Sending Client Hosting Server Requirements

For your future [intranet] site I’ve attached the server hardware and software minimum specifications, either with a single server setup or with separate web and database servers.

It’s very early but I wanted to give you time to plan ahead if needed. Our network administrator will also need VPN, RDP/equivalent, and machine admin access to the server(s) to deploy it when the time comes—we’ll let you know when that’s coming up. In the meantime if you have any questions about specs please feel free to ask.

"Any guidance or consideration for deciding whether to go with a single or dual server?"

There are benefits to either option, but it mainly depends on what’s available in your existing network architecture and what works best for IT to manage:

Performance
Many networks have more dedicated CPU/memory available on a separate database server than on their web server, so in that scenario they achieve better performance by separating them. However a web server could be allocated those same resources and perform well too.

Convenience
It’s less complicated to access a single machine with the entire website on it, making administration easier.

Security
Some organizations keep the web server on a de-militarized zone but want to keep the database on a server with more restricted access. Sometimes this is covered by an existing security policy; sometimes it is a judgment call based on how sensitive or confidential information on this site will be.

Kickoff Call Invite

Please join from your computer, tablet or smartphone:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/[meeting ID]

If not on a computer you can dial (646) 749-3122
Access code: [meeting code]

Kickoff Agenda

1. Introductions
2. Project scope - Confirm key priorities
3. Implementation process - Walk through Vision’s website implementation process, key deliverables, and turnaround times expected by both teams
4. Project roles and client approval process - Describe my role and other key team roles; discuss your approval processes and plan for any timing constraints
5. Working together - Discuss and agree on how we will communicate and work together
6. Next steps - Introduce the UX Consulting phase

Kickoff Call Recap

Hi [first name],

It was good to (digitally) meet you this morning. It sounds like we’re well aligned on goals and expectations, so we’re on the road to a successful project!

I’ve recapped our meeting below:

1. Target Launch Date – [There is no set date in place yet. However, once we begin work on all projects involved we will be providing regular updates and projected timelines.]
2. Priorities – We want to take our time in order to really focus on design & functionality for a successful project, while looking to improve community engagement.
3. UX Consultation Meetings – Provided we have the surveys back by [April 21], we can project to have the UX meeting in [early May]
4. Site Content & Preparation – In order to cut down on the content preparation phase, it is best to start thinking about your content and updating any old content now. [You will also be receiving content strategy training by [[Martin Lind]].]

5. Graphic Design assets – Please upload (you or your content coordinator) any assets (images, logos in vector format such as .ai, .eps, etc., style guides, branding guidelines) to the Box folder. We will be sending an invite shortly.

6. Meetings to be Scheduled – [We discussed conducting a 1-1.5 hour CMS demo and also scheduling a separate kick-off call for all advanced subsite stakeholders.]

7. Contact Information –
   [PM’s] contact information:
   1. Phone: [310-929-4106]
   2. Email: [ lbenton@visioninternet.com ]

Deliverables Summary:

1. Please place the heatmapping codes sent over by the UX team on your current site [and subsites]
   1. They will be requesting access to analytics so we can begin collecting data
2. We project a deadline for survey feedback on or before [date]
   1. Along with projected graphic design assets to Box folders on or before [date]
3. Please provide me any email addresses of people who will need access to upload assets to the Box folders

If you have any questions in the meantime please don’t hesitate to ask!

Thank you,

Invite Adv. SS Client to Box & InVision, to Upload Design Assets

Hi XXXXXXXX,

I’m excited to be working with you on XXXXcityXXXXsite. I’ll be your main point of contact at Vision, and I’ve CC’d my supervisor David Rodriguez so you have his contact if you ever need.

Our UX team has sent XXXXcontactXXXX a Discovery Package that pertains to your project.

1. Please fill out a Discovery Survey for XXXXsiteXXXX, so we have an idea of what your goals and points of focus are for the website. We recommend your team gets together in a meeting to fill out a single survey together.
2. Please also complete the InVision Comments portion of the Discovery package.
3. We’ve sent you an invitation to collaborate with us on Box.com. We ask that you upload any logos, images, assets related to the website on to the Box folder titled “XXXXXXXX”.
4. We’ve also sent you an invitation to Wrike so we can keep track of project deliverables and communicate on tasks in this folder: “XXXXXXXX”.

(If you’re unfamiliar with Wrike, it’s a project management tool where we can set deadlines and track the statuses of project tasks. We’ll be using it to facilitate communication for this project. For more information on how Wrike works, I recommend their Getting Started page: https://help.wrike.com/hc/en-us/articles/213924649-Welcome-to-Wrike-Get-Settled)

If you have any questions regarding these items please feel free to ask! Looking forward to meeting you when Vision comes for the onsite consulting meeting XXXXdateXXXX.

Yours sincerely,

Solicit InVision design comments on a chosen layout

Please review the screenshots of the websites linked below and comment on specific elements that stand out to you, whether they work for you or if you dislike them. Please keep your goals and audience in mind and feel free to comment on aspects such as color schemes, color tone, size, feel, imagery, style of elements, contrast, fonts, etc.

You can make comments to InVision by following the instructions in this video: https://www.screencast.com/t/pMJJ9j6e

Find the screenshots here: XXXXurlXXXX

Goal Date: XXXXdateXXXX

Schedule Remote UX & Design Consultations

Hi XXXXXXXX,

Happy XXXXdayXXXX! Hope you’ve had a good XXXXcouple of weeksXXXX. 

[Has your group gotten to review the discovery survey yet? Any questions you’ve encountered? I’m happy to help guide and clarify anything you need as you work through them.]

I would like to get our upcoming meetings on the books. We are available to schedule these most any day starting XXXXdateXXXX and later:

1. UX Consultation for analytics and wireframing. This will be a remote conference spanning roughly ~4 hours (could be more or less depending on decisions made). I’ll send a more detailed agenda before the meeting, but our goal that day will be to leave that meeting with the wireframe/layout finalized.

2. Design Consultation, preferably a day or two after the UX meeting. This remote conference would take ~1 hour with our graphic designer to build on that layout with your core team and decisionmakers.

We’ll recommend the following setup in your meeting room:
• Your core team and key decisionmakers (and enough space to have everyone in the same room)
• Good Internet access for us to share the presentation, layout options, and examples via GoToMeeting
• Speakerphone or audio setup loud enough to hear and be heard clearly in the room
• Projector for the presentation and wireframing exercise

Once you’ve confirmed your staff’s calendar, could you send me a couple of dates that would work?

Have a good XXXXweekendXXXX,

Send initial homepage design for review and schedule design working call

Hi XXXXnameXXXX,

The initial design is ready for the XXXXsiteXXXX homepage!

Please view this video walking you through the design: XXXXvimeourlXXXX
It explains and shows the design decisions that were made to emphasize the goals you shared with us.

Once you've watched that, you can see an interactive version of the home page design on InVision. The InVision includes design comp versions with hover states, variations of the tabs, and what happens when search is clicked. View here: XXXXinvisionurlXXXX

Please review these designs and share your feedback over the next few days if possible -- I'll set the due date for XXXXdateXXXX, let me know if you need more time.

Then we'd like to schedule an hour long design call. During the design call, we'll have a working session where our designer XXXXdesignernameXXXX (she's the voice in the video!) will go through any questions you might have on functionality, and then we can make live revisions to the design during the call, with the goal of approving the design by the end of the call.

Would XXXXdateXXXX work for that?

Thanks!
Lyman

Send Proposed Sitemap and Instructions

Hi Kevin, Richard,

I’m happy to report your website prototype has been programmed and has entered the quality testing phase! The prototype should be ready to show in the next two weeks.

Let’s talk about sitemap and content. Content migration can be an involved process depending how much you need to rewrite and rearrange pages for the new site. We’d like to make the process easier with the attached spreadsheet.

We mapped out your existing ~70 pages and have proposed where those pages could live under the new site’s menu. Now we’d like you to tell us where you want those pages to live (at least the ones you’re keeping!).

Summarized instructions:

1. Read instructions on the first sheet
2. On the Proposed Sitemap tab, rearrange/add/delete rows to create your new sitemap
3. Mark a “1” in the appropriate column for each existing page you want Vision to migrate for you
4. If you want to create new pages that don’t currently exist on your site, you have 2 options:

New Page Templates

You will receive your prototype website and training by August 2-3 and go live by end of September. If you want to add new pages before going live, you can add them during that window; or if you’d rather not wait you can pre-make those pages in MS Word using our New Page Template.

For new pages that you supply via Word using the template, we will create them for you. Just upload the DOCX and related files to the attached Box Folder, under the folder structure based on your navigation menu.

Instructions:

• Please include the Page ID in the file name of each template so our migrators can reference it within the proposed sitemap
• Please mirror content formatting of Content Preparation Template b.doc in Box folder (document links, images, internal links, and external links) as closely as possible
• Upload all page templates to this Box folder: https://visionts.box.com/s/gyojmf9zpp75rhxomupudceu18ax2arx

If possible, I’d like to propose a deadline for the finalized sitemap by July 14. Would that be reasonable for you?

As I said to Kevin, please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions about the sitemap process. I’m here to make it easier to work through.

Thank you!

Why decisionmakers should hurry up and approve

I’m not sure if it will help here, but when a decisionmaker is nervous they might accidentally move forward with a “sub-optimal” choice, here are a couple of things I tell them –

• The website will be a living document, always updating and improving, never complete. The goal is to launch a mostly complete as of now site soon, then leverage the many flexible ways your wireframe allows for presenting and changing future content.
  
  
• The longer the new site is delayed in going live, the longer your current constituents are “stuck” using the old design. This can have several impacts and risks:
  
  

These aren’t the only considerations you will have, of course, but I wanted to share them in case it would be helpful.

UAT

TEMPLATE - EMAIL - Begin UAT

Launch Introduction/Handoff to Support

I want to congratulate you on your recent website launch. The site looks fantastic and I hope you are getting great feedback from your users!

Now that your site is live, I'd like to formally introduce you to our Vision Tech Support Team. Our support analysts are experienced technical liaisons who can give timely answers to how-to questions, bug reports, design requests, visionLive release information, and anything else involving the maintenance of your visionCMS site.

Vision Support Team
email: support@visioninternet.com (CC’d)
phone: (310) 656-3100, option 2
in the CMS: click the yellow "? HELP" tab on the right of any CMS back end page

General support hours are Monday through Friday, 6AM-6PM Pacific Time. However if your website is down after-hours and you require emergency support, you can still call their number for emergency options.

I've brought the team up to speed on the details of your project, so you will have a support analyst who is available to assist you with any questions and requests going forward. You’d likely talk to [agent name] the most, but they work as a team and you may meet the others too. Don't feel shy about contacting them for your next request!

Thank you again for all of your hard work and collaboration on this project. I've truly enjoyed working with you and your team, and we look forward to supporting the [City] for years to come!

~