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Project Management for Digital Accessibility

Project Management for Digital Accessibility

Presentation for Accessing Higher Ground 2020

If you aren’t incorporating accessibility into your project management process, you are creating risk. An effective project manager can mitigate that risk and create a better, more inclusive experience. Learn why and how project managers should be accessibility leaders, starting with understanding the business case and engaging with stakeholders. Discover how project managers can implement accessibility without sacrificing organizational goals, timelines and budgets.

Emily Lewis

June 13, 2021
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  1. 2 • Accessibility & Universal Design Specialist - Knowbility •

    Formerly Bright Umbrella, CTRL+CLICK CAST & Web Standards Sherpa • Author Microformats Made Simple • Co-author HTML5 Cookbook • [email protected] • @emilylewis
  2. 3 • Use Zoom's Q&A panel for questions • Use

    Zoom's chat for comments and interactions • Select "Panelists and Attendees" to share your comments with everyone Your Participation!
  3. 5 No support from the top Misunderstandings about requirements Poor

    hiring and outsourcing Projects over budget Missed milestones, late launches Accessibility fades over time Challenges & Risks
  4. 7 What is accessibility? Why does it matter? What is

    your organization’s policy? Where does accessibility fit into the project lifecycle? Do you have the right resources? How do you manage risk? PMs Need to Know
  5. 9

  6. 11 Can people with disabilities get the same information, perform

    the same interactionsand function as others with comparable ease?
  7. 13 • 19% of all enrolled undergraduates reported having a

    disability Increase Admissions Students with Disabilities in Higher Education pnpi.org/students-with-disabilities-in-higher-education/
  8. 14 • Design and build once • More cost effective

    to find and fix issues earlier Improve Efficiency How much do bugs cost to fix during each phase of the SDLC? www.synopsys.com/blogs/software-security/cost-to-fix-bugs-during-each-sdlc-phase
  9. 15 • More than 11,000 ADA Title III lawsuits in

    2019 • Litigation is expensive and damaging to reputation Reduce Legal Risk ADA Title III lawsuits hit another all-time high in 2019 www.hrdive.com/news/ada-title-iii-lawsuits-hit-another-all-time-high-in-2019/573393
  10. 17 • What does your accessibility policy apply to? •

    Are there any exceptions? • What level of WCAG compliance is required? • What types of accessibility violations would prevent a new site or piece of content from going live? • Who gets to make those calls? Developing Organizational Policies for Web Accessibility www.w3.org/WAI/planning/org-policies/
  11. 20 • Number of help inquiries • Change in admissions

    applications from students with disabilities • Change in requests for accommodations • Number of students with disabilities Statistics
  12. 21 • Review competitors for accessibility • Reputation among people

    with disabilities • Diversity rates Competitive Analysis Disability Equality Index disabilityin.org
  13. 22 • Loss of enrollments • Damage to reputation •

    Lawsuits • Loss of funding Risk of Doing Nothing
  14. 25 Administration / College & Department Heads Project / Product

    Managers Content Strategists / Information Architecture Copywriters / SMEs / Content Authors Designers Front-end Developers Back-end / CMS Developers Quality Assurance
  15. 27 • Understand accessibility and how it applies to your

    institution, departments and staff • Understand risks and benefits • Build accessibility into the budget • Be an advocate Administration, Department Heads
  16. 28 • Understand a11y and how it applies to your

    project • Communicate with and support all team members • Think about accessibility throughout process • Engage with and represent users • Hold team accountable • Stay firm Product / Project Managers
  17. 29 • Know the audience and organizational goals • Clear,

    consistent content structure across varying viewports • Multiple paths to information, resources • Content pyramid • Simplify, simplify, simplify Content Strategists / Information Architecture
  18. 30 • Alternative text, formats • Clear language, defined acronyms

    and uncommon terms • Instructions don't rely on color or sensory characteristics • Simplify, simplify, simplify Copywriters / SMEs / Content Authors
  19. 31 • Color • Typography, structure & hierarchy • Interactions

    • Proximity • Controls for motion • Responsive Designers
  20. 32 • Use code libraries wisely • Operability • Meaningful

    structure • Parsing • Interaction support • Performance, optimization Front-end Developers
  21. 33 • Enforce accessible content entry • Work with code

    from front-end team • Use software, plugins, libraries wisely • Performance, optimization CMS / LMS / Back-end Developers
  22. 34 • Develop test plans with accessibility built-in • Use

    automated tools where practical • Use manual testing for full coverage • Sign off accessibility with each key deliverable Quality Assurance
  23. 35 • Proven understanding of requirements • Accessibility-first mindset, inclusive

    design process • References, examples from accessible products • Post-launch support, maintenance • Future updates remain accessible In-house & Outsourced
  24. 38 • Involved in strategy and planning • Regular communication

    • Understand roles and constraints • In-house and outsourced Form a Collaborative Team Accessibility for Teams accessibility.digital.gov
  25. 39 • Ensure staff know what’s expected of them •

    Ensure staff have what they need to be successful • Provide a means to track progress • Have a process for staff to flag issues Support, Resources & Training
  26. 40 • Expect challenges, questions • Plan for future enhancements

    • Build in time for testing, remediation and re-testing Plan, Plan & Plan Some More Planning and Managing Web Accessibility https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning-and-managing/
  27. 41 • Educate and translate • Check-ins to ensure cross-functional

    accessibility • Proactively explain any relevant tradeoffs tied to solutions Communicate Early & Often
  28. 42 • Define metrics from the start • Always reference

    metrics • Strong “executive summaries” • Quantitative and qualitative measure Measurement & Reporting
  29. 43 • Living documentation • Ongoing training • Usability studies

    • Monitoring • Track standards, legislation • Track new technology Maintenance