Digital Project Management

DPM is a project management approach that involves having a project plan and timeline in project management software. It also involves a team working together online and making changes based on agile methods. Additionally, DPM involves using data to track progress and report. Essentially, DPM leverages the digital landscape to streamline project processes, enhance communication and ensure project delivery is efficient Some key aspects include:  

Project planning 

This is the most crucial aspect. Create a plan, define your scope and the work breakdown structure for successful execution. The plan should identify the steps and resources needed to reach the objectives.  

Resource management 

Effective resource management involves the scheduling and allocation of tasks and resources, to the best-qualified members within the project's budget. Project resources play a vital role in moving a project from the 'raw stage' to completion. Some examples of project resources include people, information, tools, money and time.  

Communication 

Clear, effective communication is vital to project success. A communication plan is essential before beginning a project. It’s crucial to identify the key stakeholders involved and communication channels to be used.  

• Encourage and respond to team member questions  
• Provide frequent project updates to both stakeholders and the project team 
• Use team communications software and online collaboration tools, especially to facilitate remote team communication  

• Waterfall –Working best for simpler projects which can be broken down into logical steps, this approach involves finishing one phase before moving onto the next.  
• Agile – This methodology breaks down the project into ‘sprints’ – smaller phases, working best for complicated and technical projects.  
• Kanban – Uses a visual board and cards on the ‘Kanban’ that team members work through to track project tasks and progress, works best for chaotic and small projects  
• Scrum – Ideal for complex projects, it divides work into short sprints for easy management and tracking of tasks.  

Digital projects can be either narrow or wide. Narrow projects are small in scope and could include software development, digital marketing, website design, and search engine optimisation. Wide projects, on the other hand, are larger and continuous, and often lead to more projects. Examples of wide digital projects include process transformation, domain transformation, and business model transformation projects. 

Digital project management doesn’t have to be difficult. When done well, it is an opportunity for both the client and the agency to steer success. However, a common issue in digital project management is lack of strategy. These types of projects require careful thinking, forethought, and team collaboration. 

Here are some tools that can help: 

• Gantt Charts: These bar graphs visually depict all project activities on a timeline, with dependencies and milestones broken up into phases. Digital versions can be updated easily (often automatically and shared among the project team). 
• Kanban boards: These visualise the workflow by representing activities as cards and defining each production cycle phase as a column. Digitising Kanban boards means not everyone has to be there physically to update them. 
• Project calendar: Stakeholders can use this to stay updated on progress, and project teams can check to ensure they’re meeting deadlines. 
• Task lists: These are helpful for tracking things you need to do over the course of the day or long term and are a helpful tool for charting work that a team member must complete by the end of the day.