Start a project - A practical website planning toolkit
Work through these linked guides and checklists to decide what kind of project you need, prepare the useful inputs, and compare potential partners on more than headline price.
There is nothing to download or complete in one sitting. Start with the decision currently blocking progress and return to the rest as the project takes shape.
Step 1 - Decide what kind of work is justified
Before writing a brief, agree what should change and whether that calls for focused improvements or a wider reset.
- Rebuild or focused improvement. Decide whether to reset the full site or target high-impact fixes first. Use the decision guide.
- Budget planning. Understand what drives cost and where uncertainty can widen a scope before asking for proposals. Plan the budget.
- Internal case. Connect the website problem to a business outcome before asking colleagues to approve the work. Build the case.
Step 2 - Prepare a brief people can respond to usefully
A useful brief explains the desired change and the constraints without pretending every solution has already been decided.
- Project briefing guide. Clarify outcomes, constraints, source material, and ownership before scope is set. Prepare the brief.
- Stakeholder decision roles. Set clear ownership for scope, messaging, feedback, and launch decisions. Set the role map.
- First-conversation checklist. Gather the six inputs that make initial conversations more focused and easier to compare. Open the checklist.
Step 3 - Compare potential partners on the work that matters
Look past surface polish and headline price. Test how clearly each option handles assumptions, risk, decisions, and evidence.
- Proposal comparison. Compare options on assumptions, risk, and outcomes rather than defaulting to the cheapest total. Compare proposals.
- Case study quality scan. Check whether the work shown explains the starting problem, decisions, constraints, and results. Review the checklist.
Before the first conversation - Bring the facts you already know
You do not need a finished specification. A short, honest view of these four areas is enough to make an initial conversation useful.
- Desired change. What should be easier, clearer, or more effective once the work is complete?
- Priority visitors. Who most needs the site, and what are they trying to understand or decide?
- Known constraints. Note any fixed dates, technical dependencies, content gaps, or approval requirements.
- Decision owner. Identify who can resolve conflicting feedback and approve the main project decisions.
Need a view on your own situation?
If you have enough context to describe the problem, send the useful details. The brief does not need to be polished.
Need the site to do a better job?
Send a short outline and we will come back within two working days with a sensible next step.
If you are still gathering input internally, start with the planning toolkit.