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New Client GuideHOW WEB DEVELOPMENT WORKS AT nGEN WORKS

The more you know about how nGen Works builds websites,

the better your experience and your website will be. This

guide discusses the process, roles and responsibilities

involved in each phase, with tips for keeping your project on

track and within budget.

904.399.4411 www.ngenworks.com 1807 HENDRICKS AVENUE, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32207

nGEN WORKS CLIENT GUIDE 1

THE MOVING PARTSEffective web development requires several distinct skill sets, so

there may be changes in who is leading the project from one phase to

the next. Rest assured, we always have the best person at the wheel

throughout these phases:

The Scoping Phase

The Client Survey 2

The Proposal 2

Features Overview 2

Assumptions & Understandings 3

Special Needs 4

Billing Terms 4

Basecamp 6

The Kickoff Meeting 6

The Defi ne & Design Phase

Content Documents 7

Look & Feel Development 7

Content Development 8

The Production Phase

The Pre-Production Meeting 9

Production 9

Content Management System (CMS) 10

Quality Assurance

Nitpick 11

Training

Content Management System & Analytics Training 11


THE SCOPING PHASE

Th e Client Survey Timeframe: two to three business days to complete

To understand you and your clients’ needs, we start with the Client

Survey. This helps us articulate those needs and agree on goals. It also

addresses your message, audience and content, and the site’s look, feel

and functionality. Key decision-makers should complete his or her own

survey with brief, but thorough information.

Depending on the project, we may conduct an interview with you in lieu

of the Client Survey. Once we have a clear defi nition of what needs to

be accomplished, nGen Works will prepare an anticipated budget range

for the project.

Th e Proposal Timeframe: three to fi ve business days to complete

Features Overview

This overview includes standard features of your project; any custom

features will be discussed when we review the proposal with you. It’s

our shared responsibility to ensure you have a complete understanding

before we begin, because this is the best way to reach your goals and

stay on budget.

Goals Defi nition: We work with you to defi ne what we are going to

accomplish during the project.

Perception Defi nition: Together we defi ne the perception the site

needs to create.

Content Documents: We’ll outline all of the pages, their goals, types of

content and content hierarchy for the site.

Sitemap: This is the high-level view of your website and how the pages

relate to each other.

Content Development: Using the Content Documents, Sitemap and

your input our copywriter creates the content for your site.

Look & Feel Development: This is the visual design of your site.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ours: To ask the right

questions.

Yours: To answer questions

as completely as possible.

TIP

The more complete the

information you provide,

the more accurate the

proposal. Tell us about

your unique circumstances

or special requirements,

such as internal hosting,

third-party tools, branding

guidelines, approval

processes or the extent of

your content.


THE SCOPING PHASE

Th e Proposal continued

Features Overview continued

Programming Utilizing CSS: To ensure your site is functional and

future-proof, we build websites that adhere to the W3C Web Standards

and Section 508 accessibility guidelines. If that doesn’t make sense to

you, just know we build websites the right way.

Content Management System: That’s right — every site we build comes

with the ability for you to edit text and even add pages. We’ll go into

detail on this when we talk about Production.

Hosting Setup: We will prepare the server for your website at

Rackspace, a world-class host. Rackspace gives us the tools we need,

and helps you get the most from your investment.

Statistics Setup: We install Google Analytics for each client because

it’s one of the easiest and most comprehensive statistics packages out

there — and it’s free.

Training: We’ll walk through the content management system and

the statistics package so you’ll know how to use everything before

your site goes live.

Assumptions and Understandings

We make sure everyone understands what is and, perhaps more

importantly, what is not covered by the estimated development costs.

The following are typically not included in our estimate:

Integration with Third-party Tools or Databases. This is not covered

within the scope of the estimate on most projects.

Photography, Documents or Multimedia. We need this content

provided by you in a digital format or it will be estimated separately.

The estimate covers the time to create the project, but not the

materials. If the materials are not supplied electronically, additional

time and costs will be incurred.

TIP

Because we often speak a

technical language, please

feel free to ask questions

about terms or phrases

you don’t understand.


THE SCOPING PHASE


Assumptions and Understandings continued

Hosting and Maintenance Costs. Although these costs aren’t included

in the estimate, most hosting for our clients is reasonably priced at

$50 a month. The exception is when you have special needs, such as

heightened security or heavy traffi c levels. Because you will have the

ability to update content, you may have no maintenance costs at all.

Email Setup or Migration. This is not covered within the scope of

the estimate on most projects. If you have special email needs please

provide us with the name of a technical contact who can explain your

current setup and the desired outcome.

Special Needs

If your website has to be hosted internally, or your IT department has

specifi c requirements for how the site is built or external applications

the site has to work with, we will need to know these “special needs”

during the estimating process. Otherwise, signifi cant costs may be

overlooked until the project is underway.

