situaties (bijvoorbeeld uitloop) uit te leggen). Voortgang kan gecommuniceerd worden per mail of voortgangsrapportages. De frequentie daarvan is afhankelijk van de grootte van het project.

Door de te communiceren voorkom je onduidelijkheden tussen de verschillende betrokkenen. Een opdrachtgever weet immers waar hij aan toe is en zal daardoor rustiger slapen, ook als de situatie minder rooskleurig is dan gehoopt. Weten wat er speelt is altijd beter dan onzekerheid.[/lang_nl][lang_en]Volume 7 of the rules of Internet projectmanagement deals with a very important subject: communication. This applies to both client and supplier. Volume 7 is:

Communicate on the progress of the project
During a project, it is very important that all parties involved know what the status is. It is therefore important that you communicate all the time. Communicate as a supplier about the progress of the project and communicate as a client about what expectations you have and what your vision on the progress is.

Communication can be done in different ways. Personal contact is important (phone, appointments to explain situations). Progress can be communicated by mail or progress reports. Frequency depends on the size of the project.

Good communication will help prevent inaccuracy between the various stakeholders. A client knows where he stands and will thereby sleep better, even if the situation is less rosy than hoped. Knowing what’s going on is always better than uncertainty. [/lang_en]

After a "French break", we pick up the rules for Internet projectmanagement. Today a general rule, which provides safety early in the project:

Determine the possible pitfalls in the project in advance

A project can ‘collapse’ in many different moments. That is, of course, exactly what you want to prevent. To have a ‘flexible’ project it is important, even before the start of the project, to map out where you can may get into trouble.

Previously I wrote an article (in Dutch) about Internet pitfalls. They are already eight possible pitfalls which you could identify in advance and for which you can set up countermeasures. However, there are many more potential pitfalls.

Start by creating a matrix with possible ‘bumps’ that you may expect in the project, estimate the probability that it is actually going to happen and define and adopt countermeasures.

If you already have thought about countermeasures in advance you can save two birds with one stone: you create awareness of the potential dangers involved in the project and you can quickly anticipate as a trap actually pops open.

Via Twitter I came across this American comic Dilbert. Funny : )           (click for a bigger format)

Already number 5 of the rules for Internet projectmanagement, today a rule that applies to every person in a project:

Dare to ask

A known ruling is "there are no stupid questions". That is all the more true for Internet projects. Too often we thought that something would turn out fine even though it is not quite clear. That can apply to both the sponsor as the contractor.

The sponsor often thinks that the supplier will do a good job, because "they have the experience and knowledge." And that is often exactly the reason why a supplier doesn’t keep on asking for more information: he is ‘supposed’ to understand the needs. Here a good relationship can get disturbed: ambiguity and misunderstanding. Suppliers will start to interpret what they think was meant and that often leads to products of which the client says: But that’s not what I wanted at all!

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to ask. Is something not immediately obvious? Ask! Did you make or build something? Ask for confirmation! Questions are free and asking questions is not stupid. It will prevent a lot of miscommunication. For everyone!