Scoping a Web Project

It is important to write down precisely what the scope is of any web project. Getting your client or superiors to agree with it is even more important, because whenever a request is made, changing the scope of your project, you can refer to it and can suspend all requests that are not included. A typical example is provided:

[you or your company/department] will provide web design and development services to design a complete web site. This service will meet immediate requirements while developing an architecture to launch additional subwebs containing individual program and/or department content in the future. Once approved for launch, the prototype will migrate to a new, live server for public launch. [you or your company/department] will provide design, graphics, and necessary authoring of the working navigation shell and pages. An easy-to-use navigation method will be developed with top-level navigation accessible throughout the site to allow viewers to quickly jump to major topics of interest. The completed web site will serve as an innovative, economical, and efficient method of delivering school and program information.

Once the initial launch has been accomplished, templates will be developed for individual programs and departments. These templates will provide a professional design and user interface that will immediately identify all programs and departments as part of [you or your company/department] and will provide links to main web pages as well. Each program/product suite/department will have a unique template that personifies the individual qualities of that program/product suite/department , mutually approved by the department and the executive level [a/k/a/ Web Services]. Web Managers will be focused on providing the content and filling that content into the template. These files will reside on the development server until approved for launch by the department. The department will then contact Web Services for launch approval. Web Services will review for appropriateness: compliance to format, typos, etc., and then migrates approved content to the live server, which should occur within 24 hours (emergencies excepted). This process will provide a professional web site that can be maintained internally by the individual Web Managers and Web Services staff.

Second year plans are to implement a more complex web product that includes dynamic database-enabled components for streamlining processes while maintaining quality control and adherence to graphic standards. Individuals will be able to add events, news items, upload documents, etc. through a simple web interface instead of bothering with HTML or even FrontPage, Dreamweaver, etc.. All database records will be shown at the district level; individual departments will filter only those records on their web sites that are entered for their department. This will further enable the personnel to manage their content with an easier, more simplified approach.

Dynamic database-enabled projects include the following:

• Events
• Documents
• Press Releases
• Biographies
• Job Openings
• Staff Directory

Implementation will be done in phases, with testing and measurement done concurrently. New products will be developed first as an email form sent to Web Services. Databases will initially be implemented as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or Access databases. Once initial testing and measurement has been performed and traffic warrants expansion, phase two will be design and implementation of individual tables within a SQL Server database.

EXAMPLE:
Events Phase 1: Individuals will list all of their planned events in an Excel Spreadsheet provided by Web Services. For new events, personnel would go to an HTML form on the intranet that would email Web Services to update the database. The new records would be added by hand by Web Services to the database.

Phase 2: a Maintenance Section will be added to the web site that enables school personnel to add, edit, or delete existing events through an HTML interface accessing a live Access database.

Phase 3: If traffic or performance is warranted, the backend database will be ported up to SQL Server 2000. There would be no changes visible to the site visitor or personnel making updates, except for the experience of enhanced performance.

Also occurring in the second year is the possibility of enabling affiliate programs with on-line vendors such as amazon.com or bn.com whereby recommended reading lists could be linked directly to the vendor. Through the affiliate partnership, a percentage of the purchase price would be returned to the department. At no time would the company register an on-line merchant account due to the liabilities in place for fraud management. Currently, there is no protection to the independent on-line merchant to guard against credit card fraud. (On-line merchants do not physically access the actual credit card like a brick and mortar store, which is called a face-to-face transaction by the credit card company. In the case of a face-to-face transaction, the merchant that follows established rules - checking the signature, verifying codes on the card - is typically not liable. The issuing bank that approved the transaction is saddled with the chargeback. On-line merchants suffer under the same lack of guarantee that merchants accepting charges by telephone or mail order experience. Credit card issuers provide little or no assistance to on-line merchants and can doubly penalize a merchant with significant chargeback fees.) Use of external e-commerce facilitation vendors such as PayPal, BillPay, or Yahoo Stores would be considered the more desirable option for closed loop e-commerce transaction processing.

Provided by Web Services:

• Secured on-line build area for viewing during the development process
• Web graphics design and development
• Home page design and development
• Top-level categories pages, if applicable
• Quality assurance and acceptance testing of shell on selected browsers
• Initial content fill and format, based on existing web sites

Provided by Web Managers:

• Direction and feedback for web design customization of individual template
• Electronic versions of logos and artwork to be used [.jpg or .gif formats]
• Samples of existing collateral
• Final text for each page [.doc, .rtf or .txt formats]

The content, format, and depth of information contained within the final product will be finalized through in-depth meetings between Web Services, Web Managers, Department heads, etc.. Only then will all copy and content be considered final and ready for launch. The products residing on the development server will be used for soliciting member and staff feedback, along with further defining the scope of the project so that subsequent development costs can be minimized through effective project scope definition.

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Jeanne-Elise M. Heydecker is founder of JHeydecker Design Systems (http://www.jheydecker.com/), an Internet company that specializes in designing, developing and executing web-based and traditional sales, marketing, and management solutions. Ms. Heydecker brings over 20 years of experience in traditional and internet marketing programs for the business-to-business and consumer markets. She can be reached at: jheydecker@jheydecker.com.