Writing a great brief is the key to a smooth running project, for both the client and the designer / developer. In particular this is essential for larger projects that include features such as custom scripts, content management systems & e-commerce. The list could go on but that’s just to give you a flavour of the size we’re talking about.
The pro’s to writing a project specification are:
- Developer knows exactly what is expected from them and so can quote accurately.
- Client knows what they are getting for their money.
- Forms the basis for a contract so that client gets what they pay for, and developer is covered for project scope.
- Smoother process – both client and developer can plan and schedule accordingly.
The Process
Having an overview of the whole process in terms of phases is a great indication of what needs to be in place before each phase can happen.
This will vary depending on the size of the project, there may be additional phases (UX design, User Testing, etc) – there are dozens of variations but this is a process based on a brief we had recently for a custom Django CMS.
- Detailed site map
- Mood boards / research
- Wireframes for each page
- PSD designs for each page
- Build static HTML / CSS for every page
- Browser testing
- Building custom CMS and input some sample content.
- Integrating any scripts (jQuery, Ajax, etc) into the static HTML site for testing.
- More browser testing
- Integrate static HTML into CMS
- Input real content
- More browser testing / user testing / tweaking codes & scripts.
- Final sign off.
This is just to give you a flavour of the amount of work that goes into a custom script, and how important a detailed project specification is.
As you can see, if you get to Phase 11 and suddenly you realise ‘Oh, we actually need 2 members log-ins – one for clients and one for users’ then you may have to go all the way back to Phase 3 and that has a knock on effect, adding a lot more time onto the project. Even the smallest thing such as adding a jQuery script could have a big knock on effect so you need to get everything worked out beforehand.
What to include?
Well, how long is a piece of string? It’s all completely down to the brief you have but here are some ideas:
- List of all pages that are to be included on the site (for Sitemap)
- List each page with the features that need to be on that page – so you can get an idea of how many page templates you may need to design.
- What each feature does. So for example, if it were a members login area, you would need to know information such as:
- Where is the login/signup? I.e. Top of a page, a new page, or a jQuery popup, etc
- What do they login/signup with (email? name? Facebook?)
- What happens when they login?
- What emails do they receive upon sign up / cancellation?
- What can they do once they login?
- What content is exclusive?
- Can they edit the profile?
- Etc… the list is extensive.
- Where will the site be hosted / tested?
- Indicate where any jQuery / javascript / Ajax / scripts might be i.e.. will Search results be loaded dynamically on the page, or will it page reload?
- Does information from one page feed through onto another page?
- What elements will the client need to update themselves and which bits can be static?
Again the list could go on but hopefully it’ll help you think about the sort of questions you should be asking, or help you write a detailed specification if you need to.
It doesn’t just have to apply to this size of project, but can also apply to smaller ones such as a brochure WordPress site, just work out the Phases you need on a per project basis, then ask yourself / your client the questions you need to and go from there!