Digital Project Management

What Do People Think About Digital Project Management?

Before I describe what Digital Project Management is, I felt it would be useful to discuss several points of view on it.

To begin, study Adam Edgerton’s definition of a digital project manager to better understand this specific project management discipline. In his paper “What is the Role of a Digital Project Manager?”

… project manager needs a much broader skill set than the ability to create Gantt charts, track budgets, and manage scope. Metal Toad project managers are truly directors of their projects, owning them in their entirety from inception to go-live and beyond.

Barnes, like Adam Edgerton, believes that such project management necessitates a variety of roles. In his post, What Does Project Management Mean to Me? Sam Barnes explores project management in its digital form. he states:

Project Managers have to master the art of being the office chameleon, blending into very different environments at the drop of a hat. One minute you’re talking to irate developers about server issues and working out how best to help resolve the issue, the next you’re in a Director’s office talking about financial reporting and finally following up by briefing a photographer on the creative direction you’d like them to take.

Finally, examine what Osman Gani advises in his paper on Digital Project Management:

It’s a streamlined process of managing online projects from concept to execution within budget and in a timely fashion. The end result is ensuring that businesses utilizing the service reach their online marketing goals and other goals that were put forward… Managing web projects involves certain steps to ensure successful completion…

These are only a few of the numerous definitions available for Digital Project Management. Now that we’ve established some of the viewpoints of this form of project management, let’s look at how you may correctly comprehend what it comprises.

What is Digital Project Management?

Digital project management is a relatively new concept in today’s industries. As a result, there are numerous approaches to comprehending it. Some call it project management with a digital twist. Some people do not believe it is project management in any way. It’s often used synonymously with IT project management. Now, what exactly is digital project management?

The goal of digital project management is to get tasks completed in a virtual world. Perhaps that is overly simplistic.

The trouble is, while digital project management has a straightforward purpose, it can use a variety of complicated technologies to accomplish it.

Check out this video on the principles of digital project management for more visual learners.

Individuals Involved in Digital Project Management.

Digital project management necessitates planning and a diverse set of skills. The material you see on YouTube, the influencers’ blogs you read, or the financial planning tool that helps you keep track of your money did not emerge overnight. The folks behind those films or programs needed to know why they were doing it, what advantage it would provide, who would study their material, including using their service, what infrastructure would bring everything together, and how much it would cost.

Business analysis, digital marketing, consumer experience, user experience, style, content creation, technology development, and other components are included.

Digital project management necessitates extensive preparation and the integration of all of the components required to create a digital project.

Elements of Digital Project Management.

Let’s look at five components of digital project management, specifically when it comes to producing digital experiences.

1. The Project Manager: Before any work on a project can begin, the organization must pick a project manager. This position is critical since project management often entails:

• Defining the project’s scope.
• Timeline, resources, and budget management for the project.
• Delegating activities or tasks throughout the entire project.
• Keeping the project team and the client in constant communication.
• Determining the value chain status of a project at any particular moment in time.
• Guaranteeing that the client is pleased with the finished product or service.

Given the multiple parts of the job, there are some abilities that an effective project manager should have or learn quickly. The manager should have solid interaction and time management skills, be receptive to suggestions to improve the methodology without working long hours and understand the balance between micromanaging and providing insufficient direction. In this regard, DPM retains aspects of traditional project management.

The project manager should analyze modern project management software for its usefulness to the project as well as its simplicity of implementation and learning in the digital realm. Word and Excel are no longer acceptable in this domain.

Finally, the project manager must select a technique for the project, like the agile method or scrum.

1. Project Preparation: To begin the project, the team must create a process that includes objectives, methodology, equipment, probable challenges, and a timeframe. Knowing your customer is essential when building a digital experience. After gathering customer insights, posing the following question:

• Would this product or service improve the digital experience of a customer? Will it alleviate a problem?
• Do we properly comprehend what the project’s stakeholders expect?
• Do we have representation from all necessary areas (for example, IT, sales, marketing, and customer service)?
• Which technique and documentation procedure will we employ?
• Do we have a timeline and a deadline for each phase of a project?
• Did we choose the best digital platform? (e.g., digital experience platform, content management system, web experience management system).

The final question is critical for two primary reasons. For starters, a rigorous methodology or tool might annoy staff members all through the project, negating the objective of digital project management. Second, if the finished product is not extensible, the entire endeavor becomes pointless because it requires fully rewriting the product.

1. Management of Resources: Throughout the project, the team (particularly the project manager) must handle the numerous resources with a management eye. These are the resources:

• Time: Dividing the project into smaller milestones puts the team on track to meet the deadline. The project management software should send out reminders when jobs are due.
• Budget: Besides having a thorough inventory of time, materials, and personnel at the start of a project, budget for unexpected impediments.
• People: Not all employees may be present in the office. Today’s workforce may be at the office, working from home, or in another country entirely. Ascertain that they have the necessary collaboration tools for their collaborative assignments.

1. Communication: Communication is undoubtedly the most important aspect of project success, but it is a challenge for all companies. Although there have not been so many communication channels (phone, text, email, video chat), there are still gaps throughout a project. While excellence in this region is unlikely, team members should take the following initiatives to strengthen communication:

• Don’t be hesitant to ask questions, especially if the project is complicated.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for clarity on a specific step of the project.
• Give each other, the team leader, and the stakeholders' regular updates.

The final bullet item is important because it manages risk and enables for swift necessary adjustments if you discover a divergence from the target. There is software available to help in performance and project evaluations with stakeholders and clients.

1. Testing and Implementation: The project’s timeframe concludes with deployment. Before presenting the finished product, the crew extensively tested it. Another instance where development and quality assurance teams require the appropriate digital tools.

Before turning over the output to the stakeholders or client, ask one last question: Have we met all of the project requirements and satisfied the scope?

Ultimately, your software should be able to be distributed across all digital channels when delivering a digital experience.

The importance of digital project management and the function of a digital project manager is growing. Cloud-based solutions are used by project managers to keep projects running efficiently and reliably.

Thanks for the audience!

Please leave a comment if you have any thoughts on the subject — I am always eager to learn and improve!

Cheers!