1.

COMPANY BACKGROUND – CLIENT

2. OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF TECHNOLOGY

STATUS,

GAPS & ISSUES

3. MARKETING STRATEGY

4. SITEMAP

5. CREATIVE BRIEF

BRAND GUIDELINES

WIREFRAMES

UX RECOMMENDATION

6. FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITIES

7. TECHNICAL BRIEF

8. Website Project Estimate

-HOSTING & DOMAIN

9. Project Timeline
1. Sitemap
A sitemap shows the bird’s eye view of the website structure. The standard template
lays this out as a series of boxes linked by directional arrows that illustrate
relationship and hierarchy. A sitemap can provide a web developer with a quick
overview of the entire website.

2. Brand Guidelines
This is a creative/marketing document guides the visual design of the website and
dictates the correct way to represent the brand. This can include a Style Guide that
provides logo usage, color palettes, font styles, graphics, etc. If you don’t have one,
we can help you to create one.
3. Wireframes
These are simple, blocky representations of website pages that are devoid of
graphics and color. A wireframe indicates key content and functions required on a
page. Designers and developers will reference the approved wireframes. Wireframes
are usually created by an IA (Interface Architect) in a program like Axure or
OmniGraffle. Key wireframes should be created for both mobile and desktop devices
to indicate how the structure and function is meant to adapt to different screen
resolutions.
4. UX Recommendations
This document is generally prepared by a usability expert who has knowledge of best
practices within website design and has researched the client’s industry. The
document spells out the best method to engage visitors to achieve the website’s
business goals.

For example, if the client is in the accounting industry, the usage of the color red may
not be effective for buttons and calls-to-action.

5. Technical Brief
This document is prepared by the Technical Project Manager. It covers the hardware
requirements such as the hosting environment, type of server, application
framework, database structure. These documents can get very extensive (with
diagrams and system architecture schematics), since this is usually where the bulk of
a website effort resides.

6. Features and Functionality

This is a list of the proposed website features and the functions. Features are a
website’s capabilities- like the ability to have a member profile or video streaming.
Functions are how those features are implemented; it generally deals with the code
that makes the features work. Many times this matrix will be separated by website
area/section. Each feature and function will be accompanied by a short description
and an LOW, or Level Of Effort. Later, this document can be tied into the project
budget to show what the cost of various features may be, so the client can
determine how best to proceed based on the intended budget.
7. Creative Brief
The website project’s Art Director or Creative Director will prepare the creative brief
after meeting with the client (and/or the client’s marketing staff). The businesses
branding and how it will be represented within the website is a key component. This
includes the types of graphics, color palette, and photography that will need to
support the brand. A creative brief should also address the target audience(s) and
what will appeal to them.

8. Marketing Strategy
The marketing strategy is based on the client’s specific business goals. Agencies, like
Executionists, follow a set of best-practices to observed for any website. Beyond
that, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Marketing strategy should be customized
to the specific client, audience, and business goal(s).

9. Website Project Estimate

Most clients will get a rough estimate, or an estimate range, before the definition
phase. The initial round of investigation following the definition phase will produce a
realistic estimate. For example, initially the client mentions adding a website
“search” feature. The feature was initially assumed to be a basic, out-of-the-box
feature. But, during the planning phase, the team discovers that the client wants
additional functions that will customize the search results in specific ways. The
“search” feature may now jump from 3 hours of effort to 100 hours of effort,
thereby changing the project estimate. Once the Definition phase is complete, a
much more accurate estimate can be generated.
10. Project Timeline
The timeline shows the various project phases broken up into sections that include
milestones for deliverables and client approvals. Timelines merge with Resource
Allocations, which is a list of the required staff for each phase. The unfortunate truth
is most web projects don’t launch on time.