Building Your I-Team

Once an internal team is established, there’s often the added challenge of integrating an external vendor. Although some companies have tried to run Web sites from start to finish completely on their own, many turn to outside firms that specialize in site development and content.

“In any instance, leveraging outside, objective expertise is critical. You have to pay for it, but you’ll find that it’s difficult to take it all internally, depending on project size,” Halvorson says.

No matter how talented an internal team is, most can benefit from the expert knowledge of an outside partner. “It’s good to bring in a partner who has the creative skill sets to help push the bar for you,” Prendergast says. “If you bring a specialist in, you have someone who can bring a different perspective and think outside of the box for you, to find new, creative solutions.”

Halvorson says another benefit to working with a vendor is being able to choose your partner based on personality. “In any work situation, personality has a lot to do with what will succeed. You should pick people that you like, people whose thinking is similar to yours,” she says.

As a vendor, Halvorson tries to make sure that she understands what the client company expects from her—whether that be simply executing a predetermined plan by a predetermined date, or offering her input on the process as it proceeds. “You can’t make the project about you and your processes unless that’s what they’re paying you to do,” Halvorson explains. “It’s very important to build yourself into the team, to know what it is expected of you.”