A step-by-step guide to Creed’s delivery process: From Discovery to post-launch maintenance

At Creed, our commitment to delivering people-first technology solutions drives our approach at every stage of a project. Whether we’re building custom digital products, optimizing workflows, or delivering transformative technology solutions, we follow a structured process to ensure success. 

In this post, we’ll walk you through the key phases of our process: Discovery, UX & Design, Delivery (Tech Development, QA, Launch), and Post-Launch Maintenance & Training.

1. Discovery

The Discovery phase is crucial because it helps us understand your business, objectives, and user needs before diving into any technical work. Our goal is to ensure that the solution we create is aligned with your goals.

Steps Involved:

• Intake: We kick off with a short questionnaire (15–30 minutes) for each key SME. Your detailed answers help us zero in on the right topics and make the upcoming interviews more impactful.
• Interviews, typically lasting one hour, with the following stakeholders:
  • UX: We speak with the people who use and support the digital product day to day to gather insights into needs, workflows, and friction points.
  • Technical: We meet with your system experts to understand the architecture, integrations, and constraints that shape what’s possible and what’s holding things back.
  • Users: Where possible, we connect with actual end users to hear firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and what would make their experience more intuitive and effective.
• Workshops: We collaborate with key stakeholders to define business goals, user needs, and project requirements
• Competitive analysis & research: We assess industry trends, competitors, and user feedback to understand opportunities and challenges.
• Project scoping & requirements gathering: We outline the project scope, timelines, and deliverables, and create a roadmap for all upcoming phases.
• Technical assessment: We analyze the existing tech stack to identify potential challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Outcome: A solid understanding of the project’s direction, requirements, and constraints, ensuring a well-informed design and development phase.

2. UX & Design

Once the foundation is set, we move into the UX & Design phase, where we create the interface and user experience that will drive engagement and usability. This is where the magic starts to happen.

Steps Involved:

• Wireframing & prototyping: We create wireframes (often both low- and high-fidelity)  and prototypes to map out the user journey and key touchpoints.
• User testing & feedback: Through usability testing and user feedback, we refine designs to ensure they meet user expectations and business goals.
• Visual design & branding: Our design team crafts high-fidelity visual designs that reflect your brand’s personality and create an intuitive, seamless user experience.
• Responsive design and accessibility: We ensure the designs work across all devices, providing an optimized experience for users on desktop, tablet, and mobile for all users of all abilities.

Outcome: A fully designed user interface that aligns with both user needs and business objectives, ready to be developed into a working product.

3. Development and testing

Now it’s time for the technical work to begin. During the Delivery phase, we take the designs and turn them into fully functional products.

Steps Involved:

• Tech development: Our developers work on building the front-end and back-end of the application or website. We use modern technologies that align with your specific needs, ensuring scalability, performance, and security.
• Integrations: We carefully enable any third-party applications and integrations.
• Quality Assurance (QA): Our QA team tests every aspect of the product to ensure it works as intended, from functionality to performance. Any bugs or issues are identified and fixed before launch.
• Launch Preparation: We prepare the product for launch, performing final checks and ensuring that everything is in place for a smooth go-live.

Outcome: A fully developed, tested, and ready-for-launch digital product that meets your project’s goals.

4. Training & post-launch maintenance

Once the product is live, we don’t leave you hanging. The final phase focuses on ensuring that your team is well-equipped to manage and maintain the product post-launch, while we continue to provide ongoing support and improvements. We’re all about long term partnership, and not just tossing a project over the fence when it’s complete.

Steps Involved:

• Training: We provide comprehensive training to your team to ensure they can navigate the new system effectively. This includes administrative, technical, and content management training as needed.
• Post-launch support: We offer ongoing support to troubleshoot any post-launch issues and ensure everything is running smoothly.
• Maintenance: We offer post-launch maintenance to address any bugs, security updates, or enhancements that may be needed as your needs evolve.
• Enhancements: Technology changes quickly, we help you stay on top of evolving tech and are always happy to support evolving needs.

Outcome: A seamless transition to ownership with the support needed to ensure your product continues to thrive post-launch.

Final thoughts

At Creed, our process is designed to ensure that every project is a success from start to finish. By combining thoughtful Discovery, intuitive UX & Design, meticulous Delivery, and ongoing Training & Maintenance, we provide solutions that are not only functional but also scalable and sustainable. If you’re looking for a trusted partner for your next digital project, we’re here to help guide you every step of the way.