Getting down to requirements

At last week’s Web Steering Committee meeting we started getting down to requirements. Gathering requirements is a fundamental step in any web project. While there are different approaches to requirements, the JIBC is taking this one: we’re gathering both “business requirements” (high-level, big-picture needs) and “functional requirements” (specific things that must be in place in order for the business requirements to be met). In other words, the requirements define what elements we want in our redesigned site (functional requirements) and why we want them (business requirements).

The business and functional requirements – based in part on the Discovery Session held at the last WSC meeting – are organized in seven categories:

• Content (Text & Graphics)
• Program & Course Information
• Design
• Navigation, Search & Tags
• User Interaction
• Content Management
• Technical Structure

There are too many requirements to list in this post, but here’s an example:

Category: Navigation, Search & Tags
Business requirement: The main search engine generates quality results, enabling users to find the information they’re looking for.
Functional requirement: The search engine can be configured with keywords, tags and other meta-data.

We’ll continue to fine-tune the requirements until we’re ready to collaborate with web development and design vendors. If you have any questions about this important phase of the project, please contact Chris Wong.

Discovery Session

We held a ‘discovery session’ with the Web Steering Committee last week.  The aim was to get input from all divisions on key aspects of the redesign.  We broke into small groups and brainstormed answers to these questions: 

1. Who are the audiences for our website?
2. What are the primary tasks that our audiences want to complete on the site?
3. What are the JIBC’s objectives for those audiences when they use our site?
4. What is unique about the JIBC that differentiates us from our competitors?
5. What keywords describe the feeling you would like our audiences to have after visiting the redesigned website?

The challenge now is to take all of the flipchart information and craft it into requirements for our site.

One initial finding?  “Inspired” was the most common descriptor for our desired site.

Web Steering Committee

The Web Steering Committee (WSC) is a key player in our website project. The WSC “provides high level strategic guidance and oversight for the Web Redesign Project”; it has representation from all areas of the JIBC.

Members of the WSC are:

Tannis Morgan – Academic Services
Karen Hodson – Applied Research
Chris Wong (Chair) – Communications & Marketing
Lori Bodin – Communications & Marketing / Corrections & Community Justice
Nicole Croizier – Emergency Management
Krista Lambert – Communications & Marketing
Sandy Beauchesne – Community & Social Justice
Aaron Simmer – Facilities
William Goh – Finance
Michelle Jackson – Fire & Safety
Bill Maser – Health Sciences
Barrie McConachie – Human Resources
John Pennant – JIBC Foundation
Christine-Louise Dujmovich – Library
Joan Glover – Pacific Traffic Education Centre
Steve Schnitzer - Police Academy/Justice & Public Safety
Sandra Hamilton – Sheriff Academy
Irina Bobovskaia – Student Services & Registration
Ivan Boudreau – Student Services & Registration
Marcela Hernandez – Technology Services
Insook Kim – Technology Services

These are the lead members for each department. Alternates attend when the leads are unable to. Thank you to all WSC members for contributing to the process.

Introducing the JIBC Website Redesign Blog

Welcome to the JIBC Web Redesign blog. The Justice Institute of British Columbia’s Communications & Marketing Department is launching this blog to keep JIBC employees and the community informed about the redesign of the JIBC website.  The blog will also be an important vehicle for obtaining feedback during the project. So stay tuned for regular posts about the redesign. We look forward to your input.