How to Define Requirements

Define your requirements in terms of the people who will be using your website. For example, if you are building a business site, and you want your customers to be able to log-in to discussion forums and access private documents, you might have a set of requirements like this:

ALL SITE VISITORS CAN:

* Access product & company information pages
* Leave comments on Press Release pages
* Sign up for a Website Account

ALL LOGGED-IN USERS CAN:

* Access Discussion Forums
* Submit price quote requests

LOGGED-IN CUSTOMERS CAN:

* Access Customer-only documentation (Training Manuals, etc)

ALL STAFF MEMBERS CAN:

* Access private company calendar

MARKETING DEPARTMENT STAFF MEMBERS CAN:

* Post Press Releases
* Edit Product Information pages

WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS CAN:

* Designate which users are Customers
* Edit All Information Pages

Providing your developer a list of requirements in this form can potentially reduce the preparation and consulting time required before work can begin on your website. You don't need to be very detailed about each individual requirement, but your should be very thorough about listing ALL of the features you need. Assume nothing is automatic. If you're on a limited budget, you should differentiate between features which are 'required' and those which are 'optional,' if time & budget allows.