If you give me the items below up front, I spend less time unblocking myself and more time shipping. If you do not have something yet, tell me. I will work around it.
Access
- Git repo access, branch rules, and required checks
- Local setup steps, env vars, and a working dev command
- Staging URL and any relevant credentials
- Deploy access, or a PR-based deploy workflow
- Design files, tokens, brand rules, and any component library links
- Analytics access for baseline comparisons
Ways of working
- Ticket format and acceptance criteria
- Definition of done for code, QA, and accessibility checks
- Review process, turnaround expectations, and sign-off owner
- Release process, release cadence, and ownership rules
- Where decisions live, PR notes, tickets, docs, or a mix
Targets
- Accessibility standard and scope, pages, flows, and templates
- Performance budgets and Core Web Vitals targets
- Browser and device support list
- Environments, feature flags, and any rollout rules
Comms and working hours
- Primary contact and backup contact
- Update cadence and channels
- Escalation path for blockers
- Time zone: UK time, GMT or BST depending on season
- Working windows: evenings on weekdays, limited weekends
- Calls scheduled in advance, often early evening UK time
- Async first. Written updates for progress, decisions, and blockers
Content and SEO essentials
- Content owner and sign-off route
- Redirect list, if this is a rebuild or IA change
- SEO basics. Page titles, meta descriptions, index rules, tracking needs
- Any legal or compliance requirements for the content
Security basics
- Least access needed for delivery
- Credentials shared via your password manager
- 2FA where possible, especially for hosting and analytics
- Access removed at the end of the engagement