Project Timeline
Hello Kelly,
First of all, thank you for going through the current sitemap and making your edits. This keeps us on track for content migration and strategy, while also giving us insight into how you plan on using and layout out the website. This comes largely into play once the design phase begins.
Second, I'd like to apologize that the website project is being perceived as behind schedule. This is something we address during the consultation portion, during the deep dive, since we know that our websites typically take 19-32 weeks between Diocesan receiving the signed web agreement and the time when website editing training sessions begin.
This average range of 19-32 weeks is largely dependant on three items:
- Number of Other Diocesan Clients
Since Diocesan is a growing company, the web department's project load (thus design queue) will fluctuate depending on the time of year and word of mouth recommendations. Unfortunately, both are out of our control and result in a constantly fluctuating number of clients. - Timely Responses
As mentioned below, our process can only go as quickly as clients allow it. With this in mind, as you go through the content, design, and training phases, timely responses become increasingly important in keeping the timeline as short as possible. Content strategists rely on the current sitemap being edited before we can create a suggested sitemap for you to approve. Once in the design phase, designers will typically meet 1-2 times a week with you and keep in contact via Basecamp email on any design updates and questions between meetings. Once your site is ready for training, it is up to you to determine what dates and times work best for your first and second training. Some parishes are able to have their training immediately, while others have taken up to a month before the first training session is even scheduled. Any delay in scheduling the first training session will result in the direct delay of the website launch, as the soonest you are able to launch is 2 weeks after the first training session. - Speed of Other Diocesan Clients
Although each of the phases can have a quick turnaround time, we cannot control the speed of our client's responses. So while two projects may begin at the same time, one may take three weeks in design while the other may take over a year before getting a homepage design approved by their website committee. (Yes, this has actually happened!)
To combat this, our content strategists work on 10-20 projects at a time, designers work on 5-12 projects at a time, and developers work on 3-8 projects at a time. Again, the large range is highly dependant on how quick clients are able to respond and make time for us.
While it may seem that the website process is moving slowly, you will see that as design begins, it will begin to proceed quite quickly. Then once the design is approved, you will be in the development queue. During this second waiting period (between design and development), we ask that you figure out who will be doing content editing, what specific roles will be needed, and send Diocesan any photos and videos to be used on the new website. This will speed up content migration and allow us to schedule the first training session as soon as possible.
Hopefully, these points will help you relay the timeframe of our process to the parish council. Just to give more explanation and for ease of mind, I have also attached a copy of what our process entails and an average quick timeline with St. Joseph's project start date for an idea of how long the site build typically takes.
Let me know if you have any other questions,
Hopefully, these points will help you relay the timeframe of our process to the parish council. Just to give more explanation and for ease of mind, I have also attached a copy of what our process entails and an average quick timeline with St. Joseph's project start date for an idea of how long the site build typically takes.
Let me know if you have any other questions,
