Bi-weekly meetings

The first thing we do when we start a new project at Mellenger is to set a regular, bi-weekly meeting with the client. From the start of discovery to launch, we meet every two weeks like clock-work. From the project management perspective, the interval between meetings acts as our sprint, a set period of time during which specific work has to be completed and made ready for client review. From an egg-on-your-face perspective, we don’t want to show up at those bi-weeklies without progress to share - a great motivator! And from the client side, they know what we’re working on, what’s coming up next and what we’ll need in terms of approvals and decisions and by when. We stay on the same page. 

Running WIP documents

Project management tools like Asana, Click-Up and Monday.com have their place, don’t get me wrong. But we find that a good old Google doc can be one of the most useful PM tools out there. For the lifecycle of a project, we capture meeting agendas and notes, links to relevant documents and drives, decisions and deletions in a single Work In Progress (WIP) Google document that is shared with everyone on the project, both those at Mellenger and on the client side. The net result is detailed documentation on the project from start to finish; if ever we’re wondering when a decision was made or even what the decision was, we know where to go for the answer. Think of it as the single source of truth. 

Devs talking to clients

Call us old fashioned, but we think web development goes more smoothly when everyone is at the table.

Some shops keep meetings and presentations between project managers or account execs and clients while keeping developers chained to their workstations, writing code. At Mellenger, we believe in the value of our developers hearing directly from our clients, understanding their pain points and non-negotiables first hand. Not only does this ensure that we are developing the best solution but - and at the risk of getting sentimental - relationships matter. Only when we all come together, learn from each other and connect person-to-person, are the best results possible. 

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Working Ourselves out of a Job

This one might sound funny, but our goal at Mellenger is to work ourselves out of a job. Let me explain. When we are building a new website, we keep two goals top of mind: 1) Create such an intuitive, easy-to-use admin interface that virtually everything can be updated or changed by the client; and 2) Build a site that positions the client for growth. We don’t want to hand over a site on launch day that requires a web developer for copy updates, new pages or fresh imagery. Mellengerms believe that the power should be in the client’s hands. We design and build sites with flexibility on the navigation bar and menus. So that if a client needs to add a new program, offering or set of pages, there is room to do this without calling in the cavalry. In a nutshell, we don’t want you to need us. We want you to want us. Too needy? Perhaps. But we want to build a long term relationship with clients through exciting enhancements and version 2s…not based on them being hamstrung by a difficult CMS or limiting design.