The Secret to a Smooth Website Redesign is Strong Project Management

Raise your hand if your last bank or credit union website project was a nightmare. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We see a lot of financial institutions drag their feet to start the next one because of the headache they experienced in the past. But why is that? And is it possible to have a smooth project from start to finish? You absolutely can, and the right project management package is the secret.

Why Website Redesigns Go Off Track

• Misaligned Teams
  • Website redesign projects for banks and credit unions can be complex because there are so many teams involved. When marketing, IT, compliance, leadership, and probably an agency or two all have different ideas, friction is introduced.
• Unclear Expectations

  • With so many different ideas and expectations when it comes to what the website looks like, how it functions, how fast it can launch, and how much time is needed from each team, these projects can get out of hand fast.

• Lack of Proactive Communication

  • When the marketing team doesn’t know that the leadership team wanted a specific feature or when the development team didn’t know the bank or credit union needed space for disclosure text, timelines get off track and frustration abounds.

It’s easy to see how the project can become a point of contention for all involved. So let’s explore how to solve these problems before they exist for a smooth website launch.

The Role of a Strong Project Manager

A project manager should be more than just a task-ticker. When it comes to bank or credit union website redesigns, your project manager should understand the process and be a strategic leader throughout the project. Look for a project manager who does these things:

• Anticipates the Needs of Each Team
  • They should understand the project from the inside out. They already know when design needs a brand book, when development needs functionality guidance, when the credit union needs to gather information, and they anticipate everyone’s needs.

• Advocates for the Needs of the Financial Institution
  • Functionality that might seem obvious to the financial institution may not occur to the developers. A great project manager understands the needs of the bank or credit union and ensures all the pieces are accounted for before the dev team gets started. That means design, functionality, brand voice, compliance, and member needs.

• Leads the Conversation
  • They should be asking questions early, clarifying design decisions with context, looping in stakeholders, and identifying potential bottlenecks before they happen.

• Streamlines the Process
  • An experienced project manager can tell you what comes next, where the biggest lift will be for each team, and has a process in place for communication. 

A good project manager keeps meeting fatigue and email overload at bay, but not by sacrificing information sharing. And that’s where having the right tools comes in!

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The Role of Project Management Tools

No one wants to read comprehensive emails with blocks of text outlining every team’s current progress. But the other side of that can be too little communication, leaving you asking what is happening or what is needed to move things forward. That’s why you need more than just a project manager, you need a tool to organize the process and keep everyone in the loop. Many project managers will bring a tool they are used to using like Asana, Monday.com, Jira, ClickUp, or something similar that can accomplish the following:

• Transparency
  • Everyone involved in the project should have access to view progress and roadblocks in real time. This eliminates “where’s this at?” and “who is this with?” emails.
• Accountability
  • The tool should have the ability to assign tasks with deadlines, comments, and updates all in one place. 
• Collaboration
  • Teams should be communicating on tasks through tagging and comments. The ability to collaborate in real time rather than waiting for the weekly project meeting can vastly speed up the process and reduce silos.
• Documentation
  • The tool should track activity so teams can go back to see why a decision was made, when something was approved, or who requested a specific change. 

With the right tool, and a strong project manager leading the way, the common pain points of a website redesign are eliminated.

FI GROW Solutions Can Help!

When your website redesign project isn’t full of friction between teams, missed deadlines, late-stage surprises, and misaligned goals, the end result is stronger. Put time and energy into building a beautiful, functional website that aligns with your bank or credit union brand, strategy, and goals. 

Need help getting there? At FI GROW Solutions, we work exclusively with banks and credit unions, and we’re ready to make your next website project happen! Contact us if you’re looking for a partner who brings both digital and financial expertise.