Discovery of Scope: Or, the many types of websites
Scoping out a website contract is a very difficult process. This is one of the many reasons we recommend our flexible scope retainers. The landscape of what is possible in website development and design ranges from the multi-platform social media website to the small business brochure website. The options are seemingly limitless. Even among similar organizations the number of potential extras, integrations, or backend processes can be vast.
One of the tenants that Mindshare holds is that each website be developed bespoke and specific to our client’s need. Each client must be delivered a website specifically suited to their organization or business and developed with their futures in mind. These websites not only perform better, but they act as a liaison for that organization, helping to shepard the company through technology. It is for this reason that Mindshare Labs is continually developing an intake and discovery process to help our client’s organizations determine their need, goals, and future on the internet.
The best analogy I’ve come up with for this discovery process is the vehicle analogy. Imagine you’re shopping for a vehicle for your new business. There are a number of things you’ll need to consider like cargo space, functionality, number of seats, fuel type, budget, excetera. But before you can answer those questions, the type of business must be considered. For example, If you own a landscaping business you might need a mid size truck with extra seating. If you own a cargo transport company you might need a semi truck that can haul a large trailer. You might own an excavation company in which case you’ll need a tractor with a shovel. Maybe you just invested in a space hotel and you need a rocket. Each of these options come with their own set of questions and considerations. Website builds are the same, and pricing is radically different among the options.
Mindshare can often glean a small advantage: we might know the basics of our clients business, and that provides a good starting point (at least we can start at the right car dealership, as it were). However, all organizations are largely very different. One non profit has different staff, admin interfaces, tracking technology, 3rd party integrations, donation platforms, tracking, etc, etc, etc. Budget is also a very large consideration, we might recommend that an organization needs functionality but budget might not allow, in which case a workaround or alternative must be found (or the website must go without). This is what our discovery process is all about.
Initial scope questions inevitably lead us down various paths and options. All of these questions get explored, answered, or developed though our scope and discovery process. It’s very rare that one client needs exactly the same tools as another, even if they are in the same field.
At the end of the day, our goal is to outline a path that we can follow as we make design and development decisions that are likely to impact your organization for many years.