In the first episode of The Web Project Guide, Corey and Deane discuss the opening beats of a project: what motivates a new project (the "initial spark"), the risks of onboarding stakeholders too late in the initial phases, and where the term "yak shaving" comes from. Then, they chat with Bill DeRouchey, former lead product designer for Zendesk, to discuss his history with vetting and researching a new project during the opening salvo, territorialism, and Mike Watt.