Project No.: <insert Project No.>
Document No.: <insert Document No.>
PROJECT BRIEF
Project name DIGITAL FIRST WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
Release
Draft
Date: 8 March 2012
(Print names below)
Author:
Project
Director:
Project
Champion:
Accountable
Body:
Desmond Samuel
Maurice Farmer
Jon Tucker
Management Board
Executive Summary
The internet is a key tool to sell our range of programmes and services to prospective
students, corporate customers, individual executives and potential faculty.
Feedback from users and the management board suggests that the current website looks
dated, fails to get across the School’s unique identity and lags behind the standards set by
our competitors and the corporate world.
The website has to appeal to a wide range of audiences, get across the vibrant personality
and culture of the school and encourage users towards purchasing a service, registering for
an event, downloading a brochure and engage in a meaningful interaction with the Business
School.
Users of all ages are increasingly using smart phones, Ipads and other mobile devices to
browse the web. Around 25 % of students use a mobile according to a recent survey.
Mobile web traffic on the Business School website rose by over 200% in February 2012, but
the site is not yet optimised to cater for mobile users.
So much information is already available informally online, potential students, alumni,
researchers are increasingly turning towards social media, and other business and
professional networks to connect with real people and authentic voices from the School.
This document argues that Imperial College Business School to stay relevant and to stay
competitive online needs to redesign its website to work much harder to meet the needs and
expectations of all its users.
This project presented for your consideration outlines an approach to doing just that in 6-8
months for an investment of £100k.
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DOCUMENT HISTORY
Document
Location
This document is only valid on the day it was printed.
The source of the document is:
https://share.imperial.ac.uk/icbs/operations/marcomms/DMTeam/re2012/Sha
red%20Documents/Web%20Redesign%202012%20Project%20Brief.docx
Revision History
Revision
date
Author
Summary of Changes
New Version
27/02/20
12
08/03/20
12
Dsamuel
Initial draft
0.1
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Revised
0.2
Distribution
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This document has been distributed to:
Title
Date of Issue
Version
PURPOSE
To provide a firm foundation for developing a shared understanding of the proposed
web redesign project. In particular it is intended to:


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Document the project team’s understanding of what the School requires the project to
deliver
Define the business requirements of the project
Define the scope of the project in terms of what is included and what is specifically
excluded
Allow checks for conflicts against current projects and procedures
Specify the products and outcomes of the project so that all stakeholders fully
understand what the project will deliver.
Document the benefits which can be realised through delivery of the above products and
outcomes
Seek approval from the Management Board for the concept to stand as a project.
CONTENTS
Background ................................................................................................... 3
Project Definition ........................................................................................... 3
Outline Business Case .................................................................................. 0
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Success Criteria ............................................................................................ 1
Project Approval ............................................................................................ 3
Attachments .................................................................................................. 4
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BACKGROUND
The current design of the Imperial College website has been in place since 2007 and although it
strongly positions the Business School as part of the Imperial College brand, among potential
customers, awareness of the distinctive personality and culture of the Business School is poor.
Feedback from a range of sources including management board, senior managers, users and
other stakeholders has indicated that the site is increasingly lagging behind the standards and
expectations set by competitors and the corporate world.
Recent research carried out by Blue Barracuda for the School argued that the current site:

does not reflect the Business School’s unique personality, values, and mission;

does not inspire potential students, faculty or corporate partners to connect with us and;

that the business school is missing out on opportunities to increase revenue through
programme sales and research funding
In 2009, Generation Web, an annual benchmarking study carried out by CarringtonCrisp found
that more than 90% of prospective business school students used the web, Twitter, Facebook
and other social media when considering what and where to study. The study also reported that
increasingly more of them (77% of respondents) were using smaller screens and devices like
netbooks, iPads and smart phones in their search for the best business school.
In 2011, the Generation Web research found that the business school websites ranked the
highest by applicants are
 Fast, clear, dynamic, innovative, easy to search and navigate
 focused on the outcomes that potential customers are interested in;
 integrated contact with the authentic voices of staff and alumni through social media
and;
 are building in features and services that are responsive to the smaller screens of mobile
phones and iPads
Imperial College Business School is competing against many strong global brands that have the
double advantage of being higher in individual Programme rankings (e.g. FT) and with better
developed digital presences. This project represents a substantial marketing investment both in
terms of the cost and the potential impact, but the research shows that refreshing the website
now is crucial if the School is to
 raise its profile and reputation among our key audiences;
 compete against our bigger and better resourced competitors in the marketplace and;
 sell more of our programmes, more of our business, research and executive education
services.
Ultimately for all customers the web is just part of the decision making process. To get an
overall feel for the impact of the websites assessed in the Generation Web study, participants
were asked, if all things had been equal which business school would they have chosen. For
the best school websites more than 80% of respondents said they would have applied, and for
the worst almost 60% said they would be less likely to apply.
PROJECT DEFINITION
Objectives
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The objective of the project is to deliver a world class, sector leading website that clearly
positions Imperial College Business School as the business school of choice for:
 business education;
 research partnerships and;
 collaborations between Industry and government;
This would involve creating a website that:
 clearly demonstrates to users that the School has a distinctive identity and a vibrant
community;
 shows we understand the needs of our customers and demonstrates our innovative
thinking and excellent services;
 effectively publicises the research activities carried out by the School and;
 promotes opportunities for interaction and collaboration with the staff, students and
alumni of the Business School.
The benefits realised from the project would raise our profile and develop an effective digital
marketing tool that would give us a competitive advantage online and offline over our more
established rivals. This would help us to:
 target and recruit more high quality students and faculty
 attract more research income and;
 sell more Executive Education services.
Scope

