Purpose
This page aims to outline the project management process for our web design projects.
Application
Website design project management applies to all Project Managers running a new website build project.
1. Onboarding Meeting with Client
Conduct an onboarding meeting with the client using this Google form. Seek as much information as possible regarding the number of pages they want, how they want their website structured, what content they want on each page, etc.
2. Review the Access & Assets Needed From the Client
Review with the client during the onboarding meeting the access and assets we need from them to commence the project. Follow up with all outstanding items in an email using the canned response entitled Website Project Asset Collection. As the client sends in the assets/information, post it in the appropriate task or notebook in Teamwork.
3. Conduct a Strategy Meeting
Conduct a strategy meeting with the appropriate team members (Project Manager, General Manager, Sales Director), during which the BeThem and wireframe for the project's home page will be decided. All details should be posted in Teamwork ahead of the kick-off meeting.
4. Conduct a Kick-off Meeting
Conduct a kick-off meeting with the appropriate members (Graphic Designer, Web Developer, Sales Director, and Project Manager) to discuss the project, ensure all aspects are communicated clearly, and establish a timeline. From this meeting, the Web Developer will be able to set up a staging site for the project.
5. Start the Homepage
The Graphic Designer will take all the information and create a mock-up of the homepage. This should include all sections decided upon in the strategy meeting and any "flair" sections that will help improve the website's quality. A content template should be run on SEMrush using the home page's keyword to determine word count, and using this information, you can decide the appropriate sections required.
This homepage will be internally reviewed, edited, and finally sent to the client. In the meantime, the General Manager should do SEO research to create a list of keywords for each website page.
6. Edits from Clients
The client often sends edits, and these should be completed. Once a final product is decided upon, you can pass it to the development team to start building on the staging site.
7. Creating Website Pages
If a project has more than 5 pages, a second mock-up will be required for one of the interior pages. This follows the same process as the home page mock-up.
If there are less than 5 pages, the pages can be designed via Nimbus by either the Web Developer or the Graphic Designer. These pages can be queued up for the devs as they are created.
While all this occurs, the writer or Project Manager should use SEMrush to pull content templates and create the content for each website page.
8. Edits Done by Graphic Designer & Web Developer
As pages are built, the graphic designer and Web Developer will edit the formatting, pictures, and design to ensure the project meets our standards. Once all pages are completed, the project will be sent to the client for their review. They will come back with edits that need to be completed.
9. Set a Launch Date
Once all edits are complete, the website will be QA'ed by the development team. Then, the client and Project Manager will select a launch date. This date will never be a Friday in case the client needs support. Once the site is launched, the Project Manager will send a test form via the contact page to ensure that it is working.
10. Project Summary
Once a project is complete, the client should be sent their outstanding invoice. The Project Manager will add up the project costs to do a project summary.
General Timeline Guidelines:
Website Time Allocation (this should give the Project Manager a rough idea of how much time should be spent on each portion of the website build based on the hours allotted in the Project Scope Notebook):
- Pre-Production: 25%
- Development: 60%
- QA: 10%
- Launch: 5%
Website 6-Week Time Allotment ( for small projects, the more pages there are, the more development weeks will be required. Please note this is also the best-case scenario with the client being immediately responsive and requiring minor edits):
- Week 1: Signing & Payment
- Week 2: Onboarding & Kick-off
- Week 3: Mock-ups Started
- Week 4: Development
- Week 5: Development
- Week 6: QA & Launch
For more guidance, here are some helpful articles: