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How Big is My Website Project?

Defining your project's level of complexity and integration can help you put a pricetag on the development costs.

Project Field Guide

Take a look at the chart below to help identify your project.

Small Projects

Midsize Projects

Larger Projects
Budget $1,000-$5,000 $5,000-$100,000 $100,000+
Timeline A small project can sometimes be turned around in a matter of days, but usually project timelines from design to launch will span a couple of weeks. Projects in this range can vary widely but will usually be complete in two weeks to two months. Larger project timelines can be completed in a matter of weeks if the timeline require it, but are often carried out over several months.
Features Sometimes a business doesn’t need a lot when it comes to the web. Businesses that want to test the waters with their websites will often get their feet wet with a small, static site that provides the basic information on their products and services without a lot of frills. These sites may include some elements of content management or they may require that changes to the website be run through Sierra Bravo. Most web projects for the small or medium enterprise will fall into this range. This budget allows for sophisticated content managements solutions including versioning and rollback support. These projects will often include tailored content management solutions for event schedules, product catalogs, staff directories, and other functions. Sites in this category will often include e-commerce capabilities (either through online sales, or other transactions), multimedia development (video integration, animation, or games), and\or integration with other sites and software (Google Maps, eBay, Quickbooks, etc.). Often, complex web solutions are more of the same of typical sites with many of the same features and functions of a “typical site” but with a greater scale and scope. Complex web solutions tend to include very complex, customized content management systems, role-based user permissions systems, extensive e-commerce capabilities, intense integration requirements with existing systems and software (active directory, instant messaging, email, ERP, CRM, etc.), sites in this range often have extensive functional requirements for both end users and administrative staff. These sites are typified by complex e-commerce web applications or feature rich sprawling intranet portals that pull together information from multiple systems.
Examples Premier Bath and Kitchen Showroom, TotalCareMN HOARD Client Systems, CCi Surveys International Expotera, Accounting and Financial Site Builder
Team The customer will work directly with a single senior web developer to define the goals and scope of the project. You’ll be working with an account executive and a Software Development Manager to define the goals and functionality of your site. Once your project is initiated you’ll have four contacts at Sierra Bravo that will be your points of communication throughout your project’s lifecycle: your account executive, a project manager, and two technical contacts who are familiar with all of the details of your project.
Process You’ll speak directly with your developer to discuss the requirements of your site and define the functionality your solution will require. Your developer will provide an estimate of time necessary to complete the project along with an hourly rate. Once you’ve given your approval to the plan, the developer will begin work on the project pulling in staff specialists (designers, animators, etc.) as necessary. You’ll receive progress updates every couple of days from your developer detailing what work has been done and what work remains with special attention paid to any areas where the work took more or less time than was estimated. Once your project is initiated you’ll have four contacts at Sierra Bravo that will be your points of communication throughout your project’s lifecycle: your account executive, a project manager, and two technical contacts who are familiar with all of the details of your project.
Design These projects will often involve a simple design process with the customer providing the design or choosing from several different approaches to the site aesthetic. Sites in this range will often involve an iterative design process. One of our designers will work with the appropriate decision makers within your business to understand your brand identity and gather all available assets (logo, colors, photography, etc) that will be used in your site. They’ll then produce 2-3 mockups that explore different approaches to your site’s look and feel. After reviewing the initial mockups with decision makers at your organization a second round of mockups will be produced incorporating feedback from the first round along with any new requirements. This process continues until we’ve honed in on a layout and aesthetic for your site that suits your business — this is usually complete within 2-3 rounds.
Engagement Options Sierra Bravo works on projects in this range on a Time and Materials Basis. Sierra Bravo offers two ways to engage on these projects: for projects with fully-defined scope and a reasonable timeline we produce Fixed Price bids, for projects on extremely tight timelines or those looking to define scope on the fly we offer Time and Materials Billing. In both cases, you’ll be working with an account executive and a Software Development Manager to define the goals and functionality of your site. A project proposal will be produced that includes an itemized view of your project with estimated development time required to implement each feature. With the proposal complete, work will begin for T&M projects, while Fixed Bid projects will go through an extended scoping process.

Bravo Blocks

Projects in any of these categories may benefit from the use of Bravo Blocks. Bravo Blocks are prepaid blocks of web development time that can be purchased and used to pay for development. They provide a convenient method for businesses that prefer to avoid weekly billing or managers looking to get the most out of their yearly budgets.