The main task of the TK is to ensure mutual understanding between the customer and the contractor.
Why do you need a technical assignment for website development?
Terms of reference is a document that contains and describes all the information necessary for the implementation of the site. Website development implies the presence of many interactive elements, a content management system and other functional blocks, therefore the TK contains a detailed description of each page of the future web resource and their mandatory functionality.
For the customer, the TK is a guarantee that the project will in any case be completed taking into account all the wishes and handed over at no additional cost. For the contractor, the technical task is his peace of mind that during the development process any details that the customer forgot to inform about will not come up.
The development of the technical task is carried out on the basis of the brief filled in by the client. As the documentation progresses, the data from the brief, necessary for work, are clarified and supplemented. The brief contains a number of requests and information about what elements the client wants to see on the future site, what tasks he sets for the site, what functionality is needed and should be implemented.
In the process of working on the terms of reference, the costs of the working time of the team or an individual specialist are also calculated, which will be required to complete the tasks described in the TOR and will become the basis for calculating the cost of work on the project.
How to write a technical assignment
- Write down general information
Everyone who takes part in the development should be aware of the main activities of the company and know about the main target audience. It is best to indicate this information at the very beginning of the TK.
An additional plus will be if you list why the site is being developed and what tasks it will solve.
- Define and decode complex terms
The main rule of a quality assignment is that everyone understands it. In case you use terms that may be incomprehensible to your customer, do not be lazy to give them an explanation, or even better, add terms and definitions in a general list at the beginning or at the end of the TK.
- List the necessary tools and hosting requirements
The main task of the technical specification is to make the development understandable for both parties, therefore, it is very important to prescribe the necessary tools for development and hosting requirements.
- Structure all the requirements for the site
A good web portal should work and display correctly in all browsers and on all devices. Write down this moment for the client - it will be better for everyone.
Watch out for site load speed, data protection, scalability, and similar requirements.
- Draw the structure of the site
Until the site structure is spent on drawing prototypes, it must be agreed with the client.
Talk to the customer to determine what tasks he sets for the site. Discuss this with all the specialists who will participate in the development, and then determine which pages are really needed. Think over their relationship with each other, how the transition will be carried out, what buttons need to be added.
The structure of the site is very important to register and discuss, because if this is not done, then the resource will turn out to be crooked and low-quality.
- Describe what each page will contain
The customer must understand why each of the pages is needed on the site and what elements will be present on it. This can be done with:
1) The prototype is the most visual way to display. The client clearly sees how the site will look if it is successfully implemented, evaluates the interface and functionality, and then gives feedback on those points that need to be edited or changed.
2) Item enumeration is a simplified replacement for prototypes. It is enough to list which modules or blocks will be present on the page and describe their functionality.
- Write custom scripts
If the project is rather non-standard, then you need to imagine how future visitors will be able to use the site. The best solution is to write custom scripts.
In the case of developing one-page sites or a business card site, there is no need to spend time writing scripts, but if interactive services are planned on the site, then it is still better to compose them.
- Appoint a person responsible for filling the site with content
When developing a site, content can be added immediately, if the client provides it, there can be test content (fish), or you can agree, for example, on further technical support, where you will be replenished with the site for a monthly fee.
It is better to decide such a moment in advance and include it in the terms of reference, so that each of the parties has an understanding of how the filling issue will be resolved.
- Describe the design
When drawing up a technical task, it is very important to take into account the wishes of the client regarding the design of the site. You need to know the color scheme, brand colors, fonts. If the customer has a brand book, ask you to provide it, this will greatly facilitate the task.
Lean on the general structure for the Terms of Reference
Of course, each project requires an individual development structure. Nevertheless, it is possible to single out general sections that should be in the terms of reference:
- Information about the company and target audience, the main task of the site;
- List of terms and definitions;
- Technical requirements for site operation and layout;
- Applied tools and technologies, hosting requirements;
- Complete site structure;
- Prototypes and detailed descriptions of the elements that must be present on the pages;
- Custom scripts (for interactive and high-load services);
- Added content (if any);
- Description of the design.
At the end, the terms of reference are agreed and signed.
Terms of reference is an important step towards creating a convenient and high-quality website for a company. Accurately set tasks can reduce the time to create a website at times.
With the help of TK, the client not only embodies the desired ideas, but also saves time.
Terms of Reference from "Dream-Line"
If there is no desire to take risks and put into work independently written technical documentation for the development of the site, in this case, we recommend that you contact the professionals of the studio "Dream-Line". Each client in cooperation with us can count on:
- Individual approach.
- Precision and thoroughness.
- Favorable price. The development cost will depend on the complexity of the future site.
- Prototyping (for large resources).
