Before you start searching for a web development company, you need to draw up a brief and include key project parameters in it:
- its scale and complexity
- marketing tasks
- functional
- design requirements
The formulation of these provisions is the first stage of transferring the idea to the applied plane. Learn more about web development company at https://hutko.dev.
Project complexity level
If you choose the main criterion that distinguishes a complex project from a simple one, it is the need to do something new, which no one has done before. To adapt a web product to the specifics of your enterprise and stand out from competitors, you need to use non-standard solutions. An example of such a complex application is a CRM system that takes into account your established customer interaction practices.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the creation of MVP star tap projects. Startups are often based on a fundamentally new idea. This means that it will not be possible to design software components using ready-made patterns. We will have to attract a team with the potential to implement unique solutions.
One of the main features of a complex project is support for user authorization. In addition, it is of great importance what set of tools will be available to the user and whether different levels of access are needed. Examples of common account types: guest, author, editor, admin.
It is important to understand what security criteria a web application must meet. Do you need support for financial transactions or additional measures to protect personal data? Security requirements, in turn, dictate what type of server is needed.
Marketing Goals
Commercial organizations order the development of an Internet application, expecting to obtain a certain business effect. Outline the range of tasks that the web project must solve. Among them may be:
- lead generation
- increase in sales
- conversion growth
- business process optimization
- increasing brand awareness
- development of a new niche in the market
Ideally, the selected goals should have SMART characteristics: specific, measurable, realistic, meaningful and time-bound.
For example, reduce the reporting time in the email marketing department by 40% by the end of 2024 by integrating a new CRM platform.
Project requirements
The more detailed the list of requirements and functions is, the more accurately the web developer will calculate the estimate and predict the duration of the project. To common tech. requirements include:
- adaptability, correct display on devices with displays of different sizes
- UI and UX (user interface and experience) designed to increase conversion
- project functionality (personal accounts, monetization methods, payment systems)
- safety requirements
- synchronization with cloud services
To work through this section, you will most likely need the help of a technically savvy employee from your company. If there is no such person on your team, then you can draw up a list of requirements together with the potential contractor.
Design and style
Do you need an exclusive design or can you limit yourself to using a ready-made theme? Using a standard theme has two advantages: low cost and short development time. And given the variety of well-made themes for popular CMSs, this is a good option for small businesses.
But for large-scale projects, it usually makes sense to invest in a custom design. It provides the following benefits:
- adaptability to your business needs
- opportunity to stand out from the crowd
- SEO optimized – better ranking in Google
- support directly from the creator of the design
Investment in the visual appearance of the site should be proportional to the turnover of your business.
Other subtleties
There are other nuances that it is advisable to indicate in the brief:
- release time
- budget range
- requirements for CMS – website content management system
- technical support
- training
- copyright for code and design
Sometimes even things that may seem obvious are worth mentioning in the brief. For example, the right to reuse application code does not remain with the customer in all contracts. The final price of development largely depends on who owns the license for intellectual property.
Technical task
It is important to identify the difference between technical requirements and technical specifications.
Technical requirements are the customer’s requirements for his future project. He can write them himself or with his team, without complex technical terms. The goal is to show how the project should work.
The terms of reference are drawn up together with the developers and are much more complex than the requirements. A technical specification for a complex web application is a document of tens or even hundreds of pages with a detailed description of the parameters of the finished product in a language understandable to developers.
The technical specification is compiled by joint efforts of programmers, designers and business analysts or design experts. If your team does not have the listed specialists, you can order the development of technical specifications as a separate service from the development company.
Next, you can decide whether to continue working with this company or look for other contractors, but already armed with a standardized technical specification.
How technical specifications will help in finding a performer:
- Having the terms of reference, you will be able to get more accurate estimates from contractors
- you will have a clear understanding of what technical competencies the performer should have
- in the process of drawing up the technical specifications, the customer checks and refines his idea
However, it is worth mentioning that even with ready-made technical equipment. task, before starting work, you and the selected developer will make changes to this document in one way or another.
Is drawing up a technical specification absolutely necessary to find a contractor? No. The requirements for the project may be sufficient, but in this case the customer will receive a very rough estimate or a large price range.