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




All pages on the Imperial College Business School website.
Standalone websites affiliated with the Business School e.g. Rajiv Gandhi Centre, Digital
Economy Lab.
Integrating the College events, news and audio/video tools seamlessly into the website
Integrating the School’s Twitter, Facebook, Linked in and other social media accounts
into the website.
Working with research groups to improve the way we promote and publicise the
School’s research activities online
Reviewing training and editorial processes to ensure that only high quality up to date
content is published on the site
User testing to ensure the site works with a wide range of mobiles, small screen devices
and PCs
Testing to ensure the site remains accessible to a wide range of users
Checking to ensure the site remains compliant with relevant legislation (e.g. Data
protection) and College standards.
Reporting and analytics systems for tracking and reporting on benefits realised and
website performance
Out of scope
 Upgrading the College events, news and audio/video tools
 Content held on the staff intranet
 Learning and technology platforms e.g Blackboard
Outline Project Deliverables
1. Delivery of a refreshed website that :
a. Supports the School’s strategic, business and marketing plans
b. meets the needs of users at each stage of their journey through the site
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c. Integrates a wide range of tools, social media platforms and innovative new
technologies to deliver a high quality and engaging experience for users
d. Delivers a consistent message and experience across a wide range of PCs,
smart phones, iPads, netbooks and other mobile devices
e. Helps the school identify and convert the highest calibre staff, students, research
and business partners
2. Training for editors and an improved process for publishing high quality content
3. Tools for reporting and analysing the performance of the site
4. Recommendations for ongoing support and maintenance
Constraints and Assumptions
Assumptions
Financial
Design
Resources
Funding allocated to the project is sufficient to complete the scope of
the work being proposed
School marketing have completed the refresh of the School’s visual
identity and brand
Access to ICT development resources is limited resulting in the need to
engage outsourced design, development and other technical resources
Constraints
Resources
Technology
Security
Legal and
Corporate
This covers access to the appropriate skills and knowledge required to
develop the website, update the content and interface to other relevant
ICT systems.
Making the best use of available technology is a part of this project but
the degree to which it can be integrated into the new website may be a
limiting factor.
Covers security measures appropriate to maintaining the integrity of
School and University data and systems.
Legal, accessibility and other corporate requirements that may have a
limiting factor on what can be achieved
Interfaces
Interface
College
Communications
team
College Web team
Serious
SMRS
College standards for usability and accessibility
Links between the School and the College website
integration of existing college web systems, support services, website
hosting
external agency working on the School’s visual identity
external agency working on improving the Schools reporting and
analytics functions
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Outline Business Case
Benefits Matrix
Benefit Description
Owner1
Increased traffic to the programme areas
of the website
Phil Carter,
Nancy Messih
Measurement2
How
Review web analytics
and goal conversions
When
3 months post
launch
Resources3
Baseline4
Student recruitment and
Marketing
Comparison to previous
reporting period
Brochure downloads
Programme enquiries
Increased traffic to the research,
Executive Ed, Corporate Partnerships,
Careers and Alumni areas of the website
Maurice Farmer
Review web analytics
and goal conversions
Brochure downloads
Online enquiries
Employer / Business
contacts
3 months post
launch
Business School
managers
Digital Marketing team
Digital Media Team
Comparison to previous
year
Increased findability on web search
engines
Maurice Farmer
Review web analytics
SEO rank analysis
3 months post
launch
Digital Marketing team
SMRS
Comparison to previous
year
Create an accessible web presence
across different devices
Maurice Farmer
Review web analytics for
traffic sources
3 months post
launch
Digital Media Team
Comparison to previous
reporting period
Enhanced external media
communications across School
Tanya Gubbay
Tim Ruthven
Media and
Communications
Executive
School Marketing
Increase the awareness and perceptions
Tim Ruthven
Brand Audit
Pre-launch and
3 months post
launch
6 month post
launch
Pre-launch & 3
Comparison to previous
reporting period
Improve satisfaction with the website
Assess reach of
communications across
School
Stakeholder analysis
1
The Owner is the person who is accountable for the expected benefits
Describe how to measure achievement of expected benefits, and when they can be measured
3
What resources are needed to carry out the review work
4
Baseline measures from which the improvements will be calculated
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School Marketing
Comparison to previous
reporting period
A brand awareness
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of the school’s brand amongst our key
stakeholders
Increase user satisfaction with Events
pages
Increase awareness of our research
themes, centres and other research
orientated activities online
Contribute to International strategy by
increasing traffic from priority countries
listed in the External relations strategy
Date: 8/03/2012
month postlaunch
3 months post
launch
Yvonne Cheng
Feedback forms at events
Maurice Farmer
Review web analytics
SEO rank analysis
3 months post
launch
Centre Managers
Comparison to previous
reporting period
School Marketing
Review web analytics
and traffic sources
3 months post
launch
Digital Marketing team
Comparison to previous
reporting period
Brochure downloads
Programme enquiries
Attendance at overseas
information fairs
The Owner is the person who is accountable for the expected benefits
Describe how to measure achievement of expected benefits, and when they can be measured
What resources are needed to carry out the review work
Baseline measures from which the improvements will be calculated
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Events team
survey is to be produced
in July 2012
Comparison to previous
reporting period
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Risks
Risk
Managed by
Funding not being allocated
leading to an increasing gap
between the services we provide
and our ability to market them
online
This project
Unable to secure sufficient
development resources from ICT
Work with ICT early to identify what’s possible within the
project timeframe
Impact on staff time creating and
revising and migrating content for
the site
Engage with external suppliers and agencies
Clear communications with stakeholders and engaging
professional resources to support the content development
process
External relations director / new
principal may want to pursue a
different strategy for the website.
Clear communications with stakeholders and using proven
project management techniques document the business
reasons and justification for the project
Scope of the project may creep
potentially increasing costs or
delays
Clear communications with stakeholders, a review of their
requirements.
A phased approach to delivery allows time to plan the next
stage while the current stage is being approved
Insist on a change control process once the project is
approved
Timelines
Below is an estimate of deliverable completion dates based on an early April approval. The
project should run for about 6 – 8 months with the bulk of the design and development work
taking place during the summer recess in preparation for a launch close to the beginning of the
new programme recruitment cycle.
Task
Completion
Project Approval
April
Project Initiation
April – July

