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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSBVPA-Website-SOW-v1 SOUTH BEND VENUES PARKS & ARTS WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT SCOPE OF WORK DOCUMENT OVERVIEW This document outlines our scope of work for the execution of strategy, design, copy, and HTML development for South Bend Venues Parks & Arts. By signing up for these services creates a contract between customer and Pathfinders Advertising and Marketing Group, Inc. ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 2 SCOPE OF WORK Client: South Bend VPA Project: Website Development: sbvpa.org Date: September 26, 2018 BACKGROUND South Bend Venues Parks and Arts (VPA) has been a team within the City of South Bend for about two years. The existing sbvpa.org was launched quickly to satisfy the need at the time. However, as the team continues to evolve, it’s time for a new website that better aligns with the South Bend VPA brand and makes it easy to update and maintain going. The website should serve as a landing spot to help people engage with and feel proud to live in South Bend, Indiana. WEBSITE OBJECTIVES • Be connected to the City of South Bend through shared content and visuals to help build awareness for both entities • Reinforce, further establish the VPA brand • Build for the user – make it easy to access information and register for events • Bring to life a flexible and robust CMS EXISTING CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME • Diverse target audiences – We’re everything, but need to tailor to specific audiences • Rectrac and Flybook platforms – Tough to get through the registration process • Information structure • Too many clicks to find and take actions • Don’t want to come across as “dorky” • Current CMS is a bad experience • Homepage being different than the rest of the site ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 3 OUR APPROACH Pathfinders uses a new, innovative approach to website development called Growth Driven Design (GDD). GDD embraces agile methodologies and focuses on developing a data driven website that is constructed with adaptability and flexibility in mind. One of the principal tenets behind this approach hinges on mitigating the risk associated with building a non-data driven digital product that leverages popular trends, and where decisions made are based on unproven hypotheses. In many cases, decisions are made based on features without any real visibility into what the impact those decisions will have on solving audience pain points. It is not until post-launch that an analysis of results occurs, and at this stage it is oftentimes too late to bring a project back to the drawing board. Our approach is to view a website as an iterative, continuously evolving platform. GROWTH DRIVEN DESIGN IS BASED ON THREE CENTRAL PILLARS: • Minimize risk – Let the data dictate ongoing decisions • Continuously learn and improve – Websites are not static, and design can be dynamic based on data • Inform marketing and communications – Take findings from the design process and leverage them within marketing and communication initiatives The result is a website that is continuously evolving and built in stages according to assumptions that are validated or invalidated based on data, and where features are rolled out in a manner that both inform and are informed by experiences and learnings from the marketing and sales teams. ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 4 STRATEGY This research and strategy phase is where we immerse ourselves in the project to get the background we’ll need to make information architecture, technical, and design decisions later in the project. During this phase we will learn as much about your business, objectives, users and competitors as possible. This project will commence with an examination of (some of which has already been completed as part of the initial meeting): • Goals & Personas – What is South Bend VPA trying to achieve? What impact is the website trying to make on the organization and why is it important? Who are the people that are coming to the website and who are the people that we’re interacting with? • Website & Analytics Audit – Quantitative analysis of sbvpa.org analytics data (as relevant) to determine how audience is currently interacting with website. Where are visitors dropping off of funnel? What areas of site seem to resonate? Where are current users of the current site having points of pain? • User Experience Research – Ask questions of representative Personas to help inform perspective of what sort of website content will be most effective. • Fundamental Assumptions – Pursuant to above exercises, certain baseline assumptions can be made about: value propositions; why visitors are coming to the website; where they’re coming from; what the points of pain are. • Global & Page Strategy – These fundamental assumptions become the foundation for global and page-by-page based strategies. • Brainstorm Wish List – Coming out of the research phase, with an understanding of personas/goals/etc., and having