[thelist] Create a pre-project documentation

[Burhan Khalid]

Christian Heilmann wrote:
> My tip would be not to get entangled in the technicalities first, but
> raise awareness of the other people that web development needs input
> from all.

I cannot agree with this more.  I recently was in a similar situation 
where I had to write a proposal for a project.  At first, it was not a 
big issue as I started to sketch out the project on paper, and I started 
outlining the tech aspects of the project.  What database servers will 
be needed, how many machines for the production environment, software 
licenses, etc. etc.

Later, when I reazlied the number/variety of stakeholders, it became 
clear that this project required input from a lot of other people, and I 
had to filter out most of the technical information to make sure that I 
didn't drown anyone in the techno-babble.

What I can recommend to you is that you start off with providing a very 
high level overview of the entire project, its phases (if any) and what 
is expected in the end (deliverables).

Next, you start detailing each phase into its components, and so on. 
Try to avoid getting too technical, as this document is probably going 
to be read by a lot of people -- most of them will not be programmers.

Try to focus on the business needs (why are we creating a new website?) 
and what your solution will provide (for example, a user friendly 
interface to view site statistics, etc.)

I'm sure the people reading this are sure of your technical merits, so 
again, try not to overwhelm them with technology.

Hope this helps,
Burhan