Terms of Reference for the development of the site: examples and pitfalls

The site is not the Eiffel Tower, but the drawing and the terms of reference are no less important for it

TK for creating a site: a dictionary for a client and developers

The terms of reference for the development of the site are essentially instructions. Or a kind of dictionary. This is a structured questionnaire that translates your language into a language understood by designers and programmers. As soon as the site developer has a question about his own further actions, he does not call or write to you. He is looking at the terms of reference. That is why it is extremely important to pay maximum attention to the compilation of technical specifications for the site at the very beginning of the creation or updating of the site. Your time is the most valuable. So why spend it on endless negotiations by phone and mail? 

Dictionary size

Of course, everyone knows that there is a Large English-Russian Dictionary, and there is a pocket phrasebook. Each has its own purpose. Somewhere, an extremely detailed description is needed, and somewhere, general words are enough. Ideal from the point of view of practicality is some "middle ground". Also, when drawing up a statement of work for the creation of a site, it is a mistake to write a technical task with a volume of one hundred volumes, but it cannot be placed on a piece of paper. Any studio that is responsibly and professionally engaged in the creation of sites will offer you the most compact and at the same time detailed questionnaire, which will be the basis for the terms of reference for the creation of the site. 

It is very important to pay attention to each item in this questionnaire, which, as a rule, forms the basis of the terms of reference. 

Use of the dictionary

The same textacteristic in the terms of reference can be interpreted by the parties differently. And when creating a site design , and when it is being processed, the studio and the site owner can see the same definition differently. To eliminate disputes, before creating a site layout and its design, be sure to highlight the key requirements and include them in the terms of reference. For example, the definition of "Site in a simple style." A lot of design options, right? Or the definition of "Restrained site style." Everyone has their own understanding of restraint, right? Therefore, it is extremely important to pay attention when forming a technical task for the development or redesign of the site so that you understand each other. Make sure you speak each other's language. And then you get exactly the product that you want.