Rockware Project Overview: What To Expect During Your Project
1. Phase 1 Introduction, Planning & Discovery
Our very first step, once we’ve initiated a project together, will be to provide you with the following:
- A log in to our Client Management website, located at http://clients.rockwareit.com
- A list of all of the information we need from you to get started; this list will usually include credentials to any existing websites, mailing lists and/or client relationship management tools, along with ftp, ssh and admin account access to the server your website will be set up on; content to be used for the project (including graphics and copy), and brand information (such as a high resolution image of your company logo and company colors)
- A document estimating the timeline for each phase of the project and an overview document (such as this one, sometimes there may be several)
One of the main components of the Discovery Phase, is for us to discuss your vision, needs, wants and goals with your team.
This is where you let us know what direction you’d like to go, what type of design you’d like, your target demographic, your future goals, etc. for the company. The first thing we usually ask you to do to begin this process, is to fill out our Intake Questionnaire, located here: https://rockwareit.com/intake/.
Once we receive your Intake answers, we’ll call to schedule a meeting (phone conversation in many cases where distance is an issue), during which we discuss the Intake answers and the goals for your company.
Following this meeting, we put together a set of Requirements for the project. This is a very detailed document, within which we specify the exact scope, plan and work to be completed within the project. This will be a sort of governing document for our project, so we’ll give it to your team to look over and approve before finalizing it. Many times, several sets of Requirements are made, as you may request changes, edits or additions to the document in the first few versions. Once you approve the final version, this will become our official Project Specifications document, Technical Requirements. This will end the Discovery Phase of the project.
2. Phase 2: The Design
Once the Technical Requirements have been completed and approved, we begin the Design Phase of the project. Our first step, is to create a mockup of what we expect the website to look like upon completion. A mock up is basically an image, a picture, created with Photoshop, which enables us to easily create beautiful designs, quickly, which we can easily edit to suit your needs as we go.
Depending on our project agreement (contract terms), we may be providing anywhere from 1 – 4 designs. Either way, you will have the chance to request changes and/or edits to your chosen design, and ultimately make the final decision to approve the design. Once the design is approved, the Design Phase ends.
3. Phase 3: The Development
Once the Design Phase ends, the final Phase, Phase 3, the Development Phase begins.
During this phase, we will build a development website, a website representing your new website and/or design that will be hosted on our servers. As we work on the development of the website, there may be certain points where a feature becomes functional, or a certain design in place, where we may ask for feedback; other than that it is usually our policy not to display the development website until development is completed.
Once you view the development website, and sign off on the website as being done to your satisfaction, we will initiate a transfer of the new design and/or website to your server and/or existing website. This process is done very carefully and specifically, and each step will be thoroughly explained. Please always note: no changes will ever made to your original website without a solid chain of approval, backups and agreement to do so.
Once the approved design is in place on your server and the project complete, we offer 1 – 2 hours of training, for you and members of your staff, where we will hold a screen share session and physically walk you through the entire process of maintaining the website, editing content and adding content. We will provide a limited amount of support (usually 1 week) after final hand-off and payment, to ensure complete integration with your work flow.
