Terms of reference for website development

What is the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the website

The terms of reference include a list of website properties, its specification, a description of the website's functions, and restrictions imposed on the process of its development. The task specifies what the website should do, but does not indicate how it will do it. The terms of reference should not include the design of solutions.

TOR for the development of the website usually includes user, system, and requirements for the website interface. Other types of requirements are included as needed.

User requirements are written from the perspective of the end user and are usually described in narrative form.

System requirements describe the specification and detailed features of the website. This type of requirement is more technical than a custom one.

The interface requirements determine how the website will look and behave. This kind of requirement is often put forward in the form of a layout or a list.

Why do we need Terms of Reference for website development

While drafting a TOR is time consuming, there are many benefits to having one.

On the one hand, with the participation of all interested parties, the terms of reference for the development of the website guarantee that everyone agrees on how the final result will look like. This prevents misunderstandings and, accordingly, saves time to resolve them. You can use the TOR for the website to set expectations at the initial stage regarding the goals of the current development cycle of the project.

The website development TOR also serves as a development and testing guide for the entire project. With it, you can more accurately plan the time and resources for project development, which will increase work efficiency.

Problems that can be avoided by having a good website design specification:

• misunderstandings between client and developer;

• make changes to the project during development;

• the presence of contradictions in the development of the project.

Anatomy of the terms of reference. The main sections of the terms of reference

The main components that the terms of reference should consist of:

• Introduction. The TOR for the development of the website should begin with an introduction that explains the purpose of the terms of reference and how to use it. It describes the necessary technical information that is necessary in order to understand the requirements for the website. It is also necessary to make a brief overview of the following sections for the less technically savvy project participants. The scope of the product is explained and expectations from the website are set. In this section, you can include the most important requirements for the development of the website in order to pay attention to them.

• General provisions. This section of the Terms of Reference is dedicated to describing the product in a non-technical light. Include in it an idea of ​​what the project will do, define its prospects. Describes the main functions of the website (how users will be able to interact with it), explains any limitations.

• Special requirements. Includes website specific requirements. It is better to group them in any convenient way

• Glossary. This section explains unusual terms, abbreviations, abbreviations. It is very important that the Customer and the Contractor fully understand each other. The absence of this condition may lead to the termination of the project.

• Recommendations. List of links and source documents (if any).

Creating Terms of Reference

If you have an idea to create your own project, but do not have the time or the necessary skills to complete the terms of reference, the Coral media agency will be happy to help you solve this problem. Our experience, which is measured by years of work in the field, allows us to create a technical task in a short time, but with high quality. The development of the terms of reference will be completed as soon as possible, which will bring the project to the public.