Even the simplest of websites has a family. It has users. It has an audience, administrators and above all, it has needs. Don’t think of your website as static, online furniture. They may look good, but they need love and attention if they are to do more than just sit there.

Well in advance of construction it’s vital to take into account the ongoing needs of your site. The bigger the site, the more critical the scoping phase is to the overall success of the project. Your site may look great on the outside, but like any good production: what happens behind the scenes is make or break.

Take a strict, careful approach to scoping out user-requirements. Large organisations put a lot of stake into multi-functional websites, with various departments all wanting their particular needs looked after first. But the devil is well and truly in the detail! What works for one company may not do for another, so gather as much data as necessary to save a lot of hassle in the long run.

Here’s an outline of the kind of scoping methods necessary to make sure nothing gets left out:

1. Talk to all stakeholders about their expectations; what do they want from the experience of using the site? How often will they use it and what for? This includes everyone from senior management to day-to-day admin users and in particular the intended audience for the site.
2. Document every discussion at every level. Pass the minutes around soon after a meeting to confirm all the factors have been covered. This may be an informal process but it’s critical to do this while the topic is fresh. Include the possibility of user-requirements that may be added after the meeting is adjourned. How many times have you walked out of a discussion only to think of something else five minutes later?
3. If there’s any confusion between inter-department needs: Don’t play politics! Simply document any conflicting issues as they occur and allow the Project Officer or appropriate decision making body to resolve it at the end of the process. Remember that scoping is about overcoming obstacles, so do the research and make an objective summary to present a solution. This is where the ongoing minute taking means you can point to particular discussions to justify why you’re making certain choices in prioritising the site.
4. With this in mind, while the back-end user requirements are one piece in the puzzle – ultimately the site need to function in the public domain and serve the needs of the everyday users. Whether this means promoting a message, making a sale or engaging the public with social media – all other user requirements are secondary to this. It’s a balancing act, but proper preparation gets you across the wire, safety net and all.
5. Your final report should cover every element of the new site, including design, technology specifications & function, site-maps, the process you intend to get the job done and how long it will take. Keep it simple, but thorough. There will be some final adjustments at the end as the client tweaks their vision, that’s the point of all this: to make sure everyone knows exactly what they will get for their investment.

It may seem laborious at times, but ultimately the scoping process makes a smoother ride and of course, paves the way for that golden goose: Customer Satisfaction.