Website Project Management - Planning Your Website

Planning Your Website

Building a website without planning is like telling your surgeon that x-rays are a waste of time – just start cutting and let’s see what’s in there. We’re not saying we’re doing surgery here, of course; it’s really more like rocket science. And as we all remember from grade 4 rocket science class, a lack of careful planning can get really, really expensive in the end.

So what do you need to cover here? You almost can’t do too much planning, but two elements are essential: determine why you’re doing the website in the first place and who you’re doing it for. The “why” is the mission or purpose of your site. What do you want to accomplish and how will you know if you succeeded? Make it measurable. The “who”, meanwhile, is your target audience. Really get into their heads. Every decision you make should come back to these fine people: what content and functionality do they need? What design style will appeal to them most (as opposed to your CEO or the designer)?

Don’t downplay the importance of the planning stage. Be prepared, willing and joyously happy to pay for planning. Every penny you invest here will pay off in the final product.