Design Process: 4) Define the strengths and limitations of the staff 

Whether you have a team of one working on a logo or print product, or a team of 20 working on a website redesign, knowing what the limitations are is very important to understand.

One of the worst things that you can do is propose something that you can’t deliver on. That instills distrust within the project.

Everyone working on the project has to make sure that the promises made are valid. Many times, people working on web based projects over promise and under deliver, when the opposite should be true.

People working on the design phase of the project have to understand what the rest of their team can deliver on, and make sure they are aware of what they are proposing should be done within the scope of the project. Developers also have to be truthful regarding what their capabilities are, and make sure to communicate that early on in the project.

After all, nobody likes surprises.

It’s important to identify gaps in technology and in execution of the technologies so that you can find solutions for them.

If you are hiring for a design project, be sure that the designer has a portfolio or actual work and not just faux projects aide at impressing you. There is a difference in designing something that will actually be built and something that someone created to look good and reel you in.

Once you know what you can and can’t do, then you can move onto the next item in the process: the Content Roadmap and definition.

Possible Pitfalls

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you don’t have the resources, then don’t add that to your list of responsibilities, otherwise you will be scrambling to find someone to fulfill that role, and that person may or may not be capable. 

Knowing there is a skill gap is not bad news; it just means you are not capable of making promises you can’t keep. 

Always be transparent about what you can’t do, however your solution is not to use a technology (or specific person) that you know to fulfill everything needed to be done. That could lead you down the path of reliance on the wrong technology, reliance on the wrong person, or being left holding the bags when a specific person leaves.