New Website Workflow

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 STAGE 4 STAGE 5 Aim Sketch Architecture Design Ship why · message · journeys · mood board site map + page skeletons the few real choices sheet · components · hi-fi pages assemble · launch run in tandem CLIENT CHECKPOINTS kickoff site pitch design review launch walkthrough

Stages and deliverables

clientpresented for sign-offinternalours, on request
#StageDeliverables
Kickoffopens stage 01
bringthe empty Aim docs; their headings are the interview script
leave withenough to write stage 01
01 Aim
WHY.mdinternalthree short paragraphs, written well: who it's for, the pain it solves, why it needs to exist
MESSAGE.mdclientthe one-liner, three supporting points each with its proof, the headlines and taglines we want to use
JOURNEYS.mdclientmain journeys: where the visitor comes from, what they see, the action they take
MOOD BOARDclientthe direction in three words, plus references each named for the one thing it lends
02 Sketch
SITE MAPinternalone navigation graph; a page no journey reaches is scope creep
PAGE SKELETONSclientone section stack per page with real first-draft headlines, no styling, no lorem
Site pitchgates 03 + 04 · can loop
bringMESSAGE.md · JOURNEYS.md · MOOD BOARD · PAGE SKELETONS, told as one story
leave withsign-off, or notes and a second pitch
03 Architecture
SYSTEM MAPinternalthe parts, bought vs built, every arrow labeled; thin on purpose, the stack is already decided
DECISIONS.mdinternalone line per decision: date, choice, why, the rejected alternative
04 Design
BRAND SHEETinternalthe tokens, decided once: palette, type, spacing, the motif, the wordmark and its rules
COMPONENTSinternalthe repeatable sections built in code with real copy; the design deliverable, no handoff file
HI-FI PAGESclienta few pages at full fidelity, assembled from the components
Design reviewgates 05 · can loop
bringa live URL on the client's phone: the HI-FI PAGES
leave withsign-off, or notes and another pass
05 Ship
PLAN.mdinternalmilestones ending in URLs, all pages assembled thin first; tickets carry page and journey numbers with one "done when" line
LAUNCH CHECKLISTclientjourney × pass/fail plus wiring rows, walked on a phone by someone who didn't build it, then the DNS flip
Launch walkthroughcloses 05
bringthe staging URL and the LAUNCH CHECKLIST
leave witha green column, then the DNS flip
Guidelines

One page per document

A page is the target, not a hard limit. Write clearly and concisely rather than exhaustively.

Everything inherits a journey number

Number the journeys once, then every page, section, ticket, and checklist row carries the number of the journey it serves. If a piece of work can't name its journey, cut it.

Real copy from the first sketch

Wireframes and components carry real draft copy, never lorem. A page whose headline can't be written yet isn't understood yet.

Meetings are assembled, not prepped

Every checkpoint is built from deliverables that already exist. If a meeting needs prep, the process failed upstream.

Keep docs in sync with the build

When the build contradicts a doc, fix it that day and add a line to DECISIONS.md.