😱😮 Clear roles—Because every website project needs less drama

2. Core team
For bigger or more strategic projects, a small team (ideally 3–5 people) brings more perspectives than a single lead can offer. This group shares decision-making responsibility. In larger organizations, team members might represent whole departments. In smaller ones, consider recruiting board members or volunteers—important projects shouldn’t depend on one person’s vision, even (especially?) if they’ve been dreaming about this website for years..

3. Leadership sponsor
I’ve seen too many projects stall when the project lead can’t get other people to follow through on commitments. A leadership sponsor helps get buy-in, removes roadblocks, and ensures the project has what it needs to succeed. This might be your ED, a department head, or whoever’s best positioned to clear the way when someone inevitably says “but we’ve always done it this way.” They don’t need to attend every meeting—just be available when needed.

4. Advisory Committee

Not every project needs one, but an advisory group can keep broader stakeholders informed and engaged. This might include users, additional staff, or partner organizations. It’s not a replacement for proper up-front research, but it’s a good way to gather feedback, catch potential problems, and build shared investment. If you do create one, consider whether funders might participate—it could help with future funding conversations.

5. Special stakeholders
Sometimes key people (like your ED) need input but can’t commit to regular meetings. Schedule intentional check-ins at important decision points. But if you find yourself with lots of “special stakeholders,” step back and rethink—they either need to join the core team or delegate their authority to someone who can. This kind of structure keeps everyone aligned and projects moving forward. Clear roles prevent confusion, speed up decisions, and get the right people involved at the right moments. It’s about building internal clarity and shared ownership—so the work moves forward with fewer roadblocks.

Dive Deeper

User Interviews… on a Shoestring Budget | Laura S. Quinn Consulting

Getting your project roles right is one step—your Core Team also needs to know what success looks like for everyone affected by the project. I typically do this by interviewing internal stakeholders (and external audiences) with a short set of questions: How would you define success? What hurdles might we encounter? This article is a good primer on how to conduct these conversations without fancy research budgets or specialized training—the simple question framework and scheduling tips make it easy to gather the insights that prevent projects from going sideways later.

Interviewing Humans | A List Apart

This classic article provides a more robust overview of how to do interviews—including how to prepare, how to conduct the interview, and, most importantly, how to listen.