Construction

You articulated the requirements for your site in the development brief and the developers will have proposed technical solutions in their submissions. When you sit down with your chosen developer to finalise the exact nature of the website you want built and the technical solutions required to deliver it, the resulting document should set out the technical specifications for your site. It is inevitable that there will be some changes to your initial vision for the site as you work through your wish list with the developer.

The technical specifications stage should result in clearly defined: 

• technical solutions – e.g. authoring language, database solution, maintenance solution, web server and hosting requirements, and security
• scope and nature of the content
• functionality and interactivity on the site
• graphic and information design and navigation parameters and rules (but not the actual design itself)
• documentation and training deliverables
• costings of all aspects of construction and delivery of the website
• development and payment schedule for the project.

Once you have agreed to the technical specifications, the construction of the site commences.

During the construction make sure you have regular project meetings with the developer to discuss the schedule. It is at these meetings that any variations to the agreed deliverables, schedule, costs or required resources are raised and resolved.

Managing your web developer

Some advice about the managing your web developers through this stage:

• keep to regular project meetings – avoid the temptation to postpone meetings even when the project is proceeding well
• ensure that records are kept of the meetings – especially any changes to the plan
• ensure that the developer makes available appropriate personnel at relevant meetings – e.g. the graphic designer when discussing the design of the site
• establish an email list for all members of the team and insist it be used as the means of communication – some members of the management team may be annoyed at receiving numerous emails that do not always directly relate to them, but it is important that every attempt is made to keep all members informed
• avoid one-to-one contact with the developer via email or the phone by using the group email address – all members of both teams should be kept abreast of the developments without playing catch-up at every meeting
• ensure that the agreed testing regime is carried out
• do not rush into signing-off at the milestones – be sure you are satisfied with the deliverables.