CHAPTER 4 PROPOSAL

Introduction The proposal will summarize the development decisions, and these will be based on the information you have received from the client, on your experience, and on the discussions you have had with the colleagues about the possible alternatives for the treatment.

To give the client a clear high-level understanding of what the project will do, what it will contain and how much it will cost. For online projects needs to be linked to the plug-ins and browsers that will be used and whether the nature of site needs static pages, dynamic pages or a combination of them. For offline projects the approach needs to be linked to the platform adopted and the reasons for the choice. The proposal should include a suggested schedule for development of the main stages, or milestones linked to payments, as well as the overall cost.

What it should contain 1. General introduction and/or executive summary, 2. Statement of what the clients wants from the website or application, 3. Statement of what the users need from the site or application, 4. Description of the general treatment and reasons for the choice, 5. Variations on the treatment that are possible, 6. Outline diagram of the proposed structure,

7. Description of the human resources needed, 8 7. Description of the human resources needed, 8. Work breakdown and schedule, 9. Cost/payment structure, 10. Company statement of the limitations of the proposal.

1. General introduction and/or executive summary The definition of the type of project Its purpose A description of the numbers, and the type of audience

2. Statement of what the client wants from the project The statements that the client has given at the first meeting(s) need to be shaped into a sharp, business-focused account. Use phrases and terminology that reflect the business area of the client. Eg. Audiovisual – “user” (unfriendly) prefer “viewers” Journalistic background – “reader”

3. Statement of what the user needs from the application Summarize the user needs. Add your experience of the users of an application from a professional point of view. Can predict the interactive level needed from the program to suit the users.

4. Description of the general treatment and reasons for choice Online projects: treatment Home page: i) show the general structure ii) the number of elements that will be included for branching off to other pages (referred as site map) iii) a diagrammatic representation of the content and functionality branches is a good idea, with a statement of the reasons for them, and showing how their structure relates to the needs of the user and wishes of the client.

iv) Each section of the site should be mentioned in terms of its expected size, the media components and reasons for the media choices, and the estimated time needed to complete the content and design for each section. v) how long it will take to get the right information together for the respective sections? BANDING OF PAGES ☼ Eg. (need to adjust according to your way of working) Small = 5-10 pages Medium = 10-20 pages Large = 20-30 pages Very large = 30+pages Pages here are taken to mean submenus + the content associated with each.

COMPLEXITY INDICATOR In the section audit table, complexity can relate to the media production components, the content, the programming, or all three. May rank each of them as Low, Medium or High. Section audit Section Size Complexity Dev. Time Cost Name (pages) Media Content Program. +Testing+Rework Small Medium Low Low

Section related to needs Show how your company intends to achieve the objectives in the treatment of the content for each section. Content section Client need satisfied User need satisfied

Offline projects: treatment Check that the media mix is suitable for the content and the users.

On-and offline projects: common ground Cost considerations vary Rights clearances? Internal staff costs? Profit margin? External staff costs? Production rate tables?

5. Variations on the treatment Will come to light as we apply the process for defining the treatment for online and offline. Need to cut any major features to suit the budget  add them to the proposal as extras for consideration – suggesting the client – offer value to the user.

6. Outline diagram of proposed structure A site map of the proposed site structure really helps communication with the client, particularly at the initial stage. The map will need to be refined, if and when the project progresses.

7. Description of the human resources List and describe in general terms the roles that will be part of the project.

8. Work breakdown and schedule Use a computer package to help with the scheduling and costing. Scheduling: ≈ enough at this stage to state the start and end dates for each of the options, with general timing for research (outline and detailed document dates), and key development stages, called milestones.

Complex projects: ≈ Break the work down into work packages, each of which has a budget and timing and one or more deliverables. Time and costs for testing: ≈ Phases for testing the application. ≈ Specify how much can be absorbed into the development time and what sort of testing are recommended.

9. Cost/payment Companies will define staged payment in different ways but many link staged payments to: ◙ the agreed prototype front-page look and feel, ◙ the phase or phases leading to the detailed agreement of content, ◙ the content’s look and feel, ◙ the first working example of the code and navigation, ◙ the near-final stage, sometimes called the beta, ◙ delivery of the final version of the project – a fully functioning site for online or a golden master for a CD-ROM, for example.

10. Limitations of the proposal Explain any limitations of the proposal. The proposal is based on a limited understanding of the overall content, there need to be indications of this to allow for changes from the developers as their understanding deepens. If have based any of decision on material that will be supplied by client will need a proviso that this is subject to the material being of the right type and quality. Otherwise developer will need to revise the estimates of how much material will need to be produced.

Eg. If you have based any of your decisions on material that will be supplied by the client, you will need a proviso that this is subject to the material being of the right type and quality. Otherwise, you will need to revise your estimates (eg. time and cost) of how much material will need to be produced.

Summary From the information given, present an understanding of the approach, schedule and cost. If working on an offline project explain the platform choice. Work from the client’s objectives for themselves and the users. Take into account any content suggestions from the client and match these to the objectives. Find the gaps left in the objectives, and devise content and treatment to fill them in the time allowed. For online projects, check that the media mix is suitable for the content, the users and the download time. For offline projects, check that the media mix is suitable for the content and the users. Check that the media mix can be achieved by the platform.

Summary Cost the proposed treatment, and refer back to the client’s budget. Tailor the treatment to the budget. Don’t forget to include a testing strategy, with options for clients to make decisions on. Define the resources that are needed. Explain any limitations of the proposal.