Billing Terms

We will present you with a budget range based on costs for similar

projects and requirements. To get started we’ll need a small deposit.

For most projects the deposit is $5,000 or less. Once we receive the

deposit your project is assigned a job number and enters our system.

Every week an email will be sent with a detail of work completed, where

we are against the anticipated budget and an invoice based on hours

incurred at $185/hour. If, at any time, we feel this project is in danger of

exceeding this budget range, we will notify you immediately via email

of the situation that could cause the overage and a recommendation to

correct it. The initial deposit will be applied to the fi nal payment(s) on

the project and is included in the budget range.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ours: Present a

comprehensive overview

of project features and

requirements; calculate

the cost and time needed

to develop the project.

Yours: Review the

proposal to ensure it

covers everything we’ve

discussed; ask questions

about the overall process;

provide a deposit to get

the project started; provide

all technical information

such as secured URLs.


THE SCOPING PHASE


Billing Terms continued

In the event that you request the addition of new features or revise the

scope of this project after work has begun, nGen Works will provide

a revision to the budget range in writing for the change. Upon your

approval, the new features will be scheduled.

The Pause Clause

If a client deliverable, such as input, approvals or payment is late more

than 10 business days the project will be considered “on hold.” Once the

deliverable is received and the project is re-activated the project will be

rescheduled based on nGen Works’ current workload and availability.

Just to say it loud and clear, it could be a month or more to get you

back in the system if the project is put on hold.

Transfer of Ownership

You own all the original work created for you by nGen Works as soon

as you’ve paid for it. So if you stay up-to-speed on your payments then

you own all the work.

Project Cancelation

In the event of the project being canceled, you own all of the original

work created for you by nGen Works that you’ve paid for. If you decide

to start a project back up after canceling a new deposit will be required.


THE SCOPING PHASE

BasecampTimeframe: one hour to setup

Basecamp is a web-based project-management tool we use to help

keep your project organized. It gives you and us a single place to

communicate, post and access fi les, and track progress. It’s easy to use

and simple to get started. Before the Kickoff Meeting, we’ll email you

an invitation to your project’s secure Basecamp site and you’ll be on

your way.

Th e Kickoff Meeting Timeframe: one to two hours

This is the fi rst time the entire team meets to review the project. As

the fi nal step in the Scoping Phase, it’s critical that we’ve identifi ed

everything we want to accomplish and discussed any special

requirements, such as:

• Being unable to transfer the site to an approved nGen Works host.

• The need for Email setup or migration support.

• Branding guidelines to which we need to adhere.

• Special technology requirements, such as the need to use specifi c

programming languages. This normally involves using ASP or

.NET. If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, we can talk with your IT

department.

Considerations such as these have a great impact on how we develop

the site. That’s why it’s so important to identify them before we start

development.

We’ll also need you to provide us with a company overview, explain

the competitive environment and answer questions from the team. It’s

best if you have all of the content materials in a digital format at the

meeting. That way we’ll be ready to go with no delays.

After the Kickoff Meeting we’ll post the meeting notes to Basecamp

and ask for you to approve them or provide revisions. Once we have

approval to proceed we will start the Defi ne & Design Phase.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ours: Provide the entire

team a thorough overview

of information captured

in the Scoping Phase;

ask any fi nal questions

and request clarifi cations

before starting the Defi ne

& Design Phase.

Yours: Make sure we

understand all special

considerations; supply in

digital format all material,

including photography,

that may be applicable

to the project; provide

a company overview,

explain the competitive

environment and answer

questions from the team.

TIP

If you provide everything

we need for the project at

the Kickoff Meeting, it will

save hours in the long run.


THE DEFINE & DESIGN PHASE

Content DocumentsTimeframe: seven to 10 business days to complete

The information gathered at the Kickoff Meeting is used to create

Content Documents which defi ne the direction for your site’s

development. These include:

• Perception Defi nition: We’ll work with you to defi ne the perception the

site needs to create.

• Content Brief: These are the details of the pages and types of content

for the site.

• Sitemap: The sitemap lays out the site’s overall fl ow and information

architecture.

Once we receive approval from you on the Content Documents we’ll be

able to start Look & Feel development.

Look & Feel DevelopmentTimeframe for First Round: seven to 10 business days to complete

Timeframe for Subsequent Rounds: fi ve to seven business days

to complete

Once we receive your approval to proceed, we develop designs that

meet the requirements of the Scoping Phase and Content Documents.

We encourage you to share your gut reaction when you fi rst see the

designs, but keep in mind the goals we have for the user.

Throughout the design process, you may ask for certain things that we

advise against. Please understand that we don’t do that to be diffi cult —

we just want to make sure nothing gets in the way of your users.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ours: Translate the

fi ndings of the Scoping

Phase and Content

Documents into an

effective experiential

design that refl ects your

brand and accomplishes

your goals.

Yours: Provide copy points

for all content; approve

the look and feel of the

design; provide keywords

for search engines.


