The last thing you want when undertaking a new project is to wind up being the textbook case study of how not to do it. But as fate dictates, someone has got to be the fall guy. Someone whose failure teaches some important lesson future executives will heed.
Although a definitive interactive media case study book may not exist at present, the following example will ultimately appear in such a book when it is published. It’s a horrifying tale that might keep you up at night, but one that sheds important light on creating interactive programming.
So let’s set the scenario. It was the heyday of dotcom ventures. This particular firm had just hired 360 Works to create an internal project management tracking system. Although this new sys tem had been implemented in 11 of the company’s 42 offices, management starting rethinking its strategy. Ulti mately the decision was made to handle project management tracking via the web with the hope that customers would be duly impressed and remain loyal.
Knowing they didn’t have the internal expertise to transfer the tracking system to the web, management hired a web consulting company. They were given a quote, essentially charging by the hour, and told if the hours exceeded that quote, additional charges would be billed at that hourly rate. The estimate seemed high at $2.5 million but the com pany went for it.
Close to $9 million later ($5.5 million to the consulting company and $3.5 million in employee expenses), the firm was in less than stellar financial shape, not to mention the fact that the system created for them was too slow and not user friendly. Realizing it wasn’t what they wanted, the company scrapped the web based system, and put 360 Works back to the task of rolling out the initial system.
While this particular example is certainly an extreme one, it brings up a multitude of questions. The first question begging to be asked is how could a project balloon so far out of control? Who was at fault here? Was it the web consulting company? Or had the firm doing the consultant hiring simply bitten off more than it could chew? Was the appropriate homework done prior to hiring the firm? Was the consulting company responsible for not letting the company know what it was in for?
Obviously, this company is neither the first nor the last to hire a web consulting firm. More and more companies are preparing to create an internet presence or other web based systems. That few are willing or able to go $9 million in the hole to do so is a given. Which is why OZ spoke with several web based consultants to learn more about the industry and how to get the biggest bang for the buck while avoiding unnecessary pitfalls.
New media is still a wilderness...
Heeding the mantra of pooh...
Think, think, think. It worked for Winnie the Pooh, and it will work for you when creating any web based solution. In other words, think about exactly what it is you want to accomplish. Are you trying to retool the way your customers purchase products? Are you trying to simplify a complicated process? Or do you just need a site that serves as an online brochure?
“Experience has taught us that the more specifications a client offers up front, the better off we are throughout the en tire projects,” offers Josh Rosenbaum, VP of Interactive Media for Blue Marble Media. Adds company Co-President and Creative Director, Cara Barineau, “When it comes to websites, people come to the table ex pec ting us to give them a cost with very little input on their part. There’s a great deal of initial discovery to be completed before we can determine exactly what needs to be done and how much time will be required for completion. A thirty minute meeting is not going to be enough for us to quote a price. Clients need to tell us what they want as well as what assets they have at their disposal. Personally, I’d be scared if someone gave me a set price for a project without discovering what it really entailed. That’s a huge risk for both the client and the web consultant.”
Blue Marble Media offers this example. A client approached them and after initial discussions, Blue Marble created an estimate with the understanding that the client would provide photography. It didn’t work that way. “What happened,” notes Co-President and Creative Director, Ben Barineau, “was that the photos started trickling in little by little. Then someone else jumped in, thinking the existing photos were too old and didn’t something else exist. Well, in the eleventh hour, they reluctantly decided we should arrange a photo shoot.”
Another time a client asked for a quote based on existing video footage. “As it turned out,” Rosenbaum notes, “there were licensing issues that had to be considered.”
“There are still plenty of people out there,” Mr. Barineau insists, “ who are so un familiar with the process and costs in volved that they’ll make a phone call requesting a website as if they were or dering pizza. They think it’s something you just pull off a shelf. A website is a very complex communication tool which requires a great deal of forethought and work. The more relevant details we have to work with, the better we can serve you.”
For those who are uncertain of what early considerations need to be made, Blue Marble offers a questionnaire on its website (www.bluemarblemedia.com) to get clients thinking. “A lot of the research we do and ultimately charge for can be done by the client before they meet with us,” Ms. Barineau says. “We’re only too happy to have them do the work ahead of time.”
Comparing apples to apples...
One key challenge when considering who to hire to create your new media project is how to compare quotes. “At this point in the game, the language isn’t quite standardized,” cites Anita Critz of the Computer Studio. “I’ve gotten feedback before where clients have submitted a proposal but have had to reorgan ize information in order to be able to compare against proposals made by other firms. I think people are trying to discover a common language so people know exactly what we’re talking about. That will be immensely helpful.”
So how do you know you’re comparing apples to apples? According to Blue Marble’s Rosenbaum, “the apple is the blue print you, the client, create. The challenge for us is how far do we go, how much work do we do, before we get paid and before we can say what you need.” Again, the ideal situation is for the client to do as much work as possible beforehand. Another option is to hire a consultant to create that blueprint for you. Ms. Barineau says, “This is a particularly good way to go when you’re em bark ing on a large site. Hire an independent consultant who’s not competing for the work to create a request for proposal. This is the document you’ll use to determine your approach to a particular project. That way everyone is res ponding apples to apples. We just won a project that was handled in that fashion.”
Unfortunately, that’s not typically the case. Ms. Barineau notes that more often than not you’ve got several different consulting firms hammering questions at the client about pieces and parts of a project. “Nobody wants to invest several hundred hours just to nail the price down, yet that’s what’s necessary. So again, as much time as you can in vest up front, the better off you are.”
Choosing the right consultant…
Checking out a web consultant’s website should be first and foremost on your agenda. Is it interactive? Personalized? “If you look at a prospective vendor’s site and see three pages with no interaction, a definite warning flag should go up,” says Jessie Barnum, 360 Works’ CEO. “And look at samples of their work. Our customers ask us for samples all the time.”
Beware, too, of students or hot young techno-upstarts who claim they know better than folks with more experience, even if part of that experience isn’t web-based. True, they may charge less for the service, but that’s meaningless if you don’t get what you want. “The most common disappointment I hear is from folks who hired students or other people who claim to understand new media design,” notes The Computer Studio’s Critz. “Typically, there’s much more to it than they think. What’s interesting is that Germans marvel at how folks here just open up shop. There, you have to be an intern. You can’t just read a book and say you’re a professional.”
Bells and whistles may mean dollars and cents...
Yes, we’ve all gotten accustomed to hearing that change is part of life and we should expect it. But that’s not quite the case when working with web consultants. Change means time, and time translates to more money out of pocket. The term web consultants use is “scope creep.” “What tends to happen in so many projects,” cites the anonymous source, “is that once you get into a project, new ideas sprout up, causing the project to grow. Suddenly, more bells and whistles are re quested. While the client thinks a change here or there is no big deal, that’s simply not the deal. They don’t realize the ramifications.”
The Computer Studio’s Critz likes to compare scope creep to building a house. “We try and organize a website, for example, by structure. It’s a lot like the foundation of a house. When you change during the foundation phase, you’re okay. But when the wallpaper and lights are up, going back and making changes to the foundation will be expensive.”
Too many cooks spoil the site...
One thing several consulting firms agreed on was the need to pay attention to who’s in charge of the project and how many are involved in the decision making process. “If you’re going to make decision by committee,” offers John Levy, Artifact’s VP of Sales and Marketing, “you should multiply your budget by the number of people on the committee. The more people, the slower the process.”
When selecting people to serve on such a committee, select those who un der stand what you’re trying to ac complish. “One of the problems our $9 million website client had was that the people who were working with their outside consultant weren’t the people who would have been using the system on a daily basis,” Barnum says. “Which is why the site that was de signed was never able to do what the client really wanted.”
Barnum also believes it’s wise to limit the number of IT people involved in any new media project. “Unfor tu nate ly, IT folks tend to make decisions based on how cool something is from a buzzword standpoint. It doesn’t necessarily accomplish what you want, but they read about it in their latest new media magazine.”
Tame the technical beasts...
Because 360 Works focuses primarily on programming, staff members have a strong understanding of the technical issues distinct to a new media project.
Ask your designer what platform they’ll be using. “Some people want Win dows based, others want UNIX, and then there are companies that provide hosting services themselves,” Barnum warns. “Some people may be running on some horrible old server. Personally, I recom mend UNIX because it’s pretty universal.”
Passwords and security are additional issues that need to be addressed. “Every one always thinks their project is very simple, but there are lots of hidden complexities. If you want to be able to assign passwords, there’s an additional piece that needs to be completed.” As for security, Barnum says that different servers and software packages handle security differently. “Unless the person developing your website puts forth a major effort, it may not be all that difficult for people to pull information from your site. So be sure you ask if security is included in your quote or if there are additional costs involved.”
Administration tasks also drive prices up. Barnum uses a new e-commerce site as an example. “Every de signer knows it will take a little time to build an e-commerce page and will price the service accordingly. But what they don’t think about is how will the system look up an order if the custo mer calls and they lost the order number. Or how will products be added or deleted? How will prices be changed? Be certain your quote includes such administrative details.”
Testing sites on a variety of platforms and servers is another key to success. “I had one client who got huge amounts of traffic but until I called, they had no idea the site didn’t work in Net scape. If it doesn’t work on Internet Explorer, too, you’ve got a big problem. And obviously, there are other smaller browsers out there, too. Lots of sites lose customers because their sites don’t work on other browsers.”
One final word of advice is to have your designer or someone from your company view the site on a 28k modem. “Most designers have DSL and so they have no idea how long a file will take to download on a slower connection. Should you discover the time to download is excessive, you may need to change the design.”
Don’t be afraid to ask...
Remember, it’s your project so don’t be afraid to ask questions. Every company interviewed wants to be certain they’re on the right track throughout the pro cess. Consequently, the more you ask, the more likely you are to stay on track. Be sure, too, that you assess the work being done at various junctures and sign off on it. It’s the best way to ensure that the goals you’ve set are the ones you ultimately achieve.