formulated strategies at both the micro and macro levels, Pathfinders and South Bend VPA teams should be able to formulate a comprehensive wish list of ideas and specifications around website pages, sections, features, etc. for inclusion in the ideal website. Deliverables: • Information Architecture – Organize information to make its retrieval as simple as possible. More specifically, provide information structure and means of navigating through the development of a site map to reflect the specific user and business needs. o Up to two (2) revisions to the site map are included as part of this scope of work • Provide Road Map / Project Plan – Deliver execution ideas for how we can deliver upon the overall objectives, requirements, and wish list. TIMING: 1 to 2 weeks ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 5 LAUNCH PAD WEBSITE Once the Brainstorm Wish List has been completed, and a full inventory of desired functional and feature inclusions has been identified, the Pathfinders and South Bend VPA teams will perform an 80/20 analysis (e.g., “What are the 20% of items that will make 80% of the business impact?”) on that inventory of wish list items. These items will be set aside and then prioritized in sprints to identify the items that are mission-critical to launch the website. A sprint, in agile development, is a set period of time during which specific work has to be completed and made ready for review. At this point, the first sprint cycle will commence towards the completion of the Launch Pad (also commonly referred to as a MVP – Minimum Viable Product) website and will follow this basic workflow: During the development cycle, efforts will be made to identify the data collection methods required for validation our fundamental assumptions. The underlying goal of the Launch Pad website is to launch quickly in order to start making data driven improvements to the website. TIMING: 30 days upon completion of research and strategy ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 6 GROWTH DRIVEN DESIGN Once the Launch Pad website has been completed, attention will be turned to the remaining Wish List items that generally fall into one of four top-level categories: BOOST CONVERSION IMPROVE USER EXPERIENCE PERSONALIZE TO THE USER BUILD MARKETING ASSETS Conversion points Navigation Personalization Tools User path Ex: Blog Layout By interests Marketing resources Testing value props UI Improvements By device Directories/listings Split testing Mobile experience By previous actions SEO-focused asset The inventory of wish list action items will be evaluated in light of basic hypothesis statements to determine the order by which the items will be deployed to the website. The hypothesis statement will identify the (a) persona and (b) page being impacted as well as the (c) status quo / control variable versus the (d) new variable being introduced. Finally, it will (e) suggest the expected impact and (f) the reasons fueling those expectations. HYPOTHESIS A For [Lucy the South Bend Lover] visiting a [blog page], we believe changing the page from [being static] into a [continuous scroll with related content] will [boost page views by 10%] We believe this to be true because [research or previously validated assumption] ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 7 Once the hypotheses have been determined, they will be evaluated based on: • Expected impact • Required effort • Impacted metrics (for measurement) • Definition of completion (to measure impact definitively) All open wish list items receive this treatment. Once all wish list action items have been identified and hypothesis statements have been written, they will be prioritized according to their presumed impact: Wish list items are then evaluated for inclusion in monthly sprint cycles. These sprint cycles are user-centric and seek to continuously increase the effectiveness of the website from the perspective of the user. ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 8 PROJECT NOTES DELIVERABLES DESIGN • This project includes the creation of one (1) overall website design for Client that communicates the established creative tone and look of the brand o Up to one (1) revision to the general design and look/feel are included as part of this scope of work, however, with standardized, existing brand colors we don’t expect this to be an issue • Creation of images, icons, and creative assets • Client to provide access to image library • Any new photography or video work will be scoped separately CONTENT • Modifying/rewriting client-provided content to achieve website vision • Development of site content to be built with SEO best practices in mind • Client may be required to assist in content uploading DEVELOPMENT • Programming of WordPress-powered CMS website with content publishing platform o Utilization of a pre-defined theme to create efficiencies through existing HTML/CSS programming infrastructures • Desktop, tablet, and mobile page development for entire website • Level of 3rd-party application integrations (Do we link out? Is API feed available?) will be determined