Building Your Web Team

Web sites have gone from little-tin-shacks to Taj Mahals, and Web teams have evolved along with them. But just as growing sites sometimes pass through an awkward stage, expanding Web teams often lack the order and direction necessary to produce quality work. Many companies, facing budget constraints or lacking a concrete model, have been forced to hire their Web teams piecemeal. If this description fits your company, it's time to transform that patchwork group into a cohesive unit with clearly defined roles.

Before you organize and build your Web team, you'll need to map out your company's exact needs, corresponding job descriptions, and titles. Perhaps you need to restructure management within the group—maybe you don't even have concrete job descriptions for your current employees. But how does one tackle restructuring, promotions, and hiring in an industry culture where a Webmaster, an executive producer, and a "prime minister of get down" might all have the same job description? Common sense dictates careful planning to find the right combination of talents that will fit your budget and fulfill your site's needs.

Picking a lead

First, consider who you have leading the team. Perhaps you envision your Web site as serving a marketing function, which is perfectly reasonable. If that's how your company is structured, it may seem logical to have the team report to your marketing director. Unfortunately, having a non-techie in command can engender dissatisfaction in the ranks. Employees who are intimately familiar with the Web's limitations don't want to spend hours explaining why they can't fulfill a ludicrous request.

But don't take my word for it: You can find threads on this topic all over the Net. Take, for example, this comment posted on NetSlaves: "I've worked for some... arrogant, infantile dot-commies who fail miserably when it comes to understanding what it takes to develop a Web site, yet feel that they have the right to dictate their tech staff's every move, resulting in hundreds of wasted hours. I hope the only time I ever see these clowns again in 'Silicon Alley' is when they are approaching my car, offering to wash the windshield." Like I said, dissatisfaction. You know as well as anyone that good help is hard to find. When someone with a desirable skill set gets itchy feet, Foosball and free M&Ms won't keep that person from walking.

The best option is to have your Web team report to a CTO, CIO, or similarly technical executive. This makes more sense than over-involving the marketing department, as Web site production and management require some highly technical skills. The team captain, if you will, should understand not only the importance of user experience, but also the infrastructure that supports the site.

The Playbook

Before you restructure your Web team, flesh out your expectations for the site and related responsibilities. There are several ways to categorize the people who work in a Web team, but the best way is to break it down by goal or function and then hire any additional people you need to reach your goals.

Strategy. You need employees to manage the group and lead the project. This portion of the Web team communicates with other employees in their areas of expertise—sales, marketing, executives—to produce a site in line with your intended message and corporate image. Strategists help you set objectives and achieve them by a reasonable deadline.

Design and User Experience. Site design is a visual statement of your intent. Solid navigation and reference points for your audience work together to indicate a sound design. Developing quality content is futile if your visitors can't find it.

Technology. You can break technology into two parts: the programming and coding, and the system and network infrastructure. You'll need people to do the actual HTML markup and development, people to program the Web applications, and people to maintain the servers and systems.

If you're planning an elaborate site, you may also have other duties that plug in to the core responsibilities outlined above. For example, online magazines or content sites need writers and editors. Most sites that sell advertising have a sales team that pushes ad space. If you sell a product on your site, you'll need a fulfillment team that processes orders and makes sure the product actually gets to customers.

The Lineup

Web titles vary wildly. Webmasters, developers, designers, and sys admins don't necessarily do the same things they used to. Many individuals take on titles similar to those in the publishing and broadcast industries, such as executive producer or editorial director. Call them what you will, these are the core employees that make for a solid Web team:

The Webmaster holds one of the most amorphous titles of the bunch. No two will have the same job description. In most companies, the Webmaster (or Webmistress, or executive producer) serves as a Web team's alpha geek. This person manages the design, content, and technical staffs; directs the overall vision for your site; develops business partnerships; and analyzes traffic flows looking for ways to increase traffic. He or she also coordinates with the sales staff if your site solicits advertisers, or with the product staff if you run a commerce site.

Look for someone who keeps abreast of the W3C's work, and has a well-rounded Web background, including at least a year of full-time work as a developer or information architect. This person should also have a command of Perl, Unix, HTML, CGI, and JavaScript. If the Webmaster at your company must manage a staff, look for previous management experience.

Some companies hire both an executive producer and a Webmaster, with the latter reporting to the former. In this configuration, the executive producer often acts as the coordinator and advisor, whereas the Webmaster oversees the technical staff and may work in a more hands-on role with the site.

The Information Architect organizes content and tests site usability. This person should be mindful of information organization and user-interface issues. His or her goal is to produce a site that's clear and pleasant for your audience. A good candidate will be versed in the importance of scalability, ensuring that you can introduce new information to your site without introducing confusion as well. An Information Architect engages in strategy planning and translates it to hands-on site execution. He or she is the major communication link between the administrative team and the development team, and may also do product research for the Web team.

A past life as a project manager or designer is a good sign, as is a degree in a field that emphasizes information handling, such as library and information science, human-computer interaction, design, or even journalism.

The Designer creates the overall look and feel of your site and generates graphics, usually with Photoshop and Illustrator. A good artistic sensibility is essential, so make sure that your company aesthetic matches your candidate's. A seasoned designer will have at least three sample URLs that you can review for simplicity and overall effect. The person should have a strong grasp of HTML—though not to the extreme level you'll require of your coder—and a working knowledge of an HTML editor like Dreamweaver or BBEdit. Your designer handles image optimization, often using Fireworks or ImageReady, and a fundamental understanding of typography is also key.

