To a certain extent, project management is project management, regardless of the industry. As an established discipline, project management (as described in Chapter 1), has its eternal truths, systems that work no matter what project you re managing. In theory, project management is portable from industry to industry; however, project management is more than a theory, it s a practice. The project manager s practice involves communication, problem solving, and decision making, all of which require a solid technical grasp of the field. Even in the role of facilitator and motivator, the project manager needs technical knowledge to earn the credibility and respect of team members.

This chapter introduces some of the basic technology underlying websites and website development. It is meant as a jumping-off point. To those new to website development, this discussion will at least help you become conversant in the technology and know the sorts of questions you should be asking. It will also help you identify the gaps in your knowledge. It s up to you to bring yourself up to speed, whether through outside reading, classes, seminars, or workshops. Project managers of websites often grow into the position from a specialty within the development process and boast detailed technical knowledge within the specialty. As for the specialized skills plied by others on the team, they may possess only superficial familiarity. The systems analyst, for instance, may be an expert on the architecture of a database but may have no understanding of what the designer has done to prepare image...