Product Improvement Execution Plan

April 14, 2026 · View on GitHub

Generated: 2026-04-13

This document converts docs/product-improvement-roadmap.md into an execution plan.

It is intended to answer:

what to build first
what each milestone should include
what success looks like before moving on
which workstreams can be parallelized safely

This is not a speculative wishlist. It is an implementation sequence for the next round of product work.

Working Assumptions

This plan assumes the current architecture remains in place:

PWB remains the system of record for listings, search, and enquiries
EmDash remains the CMS and admin extension surface
Astro remains the public frontend composition layer

The execution plan also assumes these product goals are still primary:

reduce setup friction
make the admin more productized
improve the frontend’s commercial quality
increase trust and lead-generation value
make content and listing curation feel unified

Delivery Strategy

The roadmap should not be implemented as one large redesign. It should be delivered as five sequential phases.

Each phase should:

ship usable value on its own
leave the system in a stable state
unlock the next layer of product work

Recommended sequence:

Setup and website control surface
Homepage merchandising and trust blocks
Lead capture and conversion surfaces
Stronger theme families and page-level polish
Content-data cohesion and reporting

Phase Overview

Phase	Focus	Outcome
1	Setup and website control surface	Faster onboarding and clearer admin structure
2	Homepage merchandising and trust	More compelling out-of-the-box public site
3	Leads and conversion	Stronger CTA paths and better enquiry value
4	Theme differentiation	More premium and more distinct frontend presentation
5	Cohesion and optimization	Better curation across listings/content and better measurement

Phase 1: Setup and Website Control Surface

Goal

Create a clearer first-run and day-to-day website management experience.

Why first

This phase improves the base product for every future customer and every later feature. It has the highest leverage because it reduces confusion across the whole admin.

Milestone 1.1: Launch Checklist

Scope

Add an admin-facing launch checklist or site readiness panel.

The checklist should cover:

brand identity present
office details present
homepage hero/content present
menu configured
theme chosen
property connection healthy

Suggested implementation shape

new plugin admin screen or dashboard widget
read-only status derived from current settings/content state
deep links to the exact pages that resolve missing items

Deliverables

checklist UI
readiness state computation helper
links into existing admin screens

Acceptance criteria

a first-time user can tell what is missing without guessing
every missing item links to a useful editor/settings destination
no checklist item depends on hidden/manual developer knowledge

Milestone 1.2: Website Settings Information Architecture

Scope

Make key website controls easier to find and understand.

Group or relabel surfaces around:

Brand
Office
Homepage
Theme
Search Experience
SEO

Suggested implementation shape

add a “Website” grouping or index page in admin
improve titles and descriptions of existing plugin settings pages
add “View page” / preview affordances

Deliverables

clearer navigation labels
short descriptive copy for important settings screens
preview links from relevant settings pages

Acceptance criteria

common website edits require fewer clicks
settings pages explain what they affect
the admin feels less like generic CMS navigation

Milestone 1.3: Better Seed and Default Experience

Scope

Improve the default seeded experience so the site looks commercially plausible before custom work begins.

Suggested implementation shape

strengthen seed/seed.json demo copy and sections
ensure brand and office defaults are coherent
preconfigure a homepage with stronger trust and merchandising balance

Deliverables

improved demo seed content
improved default homepage section mix
better branded defaults for trust/contact areas

Acceptance criteria

a fresh seed looks intentionally designed
the homepage does not feel sparse or generic
there are fewer “demo smell” strings and placeholders

Phase 1 validation

Before moving to Phase 2:

first-run editing should feel guided
the core website controls should be discoverable
the seeded product should be presentation-ready

Phase 2: Homepage Merchandising and Trust

Goal

Make the public-facing site stronger without requiring bespoke development.

Why second

Once setup and navigation are clearer, the next highest-leverage improvement is the quality of the homepage and trust story.

Milestone 2.1: Featured Listing Curation

Scope

Give editors direct control over featured listing sections.

