Generic Workflow

This guide walks you through the typical journey of a Terra project. You’ll learn who’s involved, how work flows between teams, and what to expect as you get started on your first project.

---

What happens when you’re assigned to a card?

As you already know, every CU card has the project acronym as a title, so once you’re assigned in a card, you need to make sure:

1. You’re in the project’s Slack channel.
2. You’ve the project’s Wordpress locally installed.
3. You’ve access to the project’s Figma.

---

Environments

At Terra, we work across multiple environments. Each environment serves a different purpose. Here’s a simple breakdown:

Local → Where you work

• Your local environment is your own computer. This is where you develop, experiment, and test changes before sharing them with anyone else. It’s your safe space — nothing you do here affects the live website or your teammates.

Dev → Where your work is internally shared and reviewed

• The dev environment is a shared testing space hosted on a server. After you’ve tested your work locally, you deploy it to dev so the rest of the team can review it. This is where collaboration happens.

Stage → Where the client reviews

• The stage environment is a previous step before launching a website. Here is where the client gives feedback and QA.

Production → The live website

• The production environment is the live, public-facing website that real users visit. We use this environment just for quick fixes that need to be live asap.

Remember this

As a new member, you will work locally and deploy to dev so your coworkers can see and approve your work.

Environment	Description
Local	Your own computer where you develop and test
Dev	Shared testing space for team review
Stage	Client review and QA environment
Production	Live, public-facing website

---

Who is involved in a Terra project?

You don’t work alone. Projects are collaborative.

Terra projects involve multiple people, each with their own role and expertise. Here’s who you’ll typically work with:

Project Manager

The Project Manager (PM) is responsible for coordinating the project. They manage timelines, track progress, communicate with clients, and make sure everyone knows what they’re working on. Think of them as the conductor of the orchestra.

Dev Lead

The Dev Lead is responsible for the technical direction of the project. They make sure the codebase stays healthy, decisions are technically sound, and the team is building the right solution in the right way. Think of them as the technical reference point — the person the team aligns with when making architectural or implementation decisions.

UX/UI Designer

The UX/UI Designer creates the visual blueprint of the project. They work in tools like Figma to design how the website or application should look and behave.

Frontend Developer

The Frontend Developer builds the visual layer of the website — the part users see and interact with. They translate the designer’s vision into code using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Learn more

If you’re joining as a frontend developer, check out the Frontend Specific section for detailed guidance.

Backend Developer

The Backend Developer makes the website dynamic by connecting it to WordPress, databases, and external services. They handle the logic, content management, and data flow.

Learn more

If you’re joining as a backend developer, check out the Backend Specific section for detailed guidance.

Other teams that work in the projects:

• Content → Responsible for creating and structuring the written content of the project. They define the messaging, tone, and hierarchy of information, ensuring that content is clear, consistent, and aligned with the project’s goals.
• Digital → Focuses on strategy, performance, and growth. They work on aspects like analytics, SEO, tracking, and overall digital optimization to ensure the project performs well once it’s live.

---

How work flows through a project

Terra projects follow a predictable workflow that involves design, frontend development, backend integration, testing, and deployment. Let’s break it down:

01. The Design team creates the source of truth

UX/UI creates mockups in Figma. This becomes the source of truth — the definitive reference for how the project should look and behave. Everyone on the team refers back to these designs throughout development.)

02. Frontend builds the layout

The Frontend Developer takes the Figma designs and translates them into code. At this stage, the work is mostly static — meaning the content is hardcoded directly into the HTML. The focus is on getting the structure, styling, and layout right.

03. Backend makes it dynamic

The Backend Developer takes the static frontend and connects it to WordPress. They replace hardcoded content with dynamic data that can be managed through the WordPress admin panel.

04. Changes are tested locally

Both frontend and backend developers test their work on their local environment before sharing it with the team. This ensures that bugs are caught early and don’t affect other team members or the live site.

05. Work is deployed to dev

Once local testing is complete, changes are deployed to the dev environment (this will depend on the tasks needs, but your PM will tell you otherwise).

06. Cross-browser and breakpoint testing

Once your changes are deployed to the dev environment, it’s important to test them across different browsers. BrowserStack is used to test real browsers and devices, where you can focus on the latest browser versions.

---

Next Steps

Now that you understand the big picture — who’s involved, how work flows, and what environments exist — you’re ready to dig into the details.

• → Start with WordPress Basics
• → Continue to Quick Project Tour