as part of the research and strategy phase. These platforms include: o Rectrac o Flybook o GetResponse • Initial, minimum requirements included in this scope of work: o Global event calendar with sortable categories o Global search o Blog, content publishing platform o Social integration – both pull from and push to platforms o Solution for landing page/microsite builder o Default WordPress user admin roles • Additional requirements will be vetted in the research and strategy phase, and prioritized accordingly based on timing, expected impact, required effort, and impacted metrics. These include, but are not limited to: o Search integration with southbendin.gov KBAs ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 9 o Related events/products o Payment gateways (Paypal) o Custom admin roles o Google translation o Interactive Google map • Website developed in accordance with search engine compliance o Client will be expected to add Meta Tag copy for the pages they populate within the CMS o It is our goal to ensure that all websites are search-compliant as part of the core build of your website development SOW. In other words, all content can be found and indexed by search engine crawling (spidering) technology. Search engine compliance does not mean website content will be optimized to drive higher search engine page rankings. • Pre-launch quality assurance testing, including o All functionality (links, forms, site search, etc.) o Cross-browser testing of recent versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer based on website analytics o Review of target devices and screen sizes based on website analytics o After feedback is gathered and analyzed, Pathfinders will remedy functionality and minor user-experience issues discovered during testing TRAINING • Once the website has launched, up to two (2) hours of CMS training from a Pathfinders development team member will be provided to Client staff members • If required, training sessions can be recorded for future reference o Any further documentation will require a separate scope of work. ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 10 ASSUMPTIONS • This Scope of Work (SOW) excludes any hard costs associated with third-party vendors. • Pathfinders to provide access to project management interface to facilitate and aggregate communications with Client. • Client will be assigned a digital project manager. This person will act as the primary point of contact with Pathfinders and will respond to all communications within 24 hours on workdays, unless otherwise notified (and subject to reasonable exceptions). • Pathfinders will require one point of contact during the Contract for clarifying requirements for design, key features, usability and maintenance issues. Pathfinders requires this person be available to answer questions arising from the project within 48 hours on workdays (subject to reasonable exceptions), and to have authority to make design and related decisions on the system. • Hosting for the CMS are not included in this SOW. A separate Hosting Setup and Management Agreement may be executed to host these services. • All development work will be done on the host server. If development work is to be done on Pathfinders internal servers, Pathfinders will provide a Project Change Notice (PCN) for additional time to transfer files, QA functionality, and take site to live status. • Although Pathfinders makes every effort to provide secure Finished Product(s), due to the nature of rapidly advancing technology, Pathfinders can in no way guarantee that the Finished Product(s) will not be subject security breaches. Pathfinders recommends the use of strong passwords and the observance of standard security practices. The Client is solely responsible for tracking software updates. • Once the core development has been completed and the website has all desired functionality, budget for a separate Ongoing Services Agreement in order to proactively maintain the technical integrity of your website, perform routine maintenance, address security vulnerabilities, and manage content is strongly recommended. • Estimates/functionality based on initial discussions outlined in this document. • Pathfinders is not responsible for any delay or defect caused by separate third party or the Client’s in-house teams. • Pathfinders does NOT intend to use any subcontractors for the development of this website. Should the need arise, appropriate transparency and communications will be provided to the Client in order to use additional US-based development resources. • Pathfinders will conduct regular touch base meetings on development progress and costs, and any changes will be proactively communicated. o Extended project timelines beyond what is outlined here may result in a PCN. o Both parties acknowledge that the scope of work for the Services to be provided by Agency under a Project Estimate may change over the course of a Project. If Client requests Agency to provide additional services mutually agreed upon by the parties, response to such will be in a written PCN. The PCN must be agreed upon and signed by Client prior to commencing such additional services. ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 11 CHANGE CONTROL PROCESS Throughout any project, changes may be required to deal with unanticipated incidents and/or new information that arise during the course of the project lifecycle. It’s a fact of business life. These include, but are not limited to, the following: • Changes to the project schedule, scope or budget • Changes in priorities (external or internal) that impact the project • Lack of access to personnel resources, content assets, or technical platforms • Any changes or additions to design or functional requirements after initial approval • Changes in personnel assigned to the project While the GDD methodology allows for adaptability to change, this change control process is meant to put in place a strict process to ensure changes are tracked and approved appropriately throughout the project. In cases where changes are identified, a change request will be processed as follows: • The Project Manager will create a Project Change Notice (PCN) that documents the relevant information, including: change description, rationale (e.g. potential benefit), impact assessment, effort, and associated cost (if applicable) to implement the change. • This PCN will be submitted to Client by the Account Manager and reviewed for final approval. • For approved change requests, the Project Manager will incorporate the change(s) into the project schedule (if applicable) and communicate the change to the appropriate team members. • If it is anticipated that the project will exceed estimated costs by more than 10%, then a revised estimate will be submitted for Client approval. OWNERSHIP OF CODE All source code will be transferred to the Client at project delivery, and when payment has been received in-full by Pathfinders Advertising. Any code written exclusively for the fulfillment of this SOW will be considered fully transferred to exclusive ownership of client at project delivery. Exclusive ownership of any other code used in the execution of this SOW is not transferrable, including but not limited to: open source libraries, closed libraries purchased by Pathfinders outside the scope of this engagement, and any code written by Pathfinders outside the scope of this SOW and reused for utility/convenience. The ultimate recipient of the code (Client) will be appropriately licensed to use all such code, but they do not have exclusive rights. ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 12 FEES + TIMELINE $5,000 monthly over 3 months ($15,000 Total) • Launch Pad website in approximately thirty (30) business days once strategy and research is complete • Growth Driven Design phase will run through December 2018 or until all Wish List items have been implemented, whichever comes first • Timeline for core objectives and priority items completed to be determined upon execution of this scope of work Monthly sprint cycles structured around “points” based system. To illustrate: • Growth Driven Design - $5,000/mo. = 12 points/mo. • Each hypothesis or work activity is graded at a specific number of points based on the resources required to integrate. o 1-3 Points: Basic activities executed quickly o 5-8 Points: More robust functionality that will take approximately half a week’s worth of time to complete o 13-21 Points: Complex functionality with multiple features wrapped into one, that will take over a week worth of time to complete • In the Plan Phase of each sprint, wish list action items are selected around the aggregate number of available points. These action items define the upcoming sprint cycle. Example monthly schedule on following page ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 13 EXAMPLE SCHEDULE MONTH SPRINTS POINTS TASKS FEES HIGH PRIORITY ITEMS FOR LAUNCH PAD October 1 6 • Research • Hold conversations with internal teams • Collect and review analytics • Create wish list • Prioritize and set up sprints • General design and UX • Begin copy writing $2,500 October 2 6 • Plan, prioritize and set up sprints • Prototype development for Launch Pad website • Begin building CMS foundation • Setup SSL • Development of page templates $2,500 November 3 - 4 12 • Plan, prioritize and set up sprints based on Wish List • QA testing • Begin rollout of Launch Pad website • Begin Growth Driven Design • Implement sprint activities • Validation testing • Report on learnings • Create recommendations $5,000 GDD - WISH LIST December 5 - 6 12 • Plan, prioritize and set up sprints based on Wish List • Implement additional sprint activities • Validation testing • Report on learnings • Create recommendations $5,000 $5,000/mo. = 12 points/mo. TOTAL AGENCY SERVICES = $15,000 Authorization signature required on following page ©2018 Pathfinders | All Rights Reserved. PAGE 14 SIGNATURES AUTHORIZATION FROM CLIENT I, the undersigned, have the authority to agree to and do authorize the terms described above as they relate to the project, its cost, and expected delivery. AUTHORIZED BY _________________________________ _______________ CLIENT SIGNATURE DATE