[thelist] rentacoder.com

Mark Groen mark at markgroen.com
Mon Jul 28 22:55:48 CDT 2003


Dang it, off topic. I keep telling myself not to answer those threads, hmmm,

<tip type="Why a Project Scope?" author="markgroen">
	Before you accept a web site project, it's important to understand what it's 
supposed to do and often this comes in the form of a verbal request such as "we 
need a home page with a guestbook and a visitor counter" which is not further 
defined. This usually leads to a prototype that is 25% of what the client wants. 
Changes are made to the prototype, and the site is now 50% of what the client 
wants *now*. During the time the changes were made, the client has moved the 
target.

	The solution is to set a target for the project, then stick to it. This should start 
with a written statement of goals for the project. To define the scope of the 
project, one of the most important questions you can ask your client is *why?* In 
the case of the visitor counter, they may not even realize that any decent hosting 
service gives you at least raw access to the server logs for your domain and 
most will even parse them for you.

	Once you've asked why enough times, you should have a written list of 
several goals for the project that suggest a set of requirements. This leads to 
easier and more accurate quotes and a solid client relationship.
</tip>


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