Define the trigger
State exactly when the plugin should run: form completion, order status, scheduled time, admin action or API request.
Business systems guide
WordPress plugin project checklist for business owners and agencies
A plugin brief should explain the business event and expected result. A list of buttons and fields is not enough to define reliable behavior.
Reviewed 2026-07-27
Define required and optional data
List field sources, formats, validation and what should happen when a value is missing.
Describe failure behavior
Decide what the user sees, what the admin sees, whether the action retries and how duplicates are prevented.
Clarify permissions
Identify which roles can view data, change settings or run high-impact actions.
Plan delivery
Agree on source code, versioning, staging, documentation, ownership and post-launch support.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a full technical specification?
No, but the business rules and acceptance examples must be clear enough to test.
Should the feature be a plugin or theme code?
Reusable business logic should normally be in a plugin so it does not disappear with a theme change.
How can an agency estimate the work?
Separate discovery for unknown APIs or legacy code before promising a fixed implementation scope.
Related services
Related client work
Primary references
These sources support the technical methodology. They do not imply endorsement of this service.