Mission statement: how to write it?

Marie 20/12/2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Home  »  Web project   »   Mission statement: how to write it?
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Posted by: Marie Web project

A web or mobile development project? Entrusting the task to a specialized web agency is an excellent solution!
To do so, you will need to write the mission statement of your project.

This document is irreplaceable to describe precisely your needs and goals, in order to allow the good development of the project.

Mission statement, what is it?

The mission statement is used to define your project for your web agency.
The more documented and precise it is, the less you risk unpleasant surprises.

To put it plainly, mission statement is an essential document at the beginning of each project.
It identifies the needs and outlines them to the different parties in order to get everyone to agree on the tasks, missions and roles of each party.

The first part of the document is to be provided by the customer.
It contains information about the company: its activity, its objective, the description and the stakes of the project.

The second part of the document corresponds to the agency’s return after studying the first part. It consists of a list of the various components required to carry out the project, as well as their costs.

This document is contractual between the parties, but it does not in itself constitute the commercial contract.

What should a mission statement contain?

The document can be more or less provided. But obviously, the more detailed and precise it is, the less likely it is to be misunderstood.

Below is an example of a non-exhaustive list of important points to address in order to clarify expectations and needs related to the project.

Presentation:

It is above all a question of making an overview of your identity and your activity. You can also explain how your web project fits into the company’s strategy.

If you want to make a redesign of an existing website, then specify your traffic figures, performance statistics (bounce rate, conversion rate…), the pages to be modified and how, the technologies used, etc…

Do not hesitate to give as much information as possible!

Definition of the type of website:

It all depends on your end goal.
If the goal is the sale of products or services, then an e-commerce website would be all you need.

Your goal is to improve your online presence? To attract attention? To attract the interest of Internet users in your activity?
Then a showcase website would be perfect.

Do you want to create a more complete and interactive website? With exchange, information and communication functionalities? Offering a wide range of resources and services related to your field of activity?
Then you are heading towards a web portal.

You should not lose sight of the fact that your website must correspond to your needs, no more no less.
An incomplete website, or one with many options that are useless to you will waste time and money.

Identify your target:

Needs may vary from one target to another. Thus, knowing your target allows you to adapt the site to their needs.

To properly adapt your site, ask yourself these questions:

  • What are the different profiles of my users?
  • What are they trying to do on my site?
  • Which features will enable them to carry out these actions?
  • Do my targets speak several languages? Which ones?
  • Should the site be adapted in another way than a simple translation?
  • Should the site be adapted to the mobile format?
  • Etc…

The tree structure:

The tree structure is like a map: it gives a global vision of the website and the navigation paths, before creating the mock-ups of the main pages.
It generally takes the form of a diagram that organizes and ranks the pages of the site into sections. It thus defines the different levels of navigation.

Once the tree structure of the website is completed, an overview of the site is available.
We can then focus more precisely on the pages for the realization of the models.

Organizing the content is a crucial step. Because without a well thought-out navigation, a website, no matter how aesthetically pleasing it may be, has little chance of achieving its objectives.

It is not mandatory to submit all pages. But at least give their positions and depths in the website.

Detail the menus, categories, headings that you wish to see appear. As well as the way pages link to each other.
The organization of the pages will be like the skeleton of your website, on which the content will be grafted.

website structure enyosolutions
Example of tree structure

Design:

In this section, you can discuss your desires in terms of design and appearance.

The ideal would already be to have a mock-up that developers would only have to follow pixel by pixel.

You can also give examples of existing sites to build on. And if you have any, graphic elements that you would like to use for your graphic charter (colour code, logo, font…).

All this will give aesthetic references to the agency working on your project.

The functionalities:

In this part you will be able to list the options and functionalities inherent to your project.

Does your site include an online store? It will be necessary to specify the desired delivery and payment methods, the number of products, and their declinations if there are any.

Is there a customer area? It will be necessary to be clear about your expectations for the back office in terms of activity monitoring.

Will you need an internal search engine system? A blog? Or a newsletter subscription module?

Give everything you have in mind, give as much detail as you can.

The content:

The content you will provide to your visitors must be attractive and relevant to your audience.
It must also be optimized by its form and material for natural referencing (SEO).

The website will have to be regularly supplied with content, otherwise it will lose in referencing and therefore notoriety.

You can specify the different types of content you intend to publish on your site: articles, images, videos, downloadable resources…

Deadlines and budget :

Even though the project is relatively simple and short. It is best to be clear about the timelines from the beginning so that you can follow the progress of the project step by step.

You can also specify if you have a deadline for your project.

If you have budgeted for your project, you can also mention it here.

Conclusion:

Be aware that a mission statement concerns his project and belongs to him in its own right.
It can vary depending on many factors, which makes this document unique.
This list is not to be followed exactly as it is, additions or modifications will certainly be necessary!

The more accurate, well-organized and well-documented the document, the more time you will save later.
This will ensure a serene development of your website.

mission statement website development enyosolutions