How to evaluate the task before starting the development of the site

Task setting is the key to the success of any work. If the task is not clear, then it is impossible to even understand whether it has been solved.

We propose an algorithm for evaluating the task before the development of the site, repeatedly tested and written by the blood of managers. We are sure that this algorithm will save you a lot of time, money and nerves.

Figure out what needs to be done.

“Why do you need a website? “Um, well, how ... for the business to go better.”
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This is what every second client answers to the simplest, seemingly question. He should know the answer to it as “Our Father,” even in the middle of the night, wake him up. But it was not there.

Before you start working on the site, you need to understand:

• Does the task fall into the range of your services;
• Are you interested in this;
• Can you do it;
• If the answer to the first three questions is "Yes", then how much will it cost and how long will it take.

To answer these questions, it is necessary to prepare a so-called vision of the project . The vision is also valuable because it allows your client to understand what he wants: what goals he sets, whether he is ready for the project - financially, organizationally and morally. It is very important! I am sure that you have repeatedly found yourself in a situation where the client was not ready, and you had to clear everything up: the task was adjusted along the way, the requirements changed, the design was redrawn ...

Such work rarely brings pleasure and profit. There are only two effective ways out of this situation - to abandon the project or train the client. The second is more constructive, but not always possible.

Before understanding what a vision is and how to create it, we will look at two examples of how not to do it — that is, examples of practices that are widespread in RuNet.

Do not ask the client to send a technical task

In no case do not ask the client to make a technical task. Usually, this is done by lone freelancers or beginner studios.

Imagine that you want to build a cottage. You know that you need a house, you can roughly say how many rooms you want to have, what kind of buildings you want to see on the plot. You come to the cottage construction company, and the manager of this company tells you: "Draw me a detailed architectural project, blueprints with communications, and calculate the load on the equipment." Fine? Absurd!

The client, by definition, should not write you any tasks, because:

• He is not competent in setting the task when creating the site;
• He is not able and should not be able to write technical tasks;
• The best task is the one you write for yourself.

To create a good task, you need to have relevant experience, to know the people to whom you write it, to understand the specifics of the work - this is at least.

Do not ask the client to fill in the questionnaire

A questionnaire is, without a doubt, better requests to send TK. If only because it was you who prepared it, and probably thought about the questions it contains. However, we dare to assure you, the result of the survey gives you a little more idea about the task. The disadvantages of the survey are pretty obvious:

• Clients are very different, all the same questions can not handle.
• When filling out the questionnaire, the client is left alone with himself: he has no one to clarify your questions, which almost certainly contain incomprehensible terms. This inevitably leads to incorrect or incomplete answers.
• You can’t ask clarifying questions that clarify customer responses. But precisely clarifying questions provide the most useful information.

The questionnaire has another unpleasant feature: the client regards the self-filled questionnaire as a work task, according to which you need to make a website. It can be very difficult to convince him, since you made him put a lot of effort into understanding difficult and, at times, stupid questions (not everyone is able to make a coherent questionnaire), write down the answers.

Personal conversation and nothing else

The only real way to understand a client is an interview . Unlike any written assignment, the interview gives you much more freedom, allows you to better understand the true goals of the client and reveal the hidden ones.

The interview has only one “flaw” - you should be able to talk and find out the needs of the client. We believe this skill is useful to master in any case. But the interview has the following indisputable advantages:

• It demonstrates to the client your reverent attitude : you are ready to listen to him, and not to get rid of the questionnaire; you are ready for personal contact; the client is an individuality for you, questionnaires are not applicable to him (this is true).
• An interview allows you to get a lot more useful information , because by asking basic questions you can at any time refine them or ask additional ones so that the client understands them and adequately answers them.
• The interview allows you to bring together all the right people from the client and get useful information first-hand . Questioning, for example, does not give such a guarantee, because the questionnaire can even be charged to fill in a secretary who does not understand the belmes “what is needed from the site, only this was not enough for me ...”.
• During the interview process, you receive information not only in the form of text, but also paraverbally (see the article Three Frequent Errors in Communication with a Client ).

What you need to find out from the client

First of all, we recommend finding out the following points:

• What does the client : in what area he works, what products or services offers.
• Why does the client need a website: what goals does he set and how does he see their achievement.
• What the client expects from the site: how quickly the site will produce results, what will change in the work and life of the client.
• What requirements the client places on the site: mandatory information, functions, with which it should be integrated. This somewhat repeats the previous question, but it is necessary to emphasize that all of the above is mandatory.
• Do you need anything else besides the site : promotion, branding, content preparation, employee training.
• What materials the client has: corporate identity, texts and illustrations, marketing data necessary for design.
• Who will work on the project from the client: one or more people, what is his / them experience in the creation of sites. Who is the decision maker ?
• How the client sees the workflow : what forms of communication does he prefer, how much time can he devote to the project and how regularly.

Prepare a vision

So, you talked to the client and got the right answers - it's time to prepare a vision . Let us make a small digression and note that the vision, in addition to its main function, also solves the following tasks:

• Show your high level of work, professionalism .
• Coordinate points of view - yours and client - on the project and, thus, involve the client in the process.
• Push the client into thinking about additional services . And it is not at all necessary that you simply enter into these services - they may well be necessary in the framework of the project, the client simply does not know about it either in sleep or in spirit.
• Determine whether the client is ready for the project and what resources he will need in the process of creating, maintaining and developing the project.

Informational composition of the vision

We believe that the vision should contain the following information:

1. Project goals
2. Requirements and wishes of the client,
3. Customer expectations,
4. Site concept
5. What are you doing in the project and what is required from the client.

For your convenience, we offer you to download a vision template (PDF, 752 KB) , which describes in detail what can be contained in it and in what form.

Summary

The summary is very simple.

1. To evaluate the project, get maximum information from the client.
2. Be sure to talk with the client personally - no profiles!
3. On the basis of the information received, prepare a vision and coordinate it with the client.

And bonus recommendation: in no case do not talk about specific estimates of the cost and timing of the project, and especially do not enter into any contracts until you approve the project’s vision, even for business cards sites.

Comfortable work and satisfied customers!

The author of the article is Alexander Tunik ,
director of web studio "Lounge"