How to scope a custom WordPress plugin

A plugin project goes well when the workflow is decided before the interface is decorated. These are the questions worth answering in the brief.

Who uses it, and where

Name the person in wp-admin and the visitor, if there is one. A plugin that only staff use should not add public scripts. A plugin that prints something on the site should say which template is allowed to show it.

What is stored

List the fields. Decide what is required, what is personal data, and how long it stays. Storage should live with the plugin, in its own table or a prefixed option, so it can be found, exported, and removed.

What “done” means

• The admin labels match the words your team uses.
• A user without the right role cannot submit the action.
• Bad input is rejected with a message, not a white screen.
• Updating the plugin does not wipe the data.
• Uninstall behavior is written down.

What to leave out

The first version should do the workflow you can describe in a paragraph. Reports, extra roles, and public widgets can follow once the main path has been used for real. A smaller plugin is easier to review and safer to update.