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Reducing Your Risk

Undertaking a new media project can be an expensive and risky venture. You know your business objectives, but unless you also understand new media, the possibilities it offers and the options available, you could end up making a very expensive mistake.

The problem is – it's difficult to know what sort of web agency you need until you've worked out, in quite some detail, the most appropriate solution. But to do that you need to have defined your strategy – which will determine your content, which will in turn influence the design and technology used.

Getting to the bottom of all this requires expert knowledge. You could go ahead and choose your web design agency and ask them to help, but you will need to be sure you are being given the full range of options, and if your requirements turn out not to fit their expertise, it may be too late to change suppliers.

You can minimise your risk by commissioning the project in two phases.

Minimise your risks

We recommend that you minimise your risk by dividing the project into two phases:

  • Phase 1: discovery and specification
  • Phase 2: content development, technical implementation and visual design

Rather than contract an agency for the whole project, or commit your entire budget at the outset, commit only to the first phase initially. Completion of this phase will put you in a much better position to decide whether to proceed with the project, how much to spend, what to ask for and who to ask.

Any attempt to identify solutions or suppliers prior to the first phase would be unwise and will amount to little more than guesswork. Deferring your commitment to the second phase will enable you to have a much clearer understanding of what the solution needs to be and hence to select the most appropriate suppliers.

This reduces your risks by:

  • Providing you with a 'break point' at which you can re-evaluate the project should you need to
  • Giving you flexibility in choosing how to progress into the development phase

Discovery and specification

Phase 1 is broadly concerned with understanding the needs of the end-users, of content contributors and site managers, and of other project stakeholders, as well as other relevant considerations such as marketing strategy and on-going human resource availability after launch. It is about identifying requirements, expectations and parameters so that an appropriate, effective and manageable solution can be devised.

Balancing these considerations, resolving the issues that inevitably arise, and devising a practical solution will require a combination of internal and external perspectives on your organisation. It will also require a thorough understanding of interactive media and its associated technologies and a pragmatic approach.

To deliver maximum benefit to you, Phase 1 needs to be carried out by an experienced new media expert who understands the business, content, technical and design issues inherent in any such project, but who is outside the organisation and therefore better able to take a user-centred view.

It is a collaborative process requiring extensive close consultation with you and the participation of your internal project stakeholders. It does not, however, require the expense of a large army of outsiders or a full-service new media agency. One or two consultants working in partnership with you is sufficient.

Outputs

The outputs of Phase 1 should be one or more documents that together specify in detail but nevertheless in plain English what the solution will be.

These will enable you to fully understand what you are commissioning, set realistic expectations and identify the most suitable suppliers. They will also provide the suppliers with a detailed development brief that will enable them to understand what is required and deliver it as efficiently as possible.

Find Out More

To find out more about how HirschWorks can help you plan your project and reduce your risks, follow the links below.