Back to Fundamentals

Fundamentally, what we do for our clients is not particularly complicated. When someone in my family asks me what I do for a living, I say: We help organizations apply traditional, tried and true business practices to Web site management. At the end of the business day, organizations are trying to sell, inform, educate, influence-- you name it. The fundamental objectives are the same as they have always been. And fundamental rules of engagement still apply.

• If you detach strategy from execution, your (Web) product will miss the mark
  
• If you don't know who's in charge of governing (Web) product development, then different offices and divisions will create  development redundancy and waste time and resources arguing about who's supposed to be setting the agenda for the Web.
  
• If you produce a low quality (Web) product, you will put your organization's bottom line at risk. Whether that bottom line is fiscally tangible or something else like organizational credibility.
• If you don't measure the quality of your products, your customers' satisfaction with your products, and the return on investment for product development, you are likely to spend too much and gain too little.
  

What we do: "Web Operations Management"-- is just a fancy way of saying "sound operational practices." Any business artifact ought to be conceived, managed, developed and measured with an eye towards quality and effectiveness. Take away Web 2.0. Take away earning billions with e-commerce. Take away the information super highway. How about: on the mark strategically, governed properly,  quality execution and well-measured. The rest of the stuff, like Web 2.0 and 3.0 will fall in where it ought to and when it ought to.

So, for those out there who are still flying by the seat of their pants when it comes to Web site management and running for the next, coolest Web trick, wake up, look at the current outcomes in the global economy and learn something. While I won't pretend that a poorly managed, short-sighted Web site management will bring down the global economy, it could bring down your business.