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
Reviewing requirements
Consulting with ICT
Producing design and technical specifications
Production
 Engage web design /development agencies
 Engage content editor to work with staff to develop the
content
August – September
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
Including identifying any filming or interviews that may
be required


Testing and handover of updated website
Usability, accessibility and compliance testing with the
College web team
Training for staff on the new system
Migration of content into new system


Launch and Handover
 Launch new site
 Handover to Digital Media Team
 Set a review date to evaluate the lessons learned and
benefits realised from the project
 Close down project
October - November
November
Budget
A preliminary estimate of the investment needed to deliver the project.
Activity
Estimate
Web site redevelopment
Design, architecture and technology integration
£50,000
Provision for additional tools, technologies and licences that
may be required as the specifications develop
Content development
£20,000
Engaging Content Editor for 4 months
£10,000
Provision for additional filming and content development
resources as required
Contingency fund
£10,000
£10,000
SUCCESS CRITERIA
How would the project be measured as successful?
Customers’ quality expectations

The website is engaging, inspiring and easy to use

The three main areas of school activity research, teaching and executive education are
prominently featured

Website is ranked highly on Google and Bing search engines

Audio, video, contact forms, events booking and other services are integrated into a
seamless cohesive whole
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Social media and other collaboration tools are integrated into the site

Content is high quality and professionally produced.

Content is up to date and accurate

Content can be experienced across major platforms

Users and other stakeholders provide positive feedback on services
Acceptance criteria

The design meets Business School brand guidelines

Solution is well supported, robust and reliable

Content editors find the system easy to use

Staff are able to get accurate feedback on the performance of their pages, campaigns
and digital media

The design, navigation and content on the website meets published legal and
accessibility requirements

The site provides an equivalent experience across web, smart phones and tablets.
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PROJECT APPROVAL
This form provides estimated project costs but does not authorise any funding
1. Proposed Financial Programme: The financial start date will usually be well in advance of the start date
as consultancy fees are often incurred from inception.
Financial Start Date:
Financial End Date:
2. Estimated net project cost
Estimated Project Cost
Cost
£0 – 250k
£250k – 1m
£1m – 5m
£5m+
Source of information
3. Proposed source(s) of project funding
4. Project Agreement
Position
Project Director
Name:
Signature:
Date:
……………………………
Project Manager
……………………………
5. Approval for Project in Principle
Accountable Body
Portfolio Review Board
Approval to Proceed to Next Step (PID / Feasibility)
Management
Finance
Deputy Rector
Chief Operating Officer
Director of Finance
Director of Strategy & Planning
Name:
Signature:
Date:
6. Project Administration
Received by Finance:
………………………
………………………
Date:
For Estates Use only:
Project Review Group
Endorsements
Reviewer Signature:
Funding identified:
Reviewer Name:
Passed for PRL:
Date:
Project Manager:
Comments:
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ATTACHMENTS
Any drawings/diagrams to aid understanding.
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