The creation of any online identity is best done in a waterfall development cycle as requirements and prerequisites can change over time. This is best described in phases to help manage the cost plan and time constraints.
The waterfall development cycle allows for changes to be made at any point in the process but essentially road maps the progress of a project.in stages which are understandable in non technical terms.
Everyone has an idea for what they want to achieve. It is essential to identify every aspect of the idea and how it relates to the current situation. Creating a set of requirements based on this will allow a better understanding of what the client wants and what can be achieved in the time frame.
At this time, an agreed upon time span is given with a set cost for the entire project (not including 3rd party costs).
Designing or redesigning an online identity (whether it be a website or social media) requires an understanding and mutual agreement of the visual and functional aspects of the project. The design should be clear for the client in order to be improved for the next stage.
The design will be agreed upon by the client which will include any extra costs to be confirmed based on the use of 3rd Party and other content.
The agreed upon designs are used alongside any 3rd party content to create the online identity proposed as part of the project requirements. We believe that the client deserves to see this development process as changes to the design or requirements may be required at the end of the project.
The majority of the project cost is based on the time spent in this stage, although it is already agreed upon, if more time is needed than first assessed, only up to 10% of the original cost assessment will be charged.
At this stage, the project should be complete and ready for evaluation based on the agreed upon design and whether it has met the requirements set at the beginning of the process. Any further points that have been made through the process will be visited for a later project or to be performed as part of maintenance.
Any requirements that were not realised at the beginning of this project can be used for a new project to be started after the completion of the waterfall cycle. This essentially brings us full circle to the requirements stage if need be.
This stage occurs after the project is finished and is generally more of an after-care service that is applied within 3 months of the end of the project. This includes any unforeseen issues post release or small changes that would require less than an hour’s accumulated work.
This stage can bleed into another project with the same client or extended. Training can be included with maintenance but will incur extra cost based on the volume and time required.