The Cost Benefit of Web Site Preproduction, Part 2

Steps 3 and 4, continued from Part 1:

Step 3: Got a Vendor? Get a Statement of Work
If you are contracting a vendor, you should require them to submit to you a Statement of Work (SOW) so you have a formal signed agreement. In the agreement, the vendor will promise what they are going to build, include a milestones schedule and the budget for the project. Too many times, vendors communicate that they get your Web site only to deliver something that is wrong or poorly executed.

You must obtain a signed contract that CYA in case something goes south. The Statement of Work should provide a detailed outline of the core set of site features, including a detailed sitemap and page wire frames. Look for engagement, project and process verbiage, as well as detailed Web page component/features, requirements and assumptions (if any). If it lacks any mention of these core areas, you may be hitting the deck with the wrong developers.

Step 4: Do Not Be Frightened, it's only a Functional Specifications document

Ok, so either you contracted with a vendor, signed the SOW and are ready to work, or you're building your Web site yourself. Either way, it is absolutely imperative that you get a Functional Specifications document written and mutually agreed upon before starting.

Typically written by the lead engineer(s), this document is literally the recipe for how to build your Web site, with all of the required technical details about every feature and function involved. The goal is to have a document in hand so that you could walk out of your or a vendor's office, hire a new Web engineer cold, and hand him the document, with the engineer fully equipped to build a Web site without asking questions.

As development progresses, this document is your reference manual in time of need. Trust me. you will dog-ear it all the way through the process. At no point should you feel that the Web site is slipping through your fingers. When it is first delivered, go through every feature with a fine tooth comb to make sure your vision is being met. No vendor worth their salt builds a professional Web site without one.

Why All This Documentation?

I'll tell you why. Because in Web development there are many tasks happening simultaneously and without documentation as a foundation, your structure simply cannot be built properly. Without a pre-production schedule in place to create these documents, your Web site can take four times as long or more to develop, cost you twice your budget--and worse--not meet your original expectations.

Like the worn adage goes, measure twice, cut once. You will be glad you did.