Spirit Rock: Website Rescue & Meditation Center Redesign

Spirit Rock came to Solspace with a website redesign that had stalled for over a year. The project suffered from missed deadlines, ever-changing designs during development, and undefined features that kept expanding in scope. I took over as Project Lead, restructured the entire engagement, and delivered the complete redesign on time and on budget.

The core problem was not technical, it was operational. Designs were not componentized, so every page required custom development. Features were estimated before being properly defined, leading to constant scope surprises. There was no clear technical direction connecting design decisions to CMS architecture.

The Challenge

When I inherited the project, the redesign had consumed a year of effort with no clear path to completion. The issues were systemic:

Design chaos:

• Designs kept changing during active development
• No componentized design system, every page was unique
• Design decisions were made without understanding CMS implications

Scope creep:

• Complex features were estimated without technical research
• Undefined requirements kept revealing new complexity mid-build
• External e-commerce system hacks were planned instead of native solutions

Project structure:

• No clear timeline or delivery milestones
• Developer time spent on rework instead of forward progress
• Client expectations misaligned with what had actually been built

What I Did

Project Restructuring

I started by conducting technical research to identify the gaps between what was estimated and what was actually required. This revealed where scope had been underestimated and where smarter alternatives existed.

Planning and scope management:

• Created a realistic 14-month delivery plan with clear milestones
• Identified features that could be cut or replaced with more efficient alternatives
• Aligned client expectations with what was achievable within timeline and budget

Design system restructuring:

• Worked with their design team to create a componentized approach
• Defined reusable elements that could work across multiple pages
• Structured the CMS to accommodate composable, reusable content blocks

Technical Direction

Rather than continuing to hack external systems, I pushed for solutions that leveraged Craft Commerce’s native capabilities:

• Replaced planned e-commerce workarounds with native Craft Commerce functionality
• Designed CMS architecture that matched the new componentized design system
• Established clear technical standards for the development team

Team Management

I managed a team of 3 developers throughout the project, ensuring:

• Clear task assignments aligned with the new delivery plan
• Reduced rework through upfront design and CMS alignment
• Consistent progress toward delivery milestones

Integrations

Blackbaud CRM Integration: Spirit Rock had used Blackbaud as their CRM and subscription management system for years. I designed and oversaw the integration connecting their existing member and donor data with the new Craft CMS website, ensuring continuity for their operations.

Pardot Marketing Automation: Connected the website to Pardot for lead capture and marketing automation workflows.

Outcome

The project delivered on time and on budget after I restructured it. The website remains in production today, running on the architecture I defined.

What changed:

• From 1+ year of stalled progress to 12 months of structured delivery
• From ever-changing designs to a componentized, reusable system
• From scope surprises to defined features with clear requirements
• From external e-commerce hacks to native Craft Commerce solutions

This project demonstrates how structured project management and intelligent design planning can rescue a troubled engagement and deliver real results.

Implemented solutions:

• Flexible Content Management
• Marketing Content Components
• Website Redesign Implementation
• Website Performance Optimization
• Website Core & Stability
• CRM Integration
• Website Technical SEO Optimization
• Website Accessibility Optimization
• Website Security Optimization
• Development and Deployment Pipeline
• Custom E-commerce Functionality

Used technologies: