Even if you are prepared, unforeseen events can happen. Anticipating problems and mitigating risks are part of any project, including web design. Unpredictable events can sneak up, even with proper due diligence and best practice procedures in place. These unexpected circumstances can affect the project outcome. Fortunately, with proper procedure and adequate process, true emergencies are extremely rare when working with a qualified web development team.
How should your website development team support you and your platform through an emergency? Here we describe some perspectives and recommendations when meeting these types of challenges:
Importance: First off it’s important to define what qualifies as an emergency. The teams involved should have a defined protocol for deciding and agreeing on the priority level of an issue. Remember that your web team has probably seen and solved many challenges over the years and should already have the skill set to approach emergencies. However, your web design team should also hear your concerns and understand your needs.
People, Communication, and Workflow: Communication is critical for teams to work smoothly. There are several methods to approach this, but one recommendation would be to establish communication flows. For each team, a point person should be designated as the leader for their unit. If everyone is clamoring and responding at the same time, too much communication can cost valuable time. Instead when each team member supports their own project manager, then the leadership can direct the communication among teams. This way information can flow in an orderly and streamlined way.
Troubleshooting: With technical applications, including Drupal and Wordpress web design, developers need space and time to troubleshoot. A developer needs the elbow room and mental space so that they can approach the problem with clarity and use their detective stills. The development team will report right away when they find the root cause or other mission critical information.
Resolution and Support: A solution should be implemented as quickly as possible, but sometimes a stop gap may be necessary in the short term. Then a long term solution can be devised after the initial occurrence is under control. Even after the initial event, there may have been ramifications that need ongoing support. It is important in web design that these kinds of after effects be resolved as well.
Fortunately, true emergencies are extremely rare with validated processes supported by best practice standards. When teams have an established emergency protocol, everyone can bring their best response to the situation. By responding in coordination, teams can quickly shift from damage control into problem solving in order to resolve the issue for good.
