Start with the working requirement
Write down what a visitor or member of staff needs to complete. A brochure website with ordinary content may suit a simpler approach. An application with account-specific records, approval steps or a supplier integration needs a clearer model of data, permissions and business rules.
Separate essential launch requirements from possible later improvements. This makes it easier to choose between adapting an existing platform and developing a custom PHP application, rather than committing to a technology before the scope is understood.
Consider the whole life of the application
Development includes more than the first working screen. Ask who will maintain the code, how changes will be tested and which hosting environment must be supported. A handover should cover deployment, configuration, recovery and the boundaries of any third-party integrations.
Use a supported PHP runtime for a production deployment and plan upgrades alongside application testing. The official PHP support schedule is the appropriate place to check current release support rather than relying on a version number remembered from an earlier project.
Bring a useful brief
Prepare examples of the current workflow, a list of records and users, the systems that need to connect and the actions that require approval. Include URLs or working features that must be preserved.
A short discovery discussion can then identify the smallest useful release, the important failure paths and the information still needed before a proposal can be prepared.