1. Describe the outcome
Write one sentence describing what the project will do. Choose a static site, web service or background process. List data it must keep and external services it must contact. Use an account you can recover, keep contact information current and record who maintains the project.
2. Make local execution repeatable
Put source files in version control, choose a supported runtime and record dependency versions. Add installation, build and start commands to a README. A new checkout should work without undocumented files from another computer. Keep an example configuration with harmless sample values.
3. Prepare a first release
Build from a clean working directory and inspect the result. Check the main page or request, a missing resource and an expected validation error. Record the source revision. Before publishing, read the deployment checklist and decide how to return to the previous version.