Web design agency software selection: checks for WordPress, Asana and Mixd

Treat a directory shortlist as a set of proposals to test, not as proof that a named software setup meets your needs. Separate website publishing, client-work records and hosting support. For each proposed service, write down the task, the evidence you want and the question that remains open.

Keep WordPress publishing, Asana Client Management and Mixd Managed Hosting in separate parts of the decision record. Assess the role proposed for each, rather than treating the names as interchangeable options. Use an agency selection checklist for the wider commission, while recording software acceptance against specific tasks.

WordPress: publishing and licence terms

WordPress lets users create Posts and Pages, format them, insert media and publish content on the web. Its code may be used for commercial projects without licensing fees. Treat that permission as a code-licensing term, not as an answer to every question about commissioning a website.

Example acceptance task: ask an editor to create a Page, insert an image, amend the text and publish the result. Record whether they completed each action and what assistance they needed. Add the task to your web design brief rather than accepting a generic feature demonstration.

Keep publishing acceptance separate from the wider WordPress and website builders decision. Ask who will prepare the content, approve publication and handle later changes. Record each proposed responsibility next to the task, so that a working demonstration does not substitute for an agreed delivery scope.

Asana: client-work records and seats

Asana Client Management Starter is a shared workspace for client context, project status and client-facing work. Asana Client Management includes up to 2 seats per project and team. Ask which edition the proposal covers and how its access arrangement matches the people who need to participate.

Example acceptance task: ask whether a client can review a proposed change, record feedback and see how approval is captured. Do not assume these actions are included simply because a workspace has been named. Put the expected decision record into your operating workflow before accepting the proposal.

Mixd: support and export checks

The Digital Marketplace listing records that Mixd will supply a full export of a WordPress website, including its database and uploaded files such as images and documents, on request at any time through its Helpdesk. Make that export commitment part of the proposed handover.

All Mixd Managed Hosting plans include a dedicated account manager and quarterly performance review meetings. Ask how those meetings would relate to your own website objectives, what records you would receive and who would act on agreed changes. Treat support arrangements and export delivery as separate acceptance questions.

Example handover task: ask for a demonstration of the export request and an agreed way to inspect the returned database and uploaded files. Do not mark the handover complete solely because a download exists. Decide who will check the contents and record any unresolved transfer questions.

Check processor instructions before live data

The ICO's processor contract guidance says that, under Article 28(3)(a), a processor contract must restrict processing to the controller's documented instructions, including international transfers of personal data, unless UK law requires otherwise. Check the relevant draft terms before approving processing.

Ask the agency to identify any proposed processing of personal data and the instructions that would govern it. Request the relevant draft terms before approving that activity. Keep these instructions within the commercial contracts record; do not treat software access or a hosting export as evidence that this contract requirement has been met.

For any proposed cloud service, analyse the service and the company running it against your security goals. Ask what evidence supports the proposed safeguards. Also ask how your data would be shared with, or made accessible to, third-party suppliers and their supply chains, and in what circumstances.

Example software-selection record

An illustrative selection record should distinguish a verified service feature from an untested acceptance question. Carry the same fields into each agency conversation. Ask for a demonstration or written answer against the proposed task, then record whether it meets the requirement you agreed in advance.

Start testing what it will take to meet users' needs as soon as possible. Use prototypes to explore technology assumptions and check whether technologies are secure and ready to use. Record what the exercise tested and what still needs separate evidence; a prototype should not replace the contract or handover record.

Make a bounded shortlist decision

Make a separate decision for each proposed role: accept it, request further evidence or reject it against the agreed task. Record the reason without converting an unanswered question into a pass. Avoid rejecting or endorsing an entire agency merely because a product name appears in its proposal.

Carry unresolved acceptance questions into the launch review and assign someone to close each one. Keep the software name, proposed role, demonstration result, access arrangement and handover commitment together. Before commissioning, ask for written confirmation of responsibilities that remain unclear and retain the answers with the decision record.