🏁Static site soft launch
Deploy a static site with information about the Simpler.Grants.gov initiative.
Last updated
Deploy a static site with information about the Simpler.Grants.gov initiative.
Last updated
Field | Value |
---|---|
What: Deploy a static site to a public-facing URL that contains information about the Simpler Grants.gov initiative
Why: Proves the successful completion of several front-end technical milestones and builds key infrastructure for future UI improvements
Who
Internal development team
Internal HHS stakeholders
The launch of a static site for the Simpler Grants.gov project represents the culmination of multiple internally focused deliverables and serves as a landing page where key stakeholders can access information about the project.
By sharing this information in a publicly accessible format and investing early in the infrastructure used to host it, this deliverable aims to demonstrate the following value propositions:
Establishes simpler.grants.gov as the primary location that stakeholders can visit for project updates and previews of deliverables for the Simpler Grants.gov project
Proves the successful completion of technical deliverables that enable faster development without sacrificing code quality or security
Delivers an early win that both internal and external stakeholders can rally around, which helps build momentum and enthusiam for the project
Facilitates a parallel approach to development, in which new features can be built and tested on simpler.grants.gov
without risking or disrupting the existing functionality of legacy grants.gov
As a full-time HHS staff member, I want:
the site to be accessible to members of the public and the Federal government, so we can use it to share information about the project with both internal and external stakeholders.
the site to adopt modern branding and user interface (UI), so that stakeholders are excited to visit the page and can find the information they need more easily.
As a grantor, I want:
to be able to access information about the Simpler Grants.gov project in a central location, so that I don't have to rely exclusively on email for updates about the project.
the site to be user friendly and easy to navigate, so that I don't have to spend a lot of time looking for information that is relevant to me.
As a prospective grant applicant, I want:
the site to be user friendly and easy to navigate, so that I don't have to spend a lot of time looking for information that is relevant to me.
an opportunity to provide feedback or ask questions about the project, so that I can voice my concerns and help shape the direction of the project.
As maintainer of the project I want:
most of the critical development infrastructure to be in place when we officially launch the site, so that we can deploy bug fixes or new features quickly once the site is live.
As an open source contributor, I want:
the site to link to resources like the repository, support email, etc., so that I can easily learn where and how to participate in the project.
The infrastructure developed to deploy and host the site should balance:
Code quality
Security
Delivery velocity
Cost & maintenance
The design and structure of the site should balance:
Usability
Accessibility
Site performance
Brand identity
Process for drafting and updating the content of the site should balance:
Speed & ease of content management
Need for review and approval
Following sections describe the conditions that must be met to consider this deliverable "done".
The following user experience (UX) requirements are satisfied:
Anyone can access a live version of the site at simpler.grants.gov
The site adopts the UI principles and framework established
Anyone can access a live version of the site at simpler.grants.gov
The site has completed a 508 compliance reiview
Web traffic data for the site is actively being collected
Additional development tickets have been created for collecting other data needed to calculate the metrics below
The following content requirements are satisfied:
All content is deployed to simpler.grants.gov
The content on the site has been been reviewed and approved by the relevant stakeholders within each workstream
The site also links to external resources related to the project (if they are available), including:
The legacy grants.gov site
The open source repository
Number of unique site visitors
Total number of site visits
Uptime service
Lighthouse score for the site
Deployment build time
Deployment/hosting costs
Number of visits to outbound links to the following external resources (once added to the site)
Open source repository
grants.gov
Page on the public wiki. Note: This will likely change once we deliver the Public Measurement Dashboard deliverable.
What functionality do we expect to be in place by the end of work on this deliverable?
Front-end Planning: Determines the language, framework, and deployment service used to build and host the site.
Developer Tools: Establishes a suite of tools used to ensure the quality and security of the site codebase.
simpler.grants.gov Domain: Secures access to the simpler.grants.gov
domain which is where the site will be hosted.
Security Approval: Ensures that the site and the infrastructure that hosts it are comply with HHS security standards and practices.
Infrastructure-as-Code: Programmatically provisions the resources needed to deploy and host this site.
Front-end CI/CD: Sets up a CI/CD pipeline that will be used to test and publish code changes to the site.
Foundational UI: Determines the UI framework that the site will adopt before launch.
Web Analytics: Enables tracking key success metrics for this deliverable, e.g. site traffic and number of unique visitors.
Is there any notable functionality we do not expect to be in place before works starts on this deliverable?
Internationalization: While there will be content delivered within this deliverable that needs to be translated in the future, we do not expect to have a framework for managing translations set up by the time this deliverable is delivered.
CMS: While in the long-term we may want to support a Content Management Service (CMS) that allows non-technical users to update and manage copy for the website, we do not expect a CMS to be selected and implemented when we launch this site.
List of functionality or features that are explicitly out of scope for this deliverable.
Translating site contents: Site translations will be the focus of a future deliverable.
Legacy web analytics: Updating the existing analytics recorded on legacy grants.gov in order to establish a baseline for comparing the site traffic for simpler.grants.gov
will happen in a later deliverable.
Does this deliverable involve delivering any content that needs translation?
Yes, the site contents will need to be translated.
If so, when will English-language content be locked? Then when will translation be started and completed?
The initial process for translation is slotted for release in a future deliverable.
This can include services going into PROD behind a feature flag that is not turned on.
Static Site: This deliverable represents the official launch of the static site
simpler.grants.gov Domain: The static site is the first service to officially use the simpler.grants.gov
domain
Stakeholder Feedback Form: This is the first time we're collecting feedback directly from stakeholders on simpler.grants.gov
Web Analytics: This will most likely be the first service for which we are configuring web analytics
Are there multiple services that are being connected for the first time in PROD?
Static Site + Feedback Form: The feedback form should be accessible directly from the site, preferably embedded directly on the page
Static Site + Web Analytics: All of the public pages on the static site should be configured to track web analytics
Static Site + Communications Platforms: The static site should link to the relevant communication platforms that are available at the time of launch
Are there any fields being shared publicly that have never been shared in PROD before?
No, the content of the static site in this deliverable will be limited to general information about the Simpler Grants.gov project. It does not include exposing any production data from the new simpler.grants.gov data model.
Does this deliverable expose any new attack vectors or expand the attack surface of the product?
Deployment Services: Automating our deployment process using a CI/CD platform exposes the deployment process as a potential attack vector if the deployment secrets/tokens are compromised or if malicious code through a supply chain attack.
Form Submissions: While the majority of the site content will be static, accepting user input through a feedback form does expose a potential attack vector.
If so, how are we addressing these risks?
Security Approval: Before the official launch of the static site to the public, we will be reviewing our infrastructure and code security practices with the HHS team to ensure that they adhere to HHS standards.
Developer Tools: As part of the Developer Tools deliverable, the team is setting up a series of tools that will enforce certain code quality standards and security checks. These include things like secrets management, code linting, dependency monitoring, etc.
Form Submissions: The implementation plan for form submissions will evaluate and consider common security practices for validating and sanitizing user input. Form submissions will also likely be stored in a system that is separate from the production database with grant data.
Major updates to the content of this page will be added here.
Use this section to indicate when acceptance criteria in the "Definition of done" section have been completed, and provide notes on steps taken to satisfy this criteria when appropriate.
Date | Update | Notes |
---|---|---|
Date | Criteria completed | Notes |
---|---|---|
Deliverable status
Done
Link to GitHub issue
Key sections
3/5/2024
Added change log and implementation log
This is part of the April onsite follow-up
3/5/2024
All criteria
All criteria were previously marked as completed in GitHub when 30k was delivered in September of 2023