The Dyanmics of WordPress Development For Large Organizations

Developing a great WordPress site that yields results is one thing, but mix in inter-team dynamics and multiple departments and that’s when things can get complicated.

As the business of Marketing Press grows, we find ourself in this very position. WordPress development for multi-department organizations is a balance of give and take, plus sometimes there are some politics involved.

How should you handle them? What are the general guidelines for making the project a success? The questions may go on and on — so let’s break it down.

First things first, there are no hard and fast rules. One strategy will not fit all situations, but after reading this you will be better equipped to work through situations that happen.

Know your client

The overall client, of course, is the company or organization in its entirety. Before you kick the project off, ask the person who brought you into the project about the project’s chain of command. Are you working with them directly, their boss or one of their employees? This is the foundation of everything.

It’s also best to know who will be involved for benchmark reviews.

Figure out the communication channels

What works best for your team? What works best for the client and client’s team? IF they are one in the same, say email, awesome you are good. If they are a mix between in-person, email and phone calls — find a happy medium (err on the side of the client) and set clear expectations.

Marketing Press uses Basecamp to manage projects. Basecamp allows for a client side and team side for communication. This is a great feature to remove the client from technical brainstorming while keeping communication clear. If Basecamp isn’t for you, find something that is like ASANA or GitHub issues.

Understand the goals

What problem were you hired to solve? There has to be a problem worth solving if budget is allocated for the project. Know it, understand it and make it your mission to solve that problem. If it’s conversion — understand what’s been happening and the current conversion rates. If the problem is position — know how they the client is positioned currently, and how want to be positioned. Know the goals and the let goals dictate strategy.

Stay out of office politics

This is easy — just mind your own business in a respectful manner. If Jim’s department is fighting for more homepage space, direct him to your client. If Jill wants a layout that is different from the rest of the site and is off strategy, kindly direct her to the internal project manager.

This is not your battle, and it’s none of your business. Your business is to develop a great WordPress site that solves problems and help achieves the goals set forth.

Trust me, you will encounter this one often. If the department is underperforming, the department head may look to a new site as the fix, when the site may not be the problem. If the department is having troubles, you will already know about it from the goals and strategy sessions with your client.

Don’t be a people pleaser

You will never make everyone happy, so stop trying. Focus your attention and development efforts on making your client prosper.

Do your job

Every situation is different, and every organization is different. You will almost always encounter rogue employees who want to have their say in every matter. Be kind, be nice and differ to your client for how you should handle these situations.

Working with large organizations is rewarding and profitable if you understand who your client is, establish the lines of communication, clearly understand what problem you are trying to solve, know the intended results and stay out of organizational politics.

The Dyanmics of WordPress Development For Large Organizations