Client Handoff Resources
At the ExpressionEngine and CodeIgniter Conference of 2010 in San Francisco I gave a talk around how to successfully transition an ExpressionEngine project to the client. Here’s a list of resources mentioned during that talk.
Note that when I started putting this presentation together I was seeing the client handoff as - ideally at least - a moment in time. You develop the site, meet the client requirements, hand it over, and they pick up from there.
What I realized is that never really happens - as the developer you will always retain some amount of ownership in the site. There’s a good chance that you will re-visit it in the future to make tweaks, add functionality, or modify the design.
So this presentation became less about that “moment in time” handoff and more about setting your future-self up well for easy re-entry back into the site down the road.
The Actual Presentation
EECI2010 | Mike Boyink from EECI Conference on Vimeo.
Avoid Junk
Contract
Just Do it.
Hosting
- Choose a good ‘un
- Good support?
- Fast support?
- PHP5?
- Many clients will blame you for hosting issues
Architect Well
- Model the content well
- Don’t think in terms of pages
- Choose the simplest structure possible
- Learn EE’s strengths before using add-ons.
- Train-ee Screencast: Designing an EE Architecture
Choose (Add-ons) Wisely
- Favor established developers
- Make sure they have established and active support channels
- Favor more popular addons
- Don’t use dump -n- run code
- No docs? No way
Consider Prototyping
- Build quick examples and let client see them
- Relationships vs. categories
- Weblogs vs. categories
- Different/similar 3rd party tools
- Client input now = easier later
Name Carefully
- snp_snippet and gv_global_variable
- weblog_field_name for fields?
- These names can become part of client’s lexicon
- More important the more devs involved
Document
- Commenting EE Template Code
- Template Notes
- Pretend it’s you 5 years from now
Expect Traffic
- Disable Parameter for Channel Entries
- Simple vs. Advanced Conditionals
- Favor Snippets
- Don’t chunk separately if you won’t ever use code separately.
- If using MSM specify site variable
- Favor sorts using native fields vs. custom fields (native fields more likely to be indexed at the db level).
- Learn the rules but use a/b testing to make final decisions.
Add Details
- Edit This link for Entries
- Style System Messages
- Copyright date dynamic? Or not?
301s & 404s
htaccess (assuming you have a site template group with a template named 404):
ErrorDocument 404 /index.php/site/404/
ErrorDocument 500 /index.php/site/404/
ErrorDocument 403 /index.php/site/404/
Comments
URL Finessing
- Removing index.php from URLs
- Shrimp (v 1.6x)
- EE Shortener (v 1.6x)
Correct Email Addresses
- Webmaster email address
- Contact forms
Performance Tuning
- Data Caching and Performance
- Paul Burdick’s Performance Guidelines
- gZip Output
- Tracking Preferences
- Optimize Tables
Clean House
- Get rid of unused stuff
Create Client Logins
- File Upload Preferences
- Custom Entry Statuses
- Category Management
- Publish Page Layouts
- Multiple Domain Login
- “Emergency” Super Admin Login for Client
End User Training
Member Profile Trigger
Celebrate!
Just do it.
Support 3rd Party Developers
Did they make your life easier? Throw $20 their way.
SEO
- Google Analytics Accessory for EE 2
- Commericial Sitemap Module
- LG Better Meta
- Post a link from your site
- Enroll client in Google local business search if appropriate
Backup Strategy
- Consider adding depth to backups over and above what host does.
- Possible recurring revenue.
License
- If you bought it for client make sure it gets transferred to them
- Same with hosting account
- Process for ensuring licenses get renewed?
Formal Signoff
- Goes with contract
- Stake in the ground to ensure that all subsequent work is new & billable
Testimonial
Get it now while client is experiencing that post-launch and post-purchase euphoria.
Update Portfolio
Do it now while you are still fresh with the project.
Schedule Checkup
6-8 weeks out to see if any questions/issues/changes/new work needed.
Reflect
- Did project go well?
- If not, what could you do better?
- If yes, can you repeat it?
- Work with same type of client again?
- Leverage anything you did/learned to find new clients?
- Meet or work with any new people that you should follow up with?
Other Resources
- EE Podcast #15 - Preparing for Client Handoff
- EE Screencasts: Preparing Sites for Clients
- Train-ee Screencast: Prepping a EE Site for Client Access
Fellow EE’rs that I Need to Thank:
- John Knotts
- Paula McIntyre
- Ryan Battles
- Todd Daubs
- Tony Geer
- Erik Reagan
Category Navigation
Previous Comments
by Samuel Allen
Date: Friday, December 10th, 2010
Comment: #2
This list is fantastic! Quick question though, in the SEO section, are you showing NSM Better Meta and Commercial Sitemap Generator together. Are you recommending that they get used in tandem, or that they are each good options? It seems like there is some feature overlap.
by Adam Khan
Date: Saturday, June 19th, 2010
Comment: #1
Comprehensive and wise.