Challenges of Working in a Design Team

[ LiB ]

Often, designing, creating, and implementing a website by yourself is a daunting and challenging task. Throw in a group of people who are trying to accomplish the same tasks simultaneously , and you introduce a whole slew of potential problems and issues. Most of these issues can be categorized into one of two areas: technical or interpersonal.

Technical

Technical challenges are issues related to software (Dreamweaver or your web server software) and hardware (computers) that present themselves when you're trying to move from a single- user development arena to a multiuser situation. For web development, common technical issues include the following:

• Making sure that all developers edit the newest revisions and that their changes are immediately available for other team members to view and edit

• Making sure that some form of version controleither through the Dreamweaver Check In and Check Out or another methodprohibits developers from editing the same file simultaneously

• Providing a central repository that is accessible by the entire team where development files can be stored

Interpersonal

Interpersonal challenges are issues related to communication within the team. Functioning as part of a team involves more than just working on computers and going in and out the same door. People must work together. Communication is essential because misperceived instructions and ignorance of current information can cause disastrous delays and expense.

For web development, common interpersonal issues include the following:

• Making sure that all developers are suited to functioning in a team environment, which is different from being a "star" designer, off on one's own

• Making sure that all developers communicate regularly and understand each others' communications

[ LiB ]