# Website milestone template library

Ten practical starting points for scoping, reviewing, and approving agency work.

Audience: Project leads, designers, developers, and QA
Reading time: 12 min

## How to use the templates

Copy only the criteria that match the signed scope. Replace every bracketed value with a measurable project-specific value, then attach the exact supporting source language.

These are workflow examples, not contract language. The agency remains responsible for confirming that each criterion is authorized, accurate, and appropriate for the project.


## Discovery and requirements approval

- The approved sitemap contains [number] primary pages and identifies their parent-child relationships.
- The documented audience includes [named audience segments].
- The approved feature list identifies included, excluded, and deferred functionality.
- The client has supplied or assigned an owner for every required content and access dependency.

## Wireframe approval

- Wireframes are provided for [named page types] at desktop and mobile widths.
- Every required content section in the approved sitemap appears in its corresponding wireframe.
- Primary calls to action and their destinations are identified on each applicable page.
- Open comments are resolved or explicitly deferred before visual design begins.

## Visual design approval

- Approved designs are supplied for [named templates] at [desktop width] and [mobile width].
- The design uses the approved logo, color palette, typography, and imagery direction.
- Navigation, interactive states, forms, errors, and empty states are represented where applicable.
- The client has approved the presented visual direction before development begins.

## Development milestone

- The staging build contains [named templates and features] from the approved scope.
- Primary navigation reaches the expected destination from desktop and mobile layouts.
- Required forms validate inputs and produce the agreed success behavior.
- The build has no horizontal overflow at the approved mobile viewport.
- No known severity-one or severity-two defects remain in the milestone.

## Staging and UAT approval

- The reviewer can complete [named primary user journey] on the approved staging build.
- Expected success and error states are visible for [named forms or transactions].
- All agreed browser and device combinations have been reviewed.
- Every blocking issue is resolved; non-blocking issues are listed with an agreed disposition.
- The named client reviewer has approved the frozen milestone revision.

## Content and SEO approval

- Final approved copy is present on [named pages].
- Every indexable page has a unique title and meta description within the agreed limits.
- One H1 is present on each agreed page and matches the approved topic.
- Images use approved alternative text or are marked decorative where appropriate.
- Redirects from [source URL list] reach their approved destinations.

## Responsive and accessibility review

- The agreed journeys remain usable at [named viewport widths].
- Interactive controls are reachable and operable using a keyboard.
- Visible focus styling is present for interactive controls.
- Form fields have programmatic labels and errors are described in text.
- Automated checks report no [agreed severity] issues on the named pages.

> **Do not call this a certification**
> A limited automated or manual review does not prove full accessibility conformance. Describe the pages, standards, tools, and checks actually included.

## Launch readiness

- The production domain, DNS, TLS, analytics, and approved redirects are configured.
- Forms deliver to the agreed destination and have been tested using production-safe data.
- The current backup and rollback procedure has been verified.
- The client has approved the final launch candidate identified as [build or release].
- The agency and client have agreed on launch timing, support coverage, and rollback authority.

## Post-launch stabilization

- The named primary journeys have been checked on the production domain.
- Launch-critical monitoring reports no unresolved blocking incident.
- Issues reported during the stabilization window are resolved or documented with an owner and target date.
- The client has received the agreed credentials, documentation, and handoff materials.

## Monthly maintenance or retainer release

- The agreed updates for [month or cycle] are deployed to the identified environment.
- The agency has supplied a concise list of completed work and any deferred items.
- Required backups, dependency updates, and monitoring checks were completed as scoped.
- The client has reviewed and accepted the cycle before the related invoice is finalized.