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Scoping projects and intake questions for web designers and programmers

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. When you are scoping a new website project, you’ll ideally start the process by appearing to be an expert and having done this kind of work before. How you set it up in the beginning establishes many precedences that stick throughout the project. Clients may not know how a project intake should start, but if you ask the right questions in the beginning they’ll know that they gained much more clarity about their needs and will credit you for that gift.

The first thing every client wants to know is how much will the site cost, how long will it take, and what will they receive. Most of them want to know that so badly that they will glaze over the work of defining for themselves what they really need. I use the following qualifying questionnaire to gather project requirements in the beginning. The purpose of this questionnaire is to uncover all of the associated work that must be done before starting a website. Often times less experienced clients expect things like a new logo design or photography to be done as part of the design process. While it is certainly reasonable to have those things developed as part of the project, it’s helpful to both you and the client to identify them as projects in and of themselves that require time and budget to complete.

For each of the following questions, I have a set of discovery questions that go along with it that draw out the juicy details that help me understand the scope of their need. I don’t ask all of them, only the ones that pertain to the given conversation. You too should come up with some exploratory questions to have in your repertoire.

Do we have business together?

This question explores a question not often broached by many web developers: whether or not you want to work with this client. I ask about them about who they are and what they do. I listen for red flags that might indicate they are not my ideal client. I ask them about their goals, budget, and timeline. If they are not upfront and at least somewhat clear about these things, they tend to turn into problem clients.

If they are a Yes

Then I a proceed on to the next question.

If they are a No

Then I either tell them thanks for the their time, but I don’t think I’m the right person for their job, or I refer them to who I think might be a better fit for them (sometimes that is because I can’t provide what they need, but they seem like a good client).

Do you have a strategy?

Having a strategy presumes you have goals. I ask questions around this topic to learn how far along they are in their process. If you have these things, I want to know. If you don’t you’ll need them before creating a website.

If they are a Yes

Then I proceed on to the next question.

If they are a No

I let them know they’ll need to go through the goal identification and strategy development process before they can start on the website. Actually, I still ask the remaining questions and then tell them all of the conclusive information at the end. ;)

Do you have an ID?

I want to know how much design work will be required, so I ask if they have an identity system. Some clients have nothing. Some have only a logo. Some have a visual center with colors, fonts, and an asset library.

If they are a Yes

Then I proceed on to the next question.

If they are a No

At the end of the intake meeting, I’ll let them know they’ll need to develop an ID and visual center before developing the website.

Do you need promotion?

It is a common mistake that the web is the Field of Dreams—if you build it, they will come. Therefore, I probe to find out what they are doing for marketing, advertising, PR, and other efforts to drive traffic to the site.

If they are a Yes

We’ll have a conversation at the end about their promotional needs. Often promo campaigns require landing pages and other features that impact site design, so it’s a good idea to have these things considered upfront. It’s also a good idea to set expectations early that building the site and building traffic are different projects.

If they are a No

Then I proceed on to the next question.

Do you need ecommerce?

Many businesses (and web developers) think an ecomm project is just another website project. The reality is that it an extension of the business that requires business processes for things like order processing, fulfillment, shipping, customer service, and more. If we’re embarking on an ecommerce project I want to know if they are prepared for the associated work involved maintaining that kind of a site.

If they are a Yes

Then I’ll discuss their ecomm needs at the end of the meeting. I’ll ask them about their organizational needs to handle ecomm site management. I’ll also find out if they have the six things required to do proper ecommerce: domain name, hosting, secure certificate (SSL), payment gateway, merchant account, and an OMS (commonly a shopping cart).

If they are a No

Then I proceed on to the next question.

Do you need a custom web application?

Many sites contain complicated functionality such as a CMS, EMS, or OMS. My questions seek to identify what their application development needs are in order to know what kind of project management processes will need to be included for development.

If they are a Yes

Then I’ll make sure to include application development process in the website project plan.

If they are a No

Then I proceed on to the next question.

Do you have content?

Many clients I have dealt with think they have their content already. It’s a good idea to not only ask if they have copy, photos, videos, and other assets, but also to see them before checking this off as handled.

If they are a Yes

Then I proceed on to the next question.

If they are a No

Then we’ll determine what their content needs are and scope those projects accordingly, such as photo shoots.

What are your business requirements for your website?

We are finally ready to start talking about their website! Now I gather as much information as I can about what they want from their website. I don’t expect them to know everything they need, but I do want to know what they do know already.

Additional tips for scoping projects and handling intake meetings

These questions may need to be broken up over a few conversations depending how much information there is that pertains to your client’s project. You may also find clients with small websites annoyed that they need to answer these questions. Be watchful for these situations because skipping over the details is exactly what leads to problematic misunderstandings and scope creep.

Along with a scoping projects, you may also be interested in:

• Business development tips for web designers and programmers
• Establishing agreements and writing proposals
• Project management and development process for web designers and programmers

Was this helpful? Do you have any advice you’d offer for handling the intake and scoping process? Do you have any horror stories that could have been avoided had you asked some of these questions up front?