The brief
Microsoft UK's website was divided into two areas, one for business and the other for general users. For about two years Zinc had a retainer for updating the business section, while AKQA looked after the rest (eventually they'd take over the whole website).
Subtext
Given Microsoft's profile, security was an issue. Following publishing procedures correctly was as important as technical competence, if not more important.
The deliverables
The updates would range from simple content updates to more complex ones meant to showcase Internet Explorer's DHTML capabilities, to one off CD-ROM projects, and simple backend applications.
The team
The whole company's production team was involved in this retainer, this included 3 senior developers, 4 junior developers, 2 art directors, 2 junior designers, and 2 copywriters.
My involvment
As a senior developer I was usually assigned a sub-project which I would developed either on my own or with the help of a junior developer.
The outcome
We did a very good job, and having a retainer was good for Zinc as well, not just in economic terms but also because it helped us establish house rules and strong production processes.
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