As membership organisations embrace digital, and the positive impact this can have on their business, there are various challenges to overcome. Building a new site or updating an existing one comes with huge benefits to your organisation, but ensuring the project runs smoothly and ultimately delivers isn’t always as easy as it should be.
One factor that can influence your website project is your choice of internal stakeholders and their involvement in the process. In this article, we discuss how to manage your stakeholders so they help, not hinder, your project. And when push comes to shove, who really is the most important person to consider throughout…
Stakeholders can make or break your website
No matter your industry or sector all website projects have key stakeholders. Defining who they are and the role they should play in the process is paramount in ensuring the success of your project. Failing to do so can, and most likely will, have detrimental effects on your site. From scope creep to inflated budgets and delays to launching, the wrong stakeholders can cost your organisation time and money.
Membership organisations have several stakeholders to consider, including their internal team, board members and trustees, regulatory bodies and even volunteers, each with their own opinions to consider. With so many varying points of view, wants and needs, it is easy to see how projects can be derailed.
In their recent Digital Excellence (2023/24) Report, MemberWise states that workplace culture is one of the top 10 blockers to digital transformation. Once again this highlights how your team and internal stakeholders influence your web project and that knowing how to combat this is imperative for the long-term success of your site.
Creating your own project team
Before you begin your website transformation it’s important to identify who you want your project stakeholders to be and what their responsibilities will be. With a select group of people in mind, you can form a project team that will help to drive your site’s progress forward, not slow it down.
While every organisation is different, there are a number of areas of your business we recommend involving from the get-go:
- Communications, sales and marketing
- IT team and other critical systems vendors
- Senior leadership (Chief executive / Board representative)
- Member services
Setting out crucial milestones and who they sit with from the start of your project helps to keep things running smoothly. With clear action points for different team members, everyone is on the same page about what they need to deliver and when.
The most important person
In all projects, there are the people who think they matter the most and then there are the people who actually matter the most. As a membership organisation, your main goal or purpose is to encourage new members and retain existing ones. So, while balancing the expectations of your team and creating a site that can be used internally is important, building one that benefits your members far outweighs your own wants or needs.
Including your members throughout your project is pivotal in building a site that engages your audience and provides real value to them. Incorporating user testing and feedback every step of the way means that when you’re ready to go live you can be confident it will be well accepted by your audience.
Getting the balance right
Your website needs to serve a wide range of audiences including your internal stakeholders and getting the balance right between each of them can feel hard to achieve. But, by creating a strong project team and listening to your users, you can create a site that works both internally and externally. With set roles outlined, key milestones agreed, and your audience involved, you can rest assured your website is set up for long-term success.
NetConstruct is a web design and development agency specialising in the scoping, design, development and on-going support of amazing websites.. Services include User Research, UX, Design, Development, On-Going Support and Hosting.
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