Pixel-speak

Managing online and digital projects is difficult and can be problematic for the inexperienced.
This post outlines an overview of some of the pitfalls and issues associated with digital projects. Future posts will deal with these subjects in-depth.

Preamble:
The formula is easy. Time = Money.
Companies, digital shops and interactive agencies pay people to complete tasks to keep customers happy, and potentially build repeat business. Simple. For each member of staff, the business needs to make at least 20-25% additional margin to cover costs and make a profit.

Communication:
This is the key to the success of all projects. Digital projects require a number of people to communicate effectively so the end goal is achieved without spending too much time getting there. With so many options and channels used to communicate information, choice of option is key to getting the correct message across.

The simplest rule – if something can be said in person (face-to-face) then do it. The next best channel is the telephone or video conferencing. These two choices allow both parties to share information with one key ingredient – emotion. Explanations are simplest when emotion can be seen and heard by both sender and recipient.

In regards to the least effective choice examples, I’m sure you are all too familiar with the accidental ‘all-in-reply-staff’ emails that contain a rant about the boss.

If you are leading a project, then everyone else associated with the project is relying on you to deliver the relative important information – so make sure your choice of communication and platform is effective for all parties.

Planning:
The old adage of “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is certainly true when approaching the management of any digital project. There are so many intricacies involved in a digital project, and the component that gets the least amount of attention to detail at the planning stage, is the build/test/deliver phase. The easiest solution when a client/customer asks something you have no idea about, it’s best to say, “I will find out from the guy who knows”. Time spent getting the technical experts involved at the beginning, will save you countless hours of pain and the potential to ‘lose’ any future projects from that client/customer.

Timelines:
These are great for scoping out how much estimated time you think all the required tasks will take during the course of a project. Microsoft Project is an excellent tool for creating timing schedules for digital projects, however, ‘expectations’ are built around the presentation of such timeline documents – and managing ‘expectations’ is key to the success of the project.

Constant reviews during the course of the project are necessary and try to make a habit of updating your MS Project plan and send to the client/customer at least once a week. Oh and don’t forget the phone explanation to ensure ‘expectations’ are addressed.

In-scope, out-of-scope & change control:
It is tricky to try to guess every little nuance that may occur during a project. The more experienced Project Managers can forsee certain disasters with projects due to their own individual experiences in the past. Setting up ‘in-scope’ guidelines and sharing them with the client/customer early in the project phases, will help to manage and limit ‘risk’ of project blowouts in time and costs.