Scopes are used in almost all industries, but today we’ll discuss the development of a good Website Development Quote and Scoping Document.
New year, new website! Now that it’s 2016, you might be considering sprucing up your company website to better fit with new company goals, to add additional functionality, or to update to a sleek, modern mobile friendly design. Whatever the reason, when hiring a web designer or developer, it’s imperative to lay out a detailed project scope.
Defining the scope of a project is important, it’s not there just to cover the development company but yourself too. You need to be completely clear and confident that you understand and are happy with what is and what is not included in your quote.
The development company should try to find out as much information as possible when compiling the scoping document.
The Development company should find out:
Background Information
- History and information about your business
- Key selling points of your products or services
- What sets you apart from your competitors?
- Who is your target market/ audience?
- List of competitor websites and websites you like/don’t like
Project Goals
- What are your main goals or what are you aiming to achieve?
- What is your timeline?
- What is your budget range?
Technical Requirements
- Pages you’d like on the site and functionality of those pages
- Any custom features or requirements?
- Style of the website? Design?
- Animated or interactive parts?
- Domain name, hosting?
- E-commerce? which payment gateway?
- Need to update the website yourself? CMS?
- Information – content, photos, videos etc
- Mobile device compatibility
- How many rounds of changes wanted/ needed?
You need to find out:
- What is the exact price I will be charged and when? Are there any hidden fees? And what are my options for a payment plan?
- Does this project include a warranty and what does the warranty cover?
- If I make any changes or additions to the project, what will I be charged?
- Are there any lock in contracts? Can I leave if and when I like?
- Will the website actually belong to me if I decide to move onto another developer in the future?
- What EXACTLY is included and excluded from this project?
- How long will the project take? And at what points can I expect communication and provide feedback?
A well defined project scope and quote will usually result in a project that runs on time and within budget. A win-win for the development company and yourself.
Remember:
Never accept or sign a quote until you’re 100% happy and confident with the quote and scope of the project you’re signing. You need to be clear on what it is you’ll be getting and what will not be included. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to throughout the scoping stage; you’re speaking with experts in their field, so make the most of their knowledge.