Episode 58: Web Development Specifications
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Proper specifications are an essential tool to project management, as well as giving accurate estimates.
Geek Tool – 00:34
Webapps – 02:41
- Browsersize – Find out what people with smaller screen casn see
- Aardvark – Ask it a question and it finds an expert
Topic – 10:02
- Creating Specs
- What?
- Document that describes the technical requirements including procedures of which describe when the requirements have been met.
- From the user’s perspective
- Screens, dialogs, and menus
- Why?
- Failing to write a spec is the single biggest unnecessary risk you take in a software project — Joel Spolsky from Stack Overflow
- They provide a precise view of the problem, they force you to think about your program and actually design it
- Gets everyone on the same page before diving in and wasting time coding the wrong thing
- To get an accurate picture of how long (how much money) a project will take
- Help avoid duplications and inconsistencies
- Common questions you can ask the client
- Total number of pages
- What kind of navigation bars or menus
- More than one page design?
- Number of custom graphics needed
- Number of graphics provided by the client
- How design-intensive a site do they want?
- What type of text content, provided in what form?
- Interactive forms? How many fields?
- Database-driven applications? (Detailed description of all functionality is needed)
- Administration areas?
- Domain registrations or changes?
- Hosting arrangements?
- How important is search engine positioning?
- Will any client training be necessary?
- Every Spec should have
- Joel Spolsky’s Article on writing functional specifications
- A Disclaimer stating that it is a work in progress
- An author, only one
- Scenarios, fictionally stories of how a user will interact with the software
- Non-goals
- An overview
- Details, provide a sub section for each screen or feature
- Open issues i.e. We need to consult the marketing team and see how they want to word this email that gets sent out on user registration.
- Side notes
- Tips
- Make them fun to read
- Write as simply as possible
- Review and re-read your spec several times
- Charge your client for a spec – Manifest Phil
March 18th, 2010 at 7:11 am
I really like this approach and use it for most of what I do online. But I get into all-or-nothing phases where I won’t even start on a project if I don’t think I can make it turn out perfect. Never starting is a waste of a good idea and opportunity.