Most project chaos comes down to nobody knowing what happens next. Your client isn't sure if you're waiting on them, and you're not sure if they ever saw your last email. Meanwhile a contract sits unsigned in somebody's inbox.
A clear list of stages fixes that, as long as it's short and both of you can see it.
It's really two lists in one
Guides don't agree on how many stages a web design project has. One lists eight steps, another lists ten stages, and there's no official list. Both stick to the design and build work. What they leave out is the business side, and that's the part that keeps a project moving.
| Stage | What you do | What the client gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Quote approved | Send a clear quote | A yes |
| Contract signed | Send the contract | A signature |
| Deposit paid | Send the deposit invoice | A payment |
| Discovery | Ask about goals, pages and content | Answers, content and logins |
| Design | Share designs for feedback | Feedback, then a yes |
| Build | Build the site and share it to test | Testing notes |
| Sign-off | Fix what they found | A final yes |
| Final payment and launch | Send the final invoice, then go live and hand over files and logins | A payment |
The design and build stages
- Discovery. Goals, audience, pages, content, deadlines, examples they like. Everything you need before you design anything.
- Design. Layouts and visuals go out for feedback, in rounds you agreed on up front.
- Build. The real site, on a link they can click around.
- Testing. They try it on their own phone and laptop and send notes. You fix them.
- Launch. It goes live, and you hand over files, logins and a short "here's how to use it."
The business checkpoints that keep it moving
Quote approved, contract signed, deposit paid, sign-off, final payment. None of these are design work, and all of them can stall a project. Every one of them is waiting on your client, and that's normal. A big part of running a project is making it obvious when the ball is in their court, without sending a "just checking in" email for the fourth time.
The order of the first three matters most. Quote, contract, deposit, then work. Starting before the deposit lands can turn a project into free work.
Let every stage end with a clear yes
A stage only helps if everyone knows what finishes it. If you can't say what checks it off, it's a vibe, not a stage.
Good endings are concrete: the client approves, signs or pays, or you deliver something and mark it done. "Design phase" is fuzzy. "Homepage design approved" isn't.
How many stages is enough?
Fewer than you think. When I built my own tool, I made it flexible and easy, not overly complicated, and a stage list should pass that same test. If a stage never changes anything for you or your client, cut it.
You'll know the list is too long when you start skipping stages because updating them is a chore, or your client still asks "where are we?" even though it's all written down somewhere. Separate stages for things that happen in the same afternoon are the first to go.
And name the stages in your client's language. "UAT" means nothing to a bakery owner. "Your testing and sign-off" does.
Adjust it for each project
No two projects are the same size, so don't force them into the same shape. A logo project might be as short as quote, contract, deposit, concepts, revisions and final files. That works too. What matters is that each stage means something. A big build might need a second review round or a payment in the middle. A quick refresh might skip discovery. Payments work the same way: how much you take up front and when the rest is due depends on the project and its size.
