Five Mistaken Assumptions About Web Site Development Projects: Part 3

This is the third of five posts about the mistaken assumptions, both from the client and designer perspectives, about web site development projects.

Assumption 3: It’s OK if the CEO or top executive in charge does not attend the kickoff meeting

At small or mid-sized companies, the CEO is a key stakeholder in a web development project.  (In large companies it is often an SVP or something comparable). In our experience, when the CEO delegates to Marketing the responsibility to convey the important strategic business and brand concepts, it often backfires. CEO’s and others of similar stature don’t get where they are by taking a “laissez faire” approach to business decisions. They shouldn’t with the website either, the place where the most people will be exposed to their company. 

We find that even thirty minutes of a CEO’s time can make all of the difference in the trajectory of a web design project and ensure that we are aligned with corporate goals, and not coincidentally that everyone in the CEO’s company knows what their leader is thinking, which sometimes is in flux. A web project is often the unifying experience that brings a team — that has been running in too many directions — together. One of our most important roles is to facilitate these meetings. And when the CEO conveys the messaging directly, our creative is better, our IA is more succinct and the job gets done faster.