Support:

manual featured selection
newest listings
sale-only / rental-only
area/category-based selections

Suggested implementation shape

homepage section configuration
reusable listing collection helper
controlled fallback behavior when selection is thin

Deliverables

curated listing section controls
rendering support for featured collections
graceful fallback rules

Acceptance criteria

editors can control homepage listing emphasis without code
sparse inventory still renders acceptably
featured sections stay visually coherent across themes

Milestone 2.2: Trust Block Library

Scope

Add reusable trust-building content blocks.

Recommended first set:

testimonials
office credibility / local expertise
recent sales or key stats
agent/team intro section

Suggested implementation shape

add page parts or reusable content modules
make these available on the homepage and general pages

Deliverables

at least 2-4 trust-oriented reusable blocks
seed/demo content using those blocks

Acceptance criteria

homepage and core pages can include trust signals without custom development
trust blocks fit the current frontend language
editors can reuse them easily

Milestone 2.3: Homepage Composition Pass

Scope

Rebalance the homepage as a productized page template rather than an ad hoc page.

Recommended section order:

Hero
Featured listings
Area or lifestyle positioning
Trust/testimonials
Secondary CTA
Latest editorial or insights

Deliverables

improved homepage composition defaults
section ordering guidance in docs/admin

Acceptance criteria

homepage feels commercially persuasive
the page has a clear narrative and CTA progression

Phase 2 validation

Before moving to Phase 3:

the homepage should look stronger without custom code
trust-building modules should be part of the standard product
editors should have real curation control over homepage listings

Phase 3: Leads and Conversion

Goal

Make lead-generation pathways clearer and more configurable.

Why third

After setup and presentation improve, the next leverage point is conversion.

Milestone 3.1: Property Page CTA System

Scope

Standardize CTA behavior on property detail pages.

Support:

primary CTA type
CTA label
placement rules
mobile behavior

Recommended CTA types:

book viewing
request callback
WhatsApp/chat
general enquiry
valuation request

Deliverables

CTA configuration surface
updated property detail CTA rendering
responsive behavior rules

Acceptance criteria

CTA behavior is configurable without code edits
property pages always have a clear primary action
mobile CTA treatment feels intentional, not bolted on

Milestone 3.2: Contact and Lead Trust Pass

Scope

Improve contact and enquiry-related trust surfaces.

Potential improvements:

richer office panel
clearer team or office identity on contact pages
trust signals near enquiry forms

Deliverables

improved contact page composition
stronger contextual trust cues near enquiry pathways

Acceptance criteria

contact-oriented pages feel credible and complete
enquiry forms are supported by visible trust signals

Milestone 3.3: Enquiry Attribution Baseline

Scope

Capture minimal useful source information with enquiries.

Baseline fields:

page type
property slug if applicable
CTA source identifier
optional referrer/campaign when available

Deliverables

attribution model for enquiries
source propagation into submission flow

Acceptance criteria

an enquiry can be tied back to its page and CTA source
no sensitive tracking assumptions are required for baseline attribution

Phase 3 validation

Before moving to Phase 4:

property pages should have a clear and configurable CTA strategy
contact and enquiry surfaces should feel more trustworthy
baseline enquiry source context should exist

Phase 4: Theme Differentiation and Frontend Polish

Goal

Make themes feel meaningfully different and raise the visual ceiling of the product.

Why fourth

Once setup, homepage composition, and conversion are stronger, frontend refinement has more leverage and less risk of being polish on top of weak product structure.

Milestone 4.1: Theme Families

Scope

Define a small number of visibly different theme families.

