11  Project: Business Website with WordPress

11.1 Project Overview

Part II taught you to think about content management strategically: when to use a CMS, how to evaluate platforms and plugins, and how WordPress architecture works. Now you’ll apply that knowledge to build a complete business website.

This project simulates a real client engagement. You’ll analyse requirements, make technology decisions, implement a solution, and document your choices professionally. The deliverables mirror what you’d provide to an actual client.

Aligned with: Assessment 2 in ISYS3004

11.2 Learning Outcomes Addressed

  • ULO 2: Demonstrate project management and professional skills
  • ULO 3: Analyse stakeholder requirements to inform design decisions
  • ULO 4: Select and integrate appropriate technologies

11.3 Business Scenario

Choose one of these scenarios or propose your own:

Option A: Sunrise Café

A local café expanding to two locations. They need:

  • Menu with categories (drinks, food, specials)
  • Location pages for each café
  • Blog for news and events
  • Contact forms for catering inquiries
  • Instagram feed integration

Option B: Hartley & Associates Accountants

A small accounting firm establishing online presence. They need:

  • Service pages (tax, bookkeeping, advisory)
  • Team member profiles
  • Blog for tax tips and updates
  • Client testimonials
  • Secure contact form for inquiries

Option C: Community Garden Network

A non-profit connecting community gardens. They need:

  • Garden listings with locations and details
  • Events calendar
  • Volunteer signup forms
  • Resource library (downloadable guides)
  • Newsletter signup

Option D: Your Own Scenario

Propose a real or fictional business. Must include:

  • At least three distinct content types
  • Clear business goals for the website
  • Identifiable stakeholders
  • Reasonable scope for this project

11.4 Requirements

Phase 1: Business Analysis

Before touching WordPress, complete:

Business Case Document (500-750 words):

  1. Business Overview: What does this business do? What’s their market position?
  2. Website Goals: What should the website achieve? (leads, information, sales, community)
  3. Target Audience: Who visits this site? What do they need?
  4. Success Metrics: How will we know the website is working?

Stakeholder Analysis:

Stakeholder Needs Concerns Priority
(e.g., Owner) … … High/Med/Low

Content Strategy:

  • What content types are needed?
  • Who creates and maintains each type?
  • How often does each type update?
  • What’s the approval workflow?

Site Map:

Create a visual or text-based site map showing:

  • All pages and their hierarchy
  • Content types and relationships
  • Navigation structure

Phase 2: Technology Decisions

Document your decisions with justification:

Theme Selection:

  • Evaluate at least three themes
  • Document criteria and scores
  • Justify your final selection
  • Note any limitations you’ll work around

Plugin Selection:

For each functional requirement, document:

  • The need it addresses
  • Options you evaluated
  • Your selection and why
  • Any concerns or trade-offs

Minimum plugins to evaluate:

  • Contact forms (e.g., WPForms, Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms)
  • SEO (e.g., Yoast, RankMath)
  • Security (e.g., Wordfence, Sucuri)
  • Backup (e.g., UpdraftPlus)
  • Any scenario-specific needs

Phase 3: Implementation

Build the site in LocalWP:

Core Setup:

Theme Implementation:

Content:

Plugins:

Customisation (Child Theme):

Phase 4: Testing and Documentation

Testing Checklist:

Technical Documentation:

Create a handover document that includes:

  1. Login credentials (for a hypothetical client)
  2. Theme information (name, version, any modifications)
  3. Plugin inventory (name, purpose, configuration notes)
  4. Content management guide (how to add/edit content types)
  5. Maintenance recommendations (backups, updates, security)

11.5 AI Collaboration Guidelines

How to Use AI Effectively

Use AI as a consultant you’re learning from:

Ask your AI:
I'm choosing between Theme A and Theme B for a café website. Here's
what I know about each... Help me think through the decision. What
factors might I be missing?
Ask your AI:
I need to customise the footer in my child theme to include business
hours. Walk me through how to do this safely, and explain each step
so I understand what I'm doing.

Documentation Requirements

Keep an AI collaboration log documenting:

  1. Technology decisions: How did AI help evaluate options?
  2. Implementation challenges: What problems did you solve with AI help?
  3. Modifications: How did you adapt AI suggestions?
  4. Learning moments: What did you understand better after AI conversation?

