I posted the site planning worksheets on the SharePoint University blog a couple days ago. It started a discussion about the need for end users to do planning before starting to implement their site. Instead of recreating that post sequence, I’ve linked to it here.

The short answer is, yes, site planning should be the first step when creating a site. Creating a site is, afterall is said and done, a project. Without a plan, the user is flying blind with no map for development. A side affect of planning is it helps clarify for the end user what is trying to be accomplished and how functionality within SharePoint can be used to solve specific problems.

A blueprint… a template… a site map… whatever terminology you want to use. Planning in advance helps focus on the end goal before even touching the SharePoint site for development.