Suggested first set:

Editorial
Coastal / Lifestyle
Urban / Modern

Each family should affect more than tokens:

homepage rhythm
card proportions
typography use
hero treatment
section spacing behavior

Deliverables

theme family definitions
corresponding frontend variations
updated admin descriptions/presets

Acceptance criteria

two themes should be recognizably different at a glance
theme choice should influence layout feel, not only colors

Milestone 4.2: Mobile-first Quality Pass

Scope

Refine mobile behavior for the most important frontend flows:

property detail page
gallery
search and filter
sticky CTA behavior

Deliverables

spacing and hierarchy refinements
mobile interaction fixes
improved gallery/search ergonomics

Acceptance criteria

mobile property browsing feels deliberate and usable
CTA behavior on small screens is strong without being noisy

Milestone 4.3: Interaction and Motion Pass

Scope

Improve perceived quality in high-visibility interactions:

gallery changes
search results updates
homepage section reveals
card hover/selection behavior

Deliverables

meaningful motion improvements
no gratuitous animation

Acceptance criteria

interaction quality improves perceived polish
animations support hierarchy and feedback rather than distracting from content

Phase 4 validation

Before moving to Phase 5:

theme families should feel distinct
mobile core flows should be strong
key interactions should feel premium

Phase 5: Content-Data Cohesion and Optimization

Goal

Make curation easier across listing data and editorial content, then add basic optimization tooling.

Why fifth

This phase benefits from the stronger setup, homepage, CTA, and theme systems that earlier phases establish.

Milestone 5.1: Curated Listing Collections Everywhere

Scope

Expand curated listing selection beyond the homepage into reusable page-building contexts.

Examples:

area pages
landing pages
lifestyle pages
featured development pages

Deliverables

reusable listing collection surface
configurable page-part integrations

Acceptance criteria

editors can combine live listing sets with editorial storytelling on multiple page types

Milestone 5.2: Area and Lifestyle Patterns

Scope

Add productized page patterns that combine:

editorial intro
local context
curated listing feed
CTA and trust sections

Deliverables

area/lifestyle content pattern definitions
reusable sections or templates

Acceptance criteria

the product can support strong location-led pages without custom assembly each time

Milestone 5.3: Lead and CTA Reporting Baseline

Scope

Expose the first useful admin reporting layer for:

CTA usage
enquiry source breakdown
key page conversion touchpoints

Deliverables

basic reporting surface or dashboard module
meaningful but limited metrics set

Acceptance criteria

agencies can see which pathways are creating leads
reporting remains simple and operationally useful

Phase 5 validation

Phase 5 is complete when:

content and listing curation feel more unified
high-value page types can be assembled from reusable patterns
the product exposes basic operational feedback loops

Parallel Workstreams

Some work can be done in parallel, but only where write scopes stay separate.

Safe parallel lanes

admin IA and settings copy improvements
homepage section/block implementation
seed/default content improvements
mobile/frontend polish work
documentation updates

Unsafe or tightly coupled lanes

multiple simultaneous edits to the same theme/settings plugin
homepage composition changes while section APIs are still unstable
CTA system and enquiry attribution if both depend on the same form/request path

Recommended Milestone Packaging

Keep milestone scope small enough to ship intentionally.

Recommended packaging:

one PR per milestone
one commit series per milestone
no mixing of unrelated admin/frontend changes without a clear product reason

Recommended naming:

Phase 1 Milestone 1 launch checklist
Phase 2 Milestone 1 homepage featured curation
Phase 3 Milestone 1 property CTA system

Validation Commands

At the end of each milestone, run:

pnpm run test:run
pnpm run typecheck

If docs changed, also run:

pnpm run test:run -- src/docs-validation.test.ts

If frontend/admin behavior changed materially, also perform browser verification on the affected flow.

Suggested Immediate Next Milestones

If work starts now, use this exact order:

Phase 1 Milestone 1: Launch Checklist
Phase 1 Milestone 2: Website Settings Information Architecture
Phase 1 Milestone 3: Better Seed and Default Experience
Phase 2 Milestone 1: Featured Listing Curation
Phase 2 Milestone 2: Trust Block Library

That sequence provides the best balance of:

visible product improvement
low architectural churn
strong leverage for all later work

Definition of Success

This execution plan is successful if, after these phases:

a new site can be set up quickly and confidently
the admin feels clearly shaped for property-site outcomes
the homepage and property pages feel commercially credible
lead paths are obvious and configurable
editors can curate listings and content together without friction

If a proposed task does not materially improve one of those outcomes, it should be questioned before being added to the active plan.