Information Week's Advisory Council publishes a monthly column called "Smart Advice", and this week's article looked at e-business, which Information Week defined as "The art and science of creating business value through the internet."
First, I like the definition, because e-business is much more than a shopping cart where a company can sell products. Second, I appreciate the focus of their answer. They said that the plan must provide business value AND produce measurable results within a defined timeframe. We see this as the foundation on which any successful e-business strategy is built. And finally, they pointed out the critical flaw in many companies' rush to the web: "Time and money saved in planning is lost EXPONENTIALLY in implementation."
My interpretation: without a thorough plan, that looks at all the aspects of the business and how those areas of the business interact with the website, the company will waste money. The site will fall short of the strategy, and the strategy will fall short on results.
Taking the time to create a comprehensive plan that details out every result desired from the website will save money when the time comes to build the website.