Client Recommendation

Write a summary (300-400 words) as if presenting to the client:

  • What did you build and why?
  • What are the key features?
  • How do they manage content?
  • What ongoing maintenance is needed?
  • What future enhancements might they consider?

11.6 Evaluation Criteria

Business Analysis (25%)

Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Adequate (2) Needs Work (1)
Business case Clear, comprehensive, demonstrates business understanding Good overview with minor gaps Basic understanding shown Incomplete or superficial
Stakeholder analysis All stakeholders identified with clear needs Most stakeholders covered Some stakeholders identified Missing or unclear
Content strategy Thorough, realistic, actionable Good strategy with minor gaps Basic strategy present Missing or impractical
Site map Complete, logical hierarchy Good structure, minor issues Basic structure present Incomplete or illogical

Technology Decisions (25%)

Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Adequate (2) Needs Work (1)
Theme evaluation Systematic, documented, justified Good evaluation with rationale Basic comparison made No clear evaluation
Plugin selection Evaluated options, documented trade-offs Good selection with reasons Functional choices made Random or unjustified
Decision documentation Clear professional documentation Good documentation Basic documentation Missing or poor

Implementation (30%)

Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Adequate (2) Needs Work (1)
WordPress setup Correct configuration, secure Mostly correct Functional but issues Significant problems
Theme/customisation Well-configured, child theme works Good customisation Basic customisation No customisation
Content quality Professional, realistic, complete Good content Basic content Placeholder content
Plugin configuration All plugins properly configured Most configured correctly Basic configuration Unconfigured or broken
Mobile responsiveness Excellent on all devices Good responsive behaviour Works but issues Broken on mobile

Documentation (20%)

Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Adequate (2) Needs Work (1)
Technical docs Complete handover-ready documentation Good documentation Basic documentation Incomplete
Client recommendation Professional, clear, actionable Good summary Basic summary Missing or poor
AI collaboration log Detailed, shows critical thinking Good documentation Basic log Missing or superficial

11.7 Submission Checklist

Business Analysis:

Technical Deliverables:

Documentation:

11.8 What to Submit

  1. Business analysis package (PDF): Business case, stakeholder analysis, content strategy, site map
  2. WordPress export (.xml file): Content export from Tools → Export
  3. Child theme (.zip file): Your child theme folder
  4. Technical documentation (PDF): Handover document
  5. Recommendations and reflection (PDF): Client recommendation + AI collaboration log

11.9 Getting Started

Begin with these conversations with your AI partner:

Ask your AI:
I'm building a WordPress site for [your scenario]. Help me think
through what questions I should be asking in the business analysis
phase. What do I need to understand before making technology decisions?
Ask your AI:
For a [type of business] website, what are the essential plugins I
should consider? Not just what's popular, but what this specific
type of business actually needs.
Ask your AI:
I'm writing a handover document for a client. What should it include
so they can manage their WordPress site independently? What do
non-technical clients most need to know?

11.10 Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  1. Skipping business analysis: Jumping to WordPress without understanding requirements leads to rework
  2. Over-complicating: Installing 20 plugins when 5 would suffice
  3. Using placeholder content: “Lorem ipsum” signals incomplete work
  4. Ignoring mobile: Always test responsive behaviour
  5. No documentation: A site without documentation isn’t ready for handover
  6. Copying AI output blindly: AI helps you understand—you make the decisions
  7. Forgetting security: Security and backup plugins are non-negotiable

11.11 Professional Context

This project mirrors real WordPress consulting work:

  1. Discovery: Understanding business needs before proposing solutions
  2. Recommendation: Evaluating options and justifying choices
  3. Implementation: Building the solution professionally
  4. Handover: Documenting for ongoing maintenance

These skills are directly applicable to freelance work, agency positions, or managing WordPress sites in any organisation.

11.12 After Submission

Your WordPress project demonstrates:

  • Business analysis skills
  • Technology evaluation and decision-making
  • Practical WordPress implementation
  • Professional documentation

Consider these as portfolio pieces—they show employers you can think beyond just code.