Chances are you’re either on the third or fourth, perhaps more, generation of your Website. Like many other organizations, you want the new site to do more and go farther. Today, choosing the right design/development firm is vital; more so than ever before. Is there a good way to go about it? This is our approach, and so far it’s worked quite well in over 70 projects.

A re-design shouldn’t rest solely in the hands of marketing, communications or IT. It’s not just about your marketing message. It’s about multiple audiences; your key stakeholders. Each of whom is looking for information of interest to them. Each one needs to be accounted for. Thankfully, this isn’t too hard. It’s good to understand why you’re looking at a re-design; beyond needing a fresh look.

We usually recommend the following process;

1. Business Model: Truly understand what your business model is first and foremost. Review what has been accomplished, what has worked and what is changing in your business efforts online. Today, a re-design often means you’re going to put in new levels of engagement with those key audiences. Your business approach is changing. How?

2. Business Goals: Time to look at your corporate strategic goals first. Your new web property should be strategically aligned with the corporate goals. It’s surprising how few companies look at the strategic plan when re-designing their Website - they just look at the marketing goals and objectives. You need to look at the corporate objectives. The Web may fit into them in several ways you hadn’t thought about.

3. Needs Analysis: Once you’ve determined your business goals, and looked at your corporate strategy goals, you can begin to better understand your new needs and define them. These may include Social Media aspects, collaboration tools through a Web portal with suppliers and customers or productivity tools.

4. Research Developers: Now it’s time to engage some designers/developers. Find local, but don’t be afraid to work with development firms outside your region. A lot can be accomplished with today’s communications tools. Find 2-3 firms to discuss your needs with. Each will have their own approach and beliefs in their system. There are no rule books for the Web, different opinions are what it’s all about.

5. Developer Interviews: Interview your candidate firms. Reference not only design work, but the applications that they built. Find out some of their clients and call the ones they don’t give as references. References only say nice things. You need to understand their approach to project management, quality and testing, design theory and technical capabilities.

6. Issue an RFP: Issue your Request For Proposal. The more complex your needs, the more time they will need to respond. Detail the format you expect to see proposals in. For projects over $20,000 anyone who gives you a 3-page quote likely doesn’t have much behind them and are wasting your time. Proposals should explain the Approach & Methodology for your project, team skills, past projects and a timeline or project schedule. Make sure they’ve thought it through.

7. Selection: Read the proposals carefully and make sure they have understood your needs and the situation and that your strategic goals will be met. Check that the budget is in line with yours. Price is always negotiable. Always. You’ve already checked references, so you should be fine there. Make your choice.

We always recommend that each project has a Scope Of Work or Statement of Work (SOW) that is signed by you and the chosen firm. This becomes the document the project is built upon and is your reference for a later project audit if needed. Make sure that the selected firm has a way to account for changes to the project, with appropriate sign-offs along the way. This avoids billing disputes later.

You may evolve a variation of these steps. The most important part is to ensure your project is strategically aligned with corporate goals and that all work is very clearly defined. Remember, the Web is not just a marketing channel anymore.