The document outlines key strategies for successful website development, emphasizing the importance of thorough planning and clear communication among stakeholders. It introduces the 'Oreo Cookie Strategy,' which highlights the necessity of solid functional and technical requirements, effective design, and efficient building processes. Additionally, it stresses the importance of charging appropriately for services and managing client expectations to avoid miscommunication and maintain project profitability.

1. PROFITABLE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
THE OREO COOKIE STRATEGY
WORDCAMP SACRAMENTO 2016

2. CHANGE YOUR THINKING
A website is not advertising — it’s a complex
piece of application software
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3. CHANGE YOUR THINKING
Planning is not nice to have, it’s key — plan
for success and success will come
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4. THE OREO COOKIE STRATEGY
It’s not an Oreo without the crunchy outsides
Put as much thought into planning and
development as you put into design
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5. PLANNING…
Projects don’t fail at the end,
they fail at the beginning
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Jeff Christiansen — Toon Town / Magic Kingdom

6. DISCOVERY
Use Discovery to document everything
before you start
1. What’s the objective?
2. Functional requirements
3. Technical requirements
4. Determine the architecture (sitemap)
5. Present everything in an annotated wireframes
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7. HOW DESIGN CONTRIBUTES
The tasty center is important — but it is
often where the budget goes off the rails
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8. HOW DESIGN CONTRIBUTES
Review the wireframes with the developers
— early and often
Provide designs for all pages and
functionalities
Understand the technology — include the
developers in the design process
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9. HOW DESIGN CONTRIBUTES
Mobile first — responsive or adaptive, know
the difference
Provide mobile designs and consider mobile
navigation
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10. LET THE DEVELOPERS DRIVE THE BUILD
Give them clear design direction
Follow the review process
Mange changes/accept that there will
be changes
Let the dev. team drive — it’s their turn
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11. THE BUDGET
Clients: don’t bring a knife to a gun fight
Agencies: charge for your work
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Charge for Discovery — it’s worth a lot
A solid foundation saves everyone money
Equally important, Discovery makes projects go
smoother — this saves money
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Ask for the budget and get a deposit — money
up front, ideally in the bank, helps keep it
serious
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Charge for Project Management and set
boundaries — some clients need a lot of hand-
holding
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Charge for training and documentation — it
takes time and draws on your IP
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Change orders are your friend — repeat after
me…
“Anything can be done with enough time and
budget.”
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Document the scope (Discovery) and use this
for the phase one budget
Changes — there will be changes — become
change orders or get parked for inclusion in
phase two
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Track time, even if it’s fixed bid — do you really
know how long it takes?
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Define the post launch grace period in the SOW
and then charge for support — WordPress
websites require regular support and
maintenance
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Charge for content entry — you can do it faster
than the client can, this is worth something
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21. THE OREO COOKIE STRATEGY
What you need for a profitable website
development project:
• A clear and documented understanding of the website’s
functional and technical requirements;
• A site map and wire frame to communicates the site’s
structure and functional requirements;
• A solid, thought through design;
• An efficient build, and
• Charge for what you do
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22. THE OREO COOKIE STRATEGY
Like an Oreo, all the layers are important.
Without the crunch, the planning and the
build, the tasty bit, the design, is just a
gooey mess
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23. Red8 Interactive, Inc
red8interactive.com
415-789-3685
Thank you