THE DEFINE & DESIGN PHASE

Content DevelopmentTimeframe: custom based on the size and scope of your project

Content Development and Look & Feel Development are closely

linked because content is the largest part of the user experience.

Finding answers to questions and tools that help users with tasks are

what makes a site successful. Content will also include development

of keywords for search engines. (Don’t worry — we have a simple

worksheet to help with these.)

Designs must be approved and all content, including pictures and

videos, must be approved and delivered before moving on to the

Production Phase.

TIP

The Design Phase offers

several opportunities

for overages to occur.

To stay on target, we

need to look at designs

and content from the

perspective of how

easy and effective it is

for users. Our average

project has two rounds

of design, so that’s

what we include in our

estimate. Overages

occur when there are

additional rounds of

design.


THE PRODUCTION PHASE

Th e Pre-Production MeetingTimeframe: one to two hours

The Pre-production Meeting may be internal or with you, depending

upon the needs of your project. In either case, the meeting is led by

the nGeneer most qualifi ed, based on the needs of the job. We’ll review

the complete list of elements and steps needed to produce the job, and

the original scope to see if there were any changes during the Defi ne &

Design Phase that require re-estimating.

ProductionTimeframe: custom, based on the size and scope of your project

Most of the activity in this phase is on our side. Depending upon the

size of your project, the production timeframe can be weeks or months.

As always, we’ll send you a weekly update on our progress to keep you

informed.

A note about how we build your site: Every site we build is handcrafted.

We don’t use off-the-shelf products because they can’t achieve the

same level of professionalism and effectiveness. By using Cascading

Style Sheets (CSS), we provide our clients with more fl exible, standards-

compliant web solutions.

The key to CSS is separating content from design. Benefi ts of

standards-compliant sites include:

• One version works with all types of browsers.

• Content is presented differently based on the output device.

• A new design can be applied in days rather than weeks.

• Compliant sites load much faster than traditional sites.

• Higher visibility, accessibility and portability.

We also adhere to accessibility guidelines because it’s the right thing

to do.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ours: Provide a complete

list of needs for production

to begin; compare the

current scope of the

project to the original

scope to see if re-

estimating is needed due

to signifi cant changes.

Yours: Authorize or

reject changes in scope

and/or cost.

TIP

The best way to stay on

schedule is to have all

elements needed for

production ready when we

start. Valuable hours can

be spent over the course of

production tracking down

missing pieces or getting

new elements approved.

It’s also important to

make sure special needs

haven’t changed since the

project began. If they have,

identifying these prior to

starting production can

save a lot of overages.


THE PRODUCTION PHASE

Content Management System (CMS)Timeframe: custom, based on the size and scope of your project

Most of the projects we develop utilize ExpressionEngine, a CMS that

allows you to edit text and other designated content on your site.

There are some limitations, such as adding new sections.

From managing calendars and galleries to custom content and

eCommerce, ExpressionEngine’s true power lies in it’s simplicity

and fl exibility.

It’s true there are many CMS products available, but most do a poor

job of keeping the site’s code clean. ExpressionEngine keeps the site

in compliance with web standards.

We know this can be confusing, but trust us — with more than 150

projects under our belt, we know which products work.

nGen Works is proud to have been designated a member of the

ExpressionEngine Pro Network. This recognition indicates our ability

to make ExpressionEngine do what we need it to in accomplishing

your project’s goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ours: Build the website

so it adheres to web

standards; ensure the

site represents the

recommended experience

approved in the Defi ne &

Design Phase.

Yours: Answer any

questions that arise during

production.


QUALITY ASSURANCE

NitpickTimeframe: three to fi ve business days to complete

It’s time to take out the fi ne-toothed comb and look for things that just

aren’t right.

The Nitpick reveals everything from typos to broken links to browser

issues. It’s a critical part of ensuring we keep the trust of the user when

they come to the new site for the fi rst time.

We’ll handle this process internally, then present the fi nished site to

you. At that point, it’s your turn to kick the tires and see if you fi nd

any functional fl aws or content errors. If you do, just make a complete

list of issues for us, which we’ll review with you and address in a

timely manner.

TRAINING

Content Management System & Analytics TrainingTimeframe: two to three hours

We sit down with you to make sure you understand how to use

ExpressionEngine and Google Analytics. These two tools will allow you

to be in charge of keeping your site fresh and informed on what your

users are doing.

IN CLOSING

We’re always looking for ways to improve your experience as we’re

working to improve your customer’s experience. If you have any

feedback or comments on this guide, please let us know.

Thanks for your consideration.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ours: Review the entire

site for issues; fi x found

issues.

Yours: Review the entire

site for issues; provide

a complete list of those

found issues.

TIP

Make sure Nitpick

changes are based on the

previously agreed-upon

scope and experience.

Otherwise, new costs can

be incurred.

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