1. Initiating Interactive Projects 1 Chapter - 2

2. Overview Another key challenge for both the design profession and its business partners is to accept the fact that it’s worth taking the time to prepare a proper design brief prior to commencing design concept development. This process will actually save time and ensure more effective design results.

3. Why is this stage important? The initiation of a project, from whatever source, sets up agreements and expectations which then influence the whole of the project development If the commissioning company is not large, or for some other reason has not had its own formal internal process to initiate a project, then you may have to work harder to extract the information you need to propose

4. On-going and return business This is the key driver for business in the interactive sector and many projects are offered to a developer company as the result of previous projects for the same client The use of interactivity in all forms of communications is expanding and new technology platforms are continuing to come on stream and even become profitable; both of these trends promise expanded communication channels

5. Tenders The process of pitch and tender is a controversial area and one that is generating a great deal of debate If commissioning company decides they want to have a piece of interactive work done for them and they need to find a supplier, they have several options. They can go the previous suppliers with the extra work, they can indicate that they would like suppliers to tender for a particular piece of work

6. Public sector tenders The principle of free trade and open, transparent competition drives this and other such tender process It has been instituted to counter nepotism, corruption of officials and non-transparent awards of work contracts and to achieve open and fair competition for work between companies.

7. Private Company tenders: Commissioner perspective By restricting the tender process in some way the commissioners may miss out on new companies that could have the potential and the skills to address their needs better than the existing relationships. Preferred supplier lists might have been drafted according to traditional work done for the company rather than interactive work

8. Private company tenders: developer / supplier perspective You need to consider the ration of tenders and the amount of work and therefore cost to your company of completing the tender process. This can be expensive and you may not have realized it. Some tender processes are more onerous than others.

9. Pitches : Commissioner perspective Developer companies are becoming more selective in deciding where and when they will pitch, even if invited to pitch as part of a closed process. They are recognizing that it does not make economic sense to expand such time, energy and cost unless they are better assured of winning

10. Pitches : Developer perspective There is confusion between developers about the premise of the pitch process Some are against the closed pitch and preferred supplier lists because they say this screens them out of trade so they cannot take part. Others point to the costs of taking part but losing or never getting to contract even if they win

11. Other types of project initiation Through the door business:  Is where clients contract the developer directly because they have seen their work, they have been recommended, they are responding to marketing or they have some connection with the company  The tender and pitch processes engender a great deal of dissension between commissioners and developers / suppliers, and perhaps now you can see why.

12. Marketing lead projection initiation It is interesting that developer companies that are marketing driven begin the project initiation process with an appraisal of the competitors and the customers This is particularly true if the client does not provide a business case based on these needs

13. Interactive games ( initiation ) The interactive games industry operates differently from the rest of the interactive sector at the beginning of projects The interactive games sector has evolved differently to the rest of interactive media. Their projects follow more of the music industry’s and perhaps the TV and film industry’s model of initiation.

14. iTV Project initiation Interactive is the fast growing addition to television broadcasting.. Often there are websites attached to TV programs or iTV applications transmitted in the digital TV signal which are linked to the program then being broadcast.