The Basics

There are a number of steps you have to take to get an official City website or app off the ground. Here’s an overview of the major ones.

1. Decide who’s building it

Decide how you’re going to build your product. Will you be working with DoITT, building it yourself, contracting a vendor, or some combination?

Read more about build-out options.

2. Decide what it’s built on

Work with DoITT to understand your platform and hosting options (the type of technology/service you use to develop and host your product). These will depend on your decision to build in-house or go with a vendor, as well as your project’s scope and needs. While a custom, vendor-built WordPress site might be right for one project, a Teamsite template might do the trick for another.

Read more about platforms and hosting options.

3. Make sure it’s secure

Every government website and app needs to be reviewed by DoITT’s Cyber Command team. This will take some time, so you’ll need to loop them in early in the planning process.

Read more about DoITT’s security process.

4. Complete testing

Your product should go through user testing, quality assurance (QA) testing, and accessibility testing before launch.

DoITT can help with QA testing, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities can help with accessibility testing, and you can find out more about user testing in the User Research & Testing section.