Project scopes are an important part of the website process in Fifteen, this blog will outline all your burning questions about scopes, and why we write them for the web projects we work on.
What is a Project Scope?
A project scope document is put together after a project start meeting, to outline the project in full detail, making sure that all parties are on the same page before progressing into the project any further.
It allows us to smooth out any questions about the website and gives us all a document to refer back to in the event of any queries later on down the line.
What is included in a Scope?
A project scope document typically includes the following:
- Brief – The brief of the project is key to outline our understanding of the path that lies ahead of us. It is there to give us an overview of the work that we have been assigned to do and ensures that we are setting the tone of what is expected of us.
- Objectives – Following on from the brief, the objectives are a series of bullet points that outlines all the key elements of what we set out to achieve from the project, from increasing site visits to increasing the amount of users that sign-up for newsletters or engage with the client once the site has launched.
- Current Site Performance – Having a record of the current site performance, means that we have something to compare to once the new website has launched. This generally comes in the form of analysing the page performance in terms of quality and speed of the website, which gives us a score from A+ to F and a % score.
- Look and Feel – We will generally have a really good idea of where we see the website going creatively after a project start meeting, the mood board that features in the project scope allows you to see where we see the website going creatively, taking into consideration best user experience and your personal preferences.
- Sitemap – The sitemap allows us to see the structure of the website, and the user flow from the homepage to any inner pages of the website. Planning this at an early stage means that there is less room for any errors or missed elements later on down the line.
- Website Features – A list of the website features is vital to the project scope, as it outlines all key elements of the website, and what is included within the scope of the project. This is the list of features that we will work to as part of the project, and any additional elements that fall outside of this can be added in as a phase 2 or an additional cost. This list allows us to ensure that the project is delivered on time and on a budget.
- Technical Specification – If the project requires technical elements such as API integration or specific functionality, then we will outline these in a technical specification, which goes into further detail about the work required on the project.
- Schedule – Outlining the key elements of the project allows the user to see the steps which we take in order to make sure that the project is a success.
- Milestones – Key milestones are set in the project which runs from sitemap sign-off, to design sign-off and when we require content from you. We try and work to these milestones so that the project runs on time, and launches within your deadline.
- The Team – It’s now time to meet your web team! We have a range of experts at Fifteen, and we couldn’t build your website without them. So, we like to introduce them whether this is at the project start meeting or within the project scope document, you can see their faces and learn a little bit more about them.
What do I do with the Scope?
Really, this document is a point of reference for everything within the project, you just need to make sure that you read it, and ask any questions that you have at the start in order to outline any queries early on in the process.
Keep the document safe, store it in a special folder on your desktop or work server, as it really comes in useful to keep on top of the project management – both our side and yours.