Starting a web or mobile project without proper planning is like building a house without blueprints. This checklist will help you think through the essential aspects of your project before development begins, saving time and money in the long run.
1. Define Your Goals
Before anything else, be crystal clear about what you want to achieve:
- What is the primary purpose of this website or application?
- What specific problems will it solve for your users?
- How will you measure success? (sales, leads, engagement, etc.)
- What are your top 3 priorities for this project?
2. Know Your Audience
Understanding who will use your product is crucial for making the right design and technical decisions:
- Who is your primary target audience?
- What devices do they primarily use? (mobile, desktop, tablet)
- What are their technical comfort levels?
- What pain points do they currently experience?
3. Scope and Features
Define what your project will and won't include:
- List all must-have features for launch
- Identify nice-to-have features for future phases
- Determine what integrations you need (payment, email, CRM, etc.)
- Consider multilingual requirements
4. Content Strategy
Content is often the most underestimated part of a project:
- Who will create the content? (in-house, agency, contractor)
- What pages or sections do you need?
- Do you have existing content to migrate?
- What is your plan for ongoing content updates?
5. Technical Requirements
Consider the technical aspects early:
- Do you have an existing hosting provider or domain?
- What security requirements do you have?
- Are there compliance requirements? (GDPR, accessibility, etc.)
- What are your performance expectations?
6. Budget and Timeline
Be realistic about your resources:
- What is your total budget for this project?
- When do you need the project completed?
- Is the timeline flexible or tied to a specific event/deadline?
- Have you allocated budget for ongoing maintenance?
Taking time to answer these questions thoroughly will give your development team the clarity they need to build exactly what you're looking for. Remember: a well-planned project is a successful project.