February 2021
Project summary
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the creation of a new website. AITOM took part in the market consultation and explained the importance of the Initial Study. Based on our recommendation, the client decided to split the tender into two parts – project preparation and project implementation. AITOM carried out the preparation of the terms of reference (Initial Study), which will subsequently be used in the public tender for the website contractor.
AITOM mainly assisted with the management and coordination of the so-called web group, comprising a multi-member team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A key step was defining the website’s objectives and the priorities of the target groups. Further work then unfolded accordingly, including the proposal of the structure, wireframe, design, technical specifications, and other materials preceding the creation of a high-quality website.
| Client: | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Project launch: | February 2021 |
| Price: | hundreds of thousands of CZK |
| Sector: | Public administration |
| Sector: | Ministry |
| Services: | Feasibility study, UX, UI, technical specifications |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the central government body of the Czech Republic responsible for foreign policy, within which it formulates policy and coordinates foreign development aid and external economic relations.
Brief
In situations where a tender process is used to select a supplier, whether for a public contract or in the private sector, several typical problems often arise. The common denominator is the stark contrast between the bids received, which raises the problem of how to compare them at all. They differ not only in terms of a wide range of prices, but also in their approach to the project or the technologies used.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs found itself in a similar situation and made use of the option of a ‘market consultation’ to clarify, prior to launching the tender, what the terms of reference for the website development should be, what price they should expect for the project and, last but not least, what they should look out for. AITOM’s task was to answer these questions and guide the client through the project preparation process, thereby making the journey easier for them.
Website Objectives
- Generating leads for sales Primární cíl
- Acquiring new customers
- Collecting contact information for email campaigns
- Free consultation
- To educate and inform about the properties and uses of glass
Proposed solution and implementation
AITOM prepared an Initial Study for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which subsequently served as the tender specifications for the creation of the new website.
The main outputs and added value of the Initial Study are the website structure and wireframes. These constitute a simplified model and site map that captures the most important content, the layout of elements, and the website’s functions. The creation of this structure and model was preceded by a thorough analysis of the needs of both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself and, in particular, the website’s visitors.
The most important step in preparing the brief was the initial workshop. It was necessary for representatives from all departments of the Ministry to attend. The group comprised around 20 people and, as it is impossible to satisfy everyone’s needs with such a large number, it was necessary to find common ground and consensus on what is truly key.
The main objective on which everyone agreed was that the website should primarily serve Czechs who are abroad and facing a difficult situation (having lost their passport, been robbed or had their flight cancelled). In the subsequent discussions about the individual needs of each department, we repeatedly returned to this goal, as many content proposals did not fit meaningfully into the website’s structure and its fundamental objectives. Coordinating a large number of sometimes conflicting requirements was the greatest challenge of this workshop.
Project results
It has been confirmed that a website brief should not focus solely on technical details such as server and hosting specifications, but that it is absolutely essential to establish a unified goal and define the primary and secondary visitor groups whose needs and concerns the website must address.
When coordinating a larger group of people with diverse needs, it is advisable to engage a third party who, thanks to their impartiality, can coordinate, facilitate, and accelerate the entire process more effectively. We know from experience that without such a guide, a project often gets stuck internally at a dead end and is thus doomed to be put on hold for several months or years.
Project highlights
Client reference