Because of the creative nature of this job, designers come from diverse backgrounds. Though some Web designers only have Web design experience, training in more traditional disciplines often adds unexpected impact to your site. A good candidate may be educated or have experience in fine arts, graphic design, film, photography, animation, multimedia, or even set design.

The HTML and JavaScript Coder performs technical programming and markup to create the site's front end. This person also acts as the link between front-end design and back-end development. A good coder will be intimately familiar with compatibility issues, introducing interactive elements without hampering accessibility. He or she should be conscious of potential server problems and how to reduce the drain on a server when addressing issues like form validation. A familiarity with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is also necessary, as is an awareness of basic design principles.

Look for someone who has a few years of experience coding HTML and a firm grasp of JavaScript. A good candidate will also be conversant in software that aids in page layout. Experience with ASP, CGI, FTP, and database integration are icing.

The Developer or Programmer develops scripts and applications that may or may not connect to a database to enhance site interactivity. Your developer handles feature documentation and technical specifications for the work he or she produces. This person also scans for HTML and scripting compatibility issues, and helps with site configuration, tuning, and optimization.

Advertise for candidates who have experience with HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, database development, relational database design, and Internet protocols. A sound prospect will also be familiar with IIS, ASP, JavaScript/VBScript, and Visual Interdev.

The System Administrator monitors and maintains the servers, including hardware and software, to keep the site up and running. A trained system administrator will also pinpoint tasks that require automation, and use performance analysis to tune systems. He or she sets policies on system use and services, and understands principles of routing, and client/server programming. Often this person has purchasing authority, and acts as a vendor liaison. Programming skills in a scripting language (Tk, Perl, and shell) are helpful.

Experience with server administration is key—an NT or Unix certified admin would be particularly valuable. A degree in computer science is also a plus. If your site is heavily dependent on databases, make sure your sys admin knows its ins and outs, or consider hiring a database administrator as one of your core team members.

As I mentioned before, many content sites have their own editorial staff based on the publishing model, which includes an editor in chief, copy editor, and so on. Some businesses also hire quality assurance technicians—like those hired for software development projects—so that testing and debugging are included as phases of development.

If your staff is larger than five or six people, it's best to organize them into subteams, or as separate groups in departments. For instance, a content-based site may have an entire editorial staff that reports to a chief content officer, who feeds editorial to the technical staff.

Versatile Players

The core team outlined above describes the needs of an average content or commerce site, but your needs may differ. Companies with smaller sites, smaller budgets, or with sites that just require less updating, may combine roles. The designer could also be the HTML coder, if you have someone who's skilled in the technical aspects of site development. The coder could also be the developer if he or she has programming skills.

To make things easier, refer back to the list of titles above. Jobs that appear in consecutive order on the list are more easily combined than jobs that are farther apart. Finding a designer who could also be your sys admin is unlikely, mainly because there's little or no skill overlap between the two jobs. Yet, information design has a number of skills that are similar to those used in visual design (both focus on the front-end user experience).

Conversely, larger sites may have more than one person with the same title. For instance, many mid- to large-sized Web teams have more than one HTML coder simply because one person can't do all of the markup. Large teams often hire a number of developers, each with their own special focus.

Recruiting

If you have any holes in your team, you'll need a hiring strategy. Deciding what to pay for each position is one of the most difficult aspects of the process. I'd love to offer you a table of concrete numbers, but cost-of-living factors in different locations make that impossible, so you'll need to do some research to find out what's appropriate for your area. If you're looking for basic salary ranges for the positions I've outlined, see some of the sites in the "Online Resources" box. Also, check into job sites like Monster and ComputerJobs to see what similar companies in your area are offering.

If viable candidates are in short supply where you're located, consider hiring from outside your region. This may mean relocating new hires to your city, but many companies receive tax breaks for offering relocation packages.

Telecommuting is another option. A $50,000 salary looks a lot more appealing to someone in Des Moines than to someone looking for an apartment near your San Francisco office. In fact—according to the Homestore Salary Calculator—residents of Des Moines can make approximately $20,000 less per year than a peer living in San Francisco and enjoy the same standard of living. Amazing, but hardly surprising. Target employees from particular cities by using services like Craig's List—a community bulletin board that has its roots in the Bay Area and has now set up sites for Boston, Chicago, Seattle, New York, and more.

Finally, think about contracting. Not all jobs require a full-time in-house staff member. Also, benefits for full time employees often add around 25 percent to a base salary. If you'd normally hire a full time developer at $80,000 per year with full benefits, you could offer a contractor $100,000 per year, which increases your chances of attracting a more skilled candidate.

Season Forecast

As you may know, the job market isn't necessarily on your side, and future prospects aren't much better. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. will need 1.3 million new Information Technology workers by 2006.

The key to hiring and retaining employees in this market is to remain flexible. While you're interviewing, keep the person's experience and interests in mind. If a candidate is strong in one area, but interested in gaining experience in another, offer a position that will take advantage of his or her talents while also allowing room for growth.

The same goes for your existing staff—take note of their interests and look for growth or transition opportunities. Your designer may be yearning to try his or her hand at coding, or your developer may have management potential. Offer the training, feedback, and guidance they need.

Putting the right person in charge, outlining exact responsibilities and expectations, and giving employees opportunities for advancement will make everyone happier. And happy employees are a lot less likely to take notes when a head hunter calls.

all the best.........