Just recently my friend Brian posted “A Problem Attitude” over on his sitehttp://briangilham.com. I completely agree with him that, some, developers can have a bad attitude when dealt with. I have been one of them at times. Although, I think I have always had good reason to complain about the cards I’ve been dealt.

My biggest complaint, and what I find myself bitching about the most, is when I’m passed documents that are missing critical information or thought.

Agencies all have different processes but there are some fundamental things that are always the same and usually have the same problems.

A very basic overview of the process would be:

Information Architecture Phase -> Design Phase -> Development Phase

(This is a linear example. A modular approach would be iterative and some other Agencies may have a completely different approach. Although this is the most widely used from my experiences.)

Lack of detail, planning, and content within the initial IA phase leads to gaps in the overall direction and documentation. This results in errors and confusion down the line. Rest assured, I have never seen one set of IA documents that have been too detailed or thought out. There is always something missing and it’s usually user interaction.

Dealing with mostly flat images and, many times, with no animation or interaction experience, Designers leave out critical information when passing on their designs. Materials and direction are often asked for down the line, by the Developer, when they should have been provided initially.

Stepping in at the last part of the process is the Developer who is left with a host of issues to deal with. These, of course, are brought on due to the lack of understanding and thorough planning from the previous phases.

This leads to aggravation and disdain by the Developer who has to ask questions and make decisions that they shouldn’t have to.

The easiest way to avoid this scenario, and keep your Developer happy, is to ensure the Development process is literally just execution. Do as little back peddling as possible by “measuring twice cutting once”.

If you can provide a streamlined process with thorough understanding, planning, and collaboration through out then I assure you that won’t find your Developer up in arms. If so, then you’ve got a bad employee not Developer.