Sound Objective is written by Gordon Withers. I am a freelance web development consultant working in Vancouver, Canada as Fathom Consulting.

I’ve been working in the software development and implementation industry since 1997, focusing on web development since 2000. I have worn (and continue to wear) many hats on the development teams I’ve been part of: project manager, information architect, business analyst, QA tester, and trainer, among other things.

Some time in 2006, I received a Request For Proposal (RFP) from a prospective client, and as I read the document, I felt mixed thoughts and emotions: confusion about what was being requested; disappointment over the lack of clarity in the document; and sadness that someone had paid for a document which provided little to no value in moving their important project forward. After reading the document, I thought “I should write a book about how to write an RFP for web development services.” But, I quickly realized that this wasn’t the solution - in fact, I have many doubts about the RFP process in general.

The end result: this blog. My goal is to draw upon my experience to write articles that will help businesses select and work with web developers, create effective teams, and get the most value from their investment.

My intended audience is people involved in the selection of web development partners and those involved in the projects that follow. In addition, I hope that these articles will be of interest to web designers and developers.

Knowing that web development projects are not black and white, I am eager hear your ideas and comments: there are many ways to build successful web sites.

Thanks,
Gord.