e-businessguide_Template_Document_-_E-business_Plan_Template

E-business Plan Template How to use this Document This document is a template that has been downloaded from http://www.e-businessguide.gov.au The document is a Rich Text Format (RTF) document so that most word processors can read it. Having opened it in a word processor, it is intended that organisations work their way through each section considering the issues and arriving at decisions that are appropriate to their circumstances. It is envisaged that the average length of a completed E-business Plan would be somewhere between ten and fifteen pages. Organisations are encouraged to add additional sections to their plan and/or alter aspects of this template as appropriate to their organisation and circumstances. It is recommended that the key stakeholders in the organisation be involved in the discussions and decision-making process on the key issues as this is likely to add value to the depth and breadth of the E-business Plan. An inclusive approach also helps to promote a better understanding of the project across the organisation from its inception. It may not be possible to complete this plan until you have referred to the Protecting and Managing sections of the e-businessguide website. They will provide you with information, such as risk management, legal requirements, budgeting and security, that you may need. E-business description    how you are currently using the Internet in your organisation and how you would lie to be two years from now – eg e-commerce, marketing online, educating, providing access to services and products a brief statement on the aim – ie why do want to use Internet technologies in your organisation in this way a brief description of how the new e-business plans will affect staff, customers, clients, suppliers and business partners Rationale    a detailed explanation of the aims – eg to cut costs, save time, increase customer base, meet business requirements how the aims meet the related objectives of your organisation how e-business will meet your stakeholders’ needs or demands – the results of market research into what the target audience wants and does not want on the new or revised site Management     a statement as to who is ultimately responsible for the e-business; who will manage it and the people or organisation maintaining it; what committee, group or team is overseeing it an outline of the management methodology/strategy to be adopted – meetings, communication the risks and how you intend dealing with them – eg intellectual property, contracts with suppliers eg the web developer an outline of the schedule of the roll-out of the e-business plan Downloaded from www.e-businessguide.gov.au Page 1 of 3 E-business Plan Template Marketing strategy      How will the use of email and the website enhance the organisation’s existing marketing plan? What unique marketing tools will email and the website provide that the organisation has never had before? How will the e-business be promoted – what strategies, to whom, when? What promotional features will be included in the website or email to help drive traffic to the website – eg email subscriptions, virtual postcards? How does its look, feel and content complement and add value to the branding of your organisation? What are the likely costs and required time allocations for implementing and monitoring the promotional strategies? Resourcing People  who will be involved in the development and maintenance of the e-business and their respective roles – updating, technical, promotion etc  the approximate time commitment required of each during the development and in the on-going maintenance of the e-business  new skills and roles that might be needed, how they will be met (re-training/ skilling , outsourcing, engaging new staff) and the time and costs involved Equipment  the hardware or software that may be required by the organisation’s staff in the development and maintenance of the e-business – eg a computer and Internet connection for all in the office. Funding  the estimated dollar amount required to fund the establishment (or re-alignment) of the e-business and its on-going maintenance and promotion the source(s) of the funds Outsourcing  what, if any, part of the redevelopment is to be outsourced and how the outsourcing is to be conducted – eg open tender Benefits of the e-business   Who benefits? How will they benefit and over what time-frame? Revenue streams  What, if any, are the likely revenue streams from the e-business over the next 2-3 years – eg from sales, purchases of information, uptake of services?  What features will be included to create these revenue streams – eg e-commerce, shopping carts? Efficiency gains  What, if any, are the likely areas of efficiency gains resulting from the e-business and what is the likely extent and nature of those gains – eg 20 hours/pa saved via providing online application forms, reduced number of enquiries? Downloaded from www.e-businessguide.gov.au Page 2 of 3 E-business Plan Template Challenges and constraints The following categories and their associated issues and questions are indicative of those that may need to be addressed in this section of the E-business Plan. Before answering some of these questions you may need to refer to the e-businessguide website - Protection and Management sections. Technical  limitations placed on the range and sophistication of e-business features that can be offered due to the audience’s level of computer power, browsers, plug-ins, Internet access speeds  resourcing (time and money) required to interface the organisation’s backend databases, accounting systems etc with the website – especially if e-commerce is a feature of the site  security of data/information – what degree of security of the website is required Legal  intellectual property and copyright – eg ownership of the IP and copyright of the content and concepts to be placed in the site  privacy – the privacy laws and regulations with which the site needs to comply  relevant legislation with which the site has to comply and the ways in which that may impact on the project Organisational changes  potential changes in the organisation’s role and how these might impact on the project over time  the extent to which the culture of the organisation is conducive to change and to embracing the online world  change-management plans  Will anyone lose out of the new e-business – if so how and what implications for you Resources and timeframes  collating, editing and clearing the content in time to meet milestones  the complexities and time involved in altering office work-flow and processes to incorporate maintenance of the site  special events or outside forces that may challenge the milestones – eg key staff on leave Competitors and collaborators  your competitors and the status of their Internet strategies and websites – the extent to which they affect your ability to meet the aims and vision for your online presence  the possibility of collaborating and its mutual benefits Project evaluation    the criteria by which to judge the degree of success of the e-business – eg 30% cost savings or reduction in staff time allocated to a particular area or task, level of site traffic equivalent to similar sites or the old one measurement methodology – eg who will conduct the evaluation and via what method (collection of statistics, surveys, focus groups) reporting on the evaluation: who, when and format Downloaded from www.e-businessguide.gov.au Page 3 of 3