Hello again,
So I am working with three different organizations in very diverse sectors. There is an insurance company, a government body, and a charity. All three are asking for my help in overcoming the same fundamental problem — digital projects grinding to a shuddering halt, weighed down by their inertia.
Whether the project is delivered in-house or via a third-party agency, it’s an all too common problem. Unfortunately, these are projects that do not have a hope of delivering on time and will almost certainly go over budget.
They are, as the saying goes, a disaster waiting to happen. Worst still, when it comes to digital projects, these seem to be more the rule than the exception. As a result, the way most digital projects are managed is a mess and desperately needs fixing.
Digital Projects Are a Mess
Think about how most digital projects start. Somebody has an idea for a digital service or an update to an existing service. They approach people like us and ask us to provide an estimate of costs and timescales.
What a joke! I have been doing this job for 27 years, and I still cannot provide an accurate quote to save my life! There are too many unknowns at the start of a project. The whole thing is too ill-defined.
It is no wonder most projects run over budget and time when the estimates have been pulled out of somebody’s backside!
How to Run Digital Projects More Efficiently
Fortunately, these are problems that have been solved. All it requires is to stop deluding ourselves that it is possible to define a digital project from start to finish upfront, and instead adopt a phased approach.
This topic is something I wrote about in a recent post for Smashing Magazine. In it, I propose breaking down almost any digital project into four phases. These are:
Each phase is a distinct project with a budget, timelines, and deliverables. Each phase informs the next, allowing you to provide an accurate quote for the phase that follows.
So, for example, the discovery phase consists of user research, setting business objectives, identifying constraints, and various other upfront research. Once that is done, you will better understand what will need to be designed in the alpha.
Equally, we will use the alpha for prototyping the digital service you are building. That will become the functional specification that allows accurate costing for the minimum viable product build phase.
Why This Approach Works
Instead of defining the whole project up front, you define one stage at a time. This approach leads to more accurate timelines and budgets. It also allows for adaptation between phases rather than being locked into a set of deliverables at the outset. Scope creeps shouldn’t be seen as the enemy but rather as a natural part of the process to be embraced.
Best of all, this process avoids committing to the massive expenditure of the entire project upfront. If the discovery phase shows the project is not viable, you can drop it. Equally, if the alpha prototype fails to perform, you can choose to go in a different direction.
It is more agile, more accurate, and more manageable. Also, as each phase has its deliverables, stakeholders can see progress, maintaining project momentum.
Managing Stakeholder Expectations
I know what you are thinking. You are convinced your boss or clients will never go for it. They want to know how much the whole thing will cost upfront.
That is understandable. After all, our clients or boss have to budget for the project.
I am not saying that you shouldn’t give them your best guess at the overall price and timescale. However, you need to be upfront that this will be wildly inaccurate and suggest you undertake a small discovery phase to help cost the next stage more accurately.
I am not claiming it is an easy sell. After all, that is why I got hired by my current three clients. I am brought in to set up these systems and make them happen.
However, it is possible, and the benefits are enormous.
Works on Any Digital Project
It also works on any scale project and whether you are an in-house team, agency, or freelancer. For example, it’s how I run my website build projects.
If it’s a small project, my discovery phase might be a single workshop and my alpha a small greyscale wireframe. The principle of splitting the project into steps and making each step a separate engagement still stands.
Clients also like it when engaging a new supplier because they can test out the relationship on smaller projects rather than committing to spending a significant amount with somebody they don’t know.
My advice is to give it a go and see for yourself. Have a read through my Smashing Magazine post and if you still need help implementing the approach or convincing colleagues, you know where to find me.
Thanks,
P.S. Don’t forget that I am offering 10% off my coaching services until the end