The build process (lifecycle)#
Every client engagement follows the same arc. runbook is the step-by-step for all six phases; the build phases (3–6) additionally have review checklists. Setup phases are procedure, not verification — see checklists for why.
┌─ 0. Kickoff ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Gather brand assets: colors, fonts, logos, design refs (Figma). │
│ Choose the production host ([deploy.static]) and record it. Static output. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─ 1. Scaffold ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Create from the GitHub template → rename → site identity, host. │
│ starterVersion is inherited from the template ([structure.git]). │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─ 2. Design system intake ─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Translate brand into @theme tokens (colors, fonts, radius, │
│ motion). Decide the theme set. Rewrite DESIGN.md. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─ 3. Componentize ─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Build page sections from starter primitives. New components │
│ follow [components] + [templates]. Reuse before you create. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─ 4. Content & SEO ────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Wire content collections, per-page meta via Seo.astro, JSON-LD │
│ in lib/schema.ts, sitemap filter. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─ 5. Optimize & QA ────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ astro:assets images, fonts, budgets ([perf.budgets]), a11y audit, clean │
│ `npm run check`. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─ 6. Launch ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Pre-launch checklist, deploy to the chosen host, verify prod. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Reuse-before-create rule: before building any component or utility, search the starter. It ships 50+ components and a full token system. Most "new" needs are a prop away from an existing component.