CREATING A
METHODOLOGY
And the Myth of Perfection
Corey Vilhauer Now What? 2014

I’M COREY
VILHAUER
@mrvilhauer

“I’m sorry, I must be the worst
speaker you’ve ever seen.”
- Me, Probably.

LET’S TALK ABOUT
WEB CONTENT

“I’m sorry, we must be the worst
team you’ve ever worked with.”
- A Real Client

METHODOLOGIES
WHAT A METHODOLOGY IS

METHODOLOGY
A formal documentation of a
set of processes

ASK A QUESTION
RESEARCH A PROBLEM
FORM A HYPOTHESIS
TEST THE HYPOTHESIS
COMMUNICATE/CHANGE

METHODOLOGIES
ALLOW FOR
REPLICATION

EACH
COMPANY
IS DIFFERENT

EACH
INITIATIVE
IS DIFFERENT

EACH
PROJECT
IS DIFFERENT

EACH
ONE OF US
IS DIFFERENT

WE
ARE ALL
SNOWFLAKES

METHODOLOGIES
WHAT A METHODOLOGY IS
WHY THEY MATTER

“We don’t really have a process for
getting articles approved.”
- A Real Client

“We send things to university
relations but we are never really
sure when they’re finally
published.”
- A Real Client

“LOL”
- A Real Client

1. COMMUNICATE
OUR PROCESSES

2. STANDARDIZE
OUR PATH

3. ALLOW FOR
THOUGHTFUL
VARIANCES

YOU CAN’T BREAK
THE RULES IF YOU
DON’T MAKE THE
RULES
YOU CAN’T BREAK
THE RULES IF YOU
DON’T MAKE THE
RULES

METHODOLOGIES
WHAT A METHODOLOGY IS
WHY THEY MATTER
HOW TO BEGIN

XX
THESE ARE GUIDES
NOT METHODOLOGIES

A GUIDE, NOT A MAP

WE CAN’T
TELL YOU
WHAT
TO DO

ALWAYS BE COLLECTING

X X

MAKE A LIST

DETERMINE HOW

DETERMINE WHY

BRING ‘EM TOGETHER

YOU ARE NEVER FINISHED

“Instead of driving an idea blindly
into the world … you are guided by
the feedback you get. There are no
beginnings or endings - just small
steps forward.
- Robin Sloan

METHODOLOGIES
COMMUNICATION
REPLICATION
CHANGE

THANK YOU
www.eatingelephant.com/nowwhat2014
@mrvilhauer
for notes and resources: