Earlier this month, Absolute Marketing Group’s web programmer, Becky Resler, had the opportunity to attend the Midwest PHP Conference in Minneapolis. The annual conference, started in 2012, draws web and coding gurus from around the globe. For two days, presenters share their experiences, knowledge and expertise on any and all things web and software related with the goal of helping attendees be more efficient and effective at their jobs.

The conference covers a wide range of topics, as it is not limited to just coding. Some topics include: Mobile Development, Content Management Systems, JavaScript, Database & Server Administration, Frameworks, DevOps and other technical topics that are imperative to the work of web developers and programmers. The conference is also a great opportunity for web professionals to network and make connections with each other.

Our web programmer’s favorite presentation was Project Triage: What to Do When Everything Hits the Fan by Eryn O’Neil (@eryno). This session focused on dealing with web project crises. O’Neil shared her experiences and gave tips on how to save projects that have gone terribly wrong. Here are five important takeaways from her presentation:

  1. We’re only human – Crises are inevitable. No matter how careful you are in your coding and development process, human beings make mistakes and eventually something will go wrong. It is important to realize this so you can move forward and handle the situation when it “hits the fan”.
  2. Calm down – When your project goes wrong, it is perfectly normal to want to scream and pull your hair out. But that’s not going to fix anything for you. Step back, take a breath and figure out the best way to move forward. It’s not the end of the world after all.
  3. The 5 whys The best way to go about fixing a crisis is to find the root of the problem. The 5 whys is an effective technique that involves asking “why” five separate times in order to dig deeper and discover the true cause of the problem.
  4. Make a plan – A crisis doesn’t have to sink a project. Rather than dwelling on it, once you find the root problem, immediately start thinking about the first step for correcting it. Put together a plan for getting yourself back on track.
  5. Prevent it from happening again – Einstein may have said it best; “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” When a project goes wrong it should be a learning experience. What can you do differently next time to prevent the same thing from happening? Sometimes it takes a horrible crisis to make you realize that your process could use a little tweaking. Having a preventative plan in place is a great way to avoid future headaches.

Did your web project “hit the fan”? Absolute’s web team has the experience and patience to effectively move forward in crisis situations and would love to help you out. For more information visit absolutemg.com or give us a call at 701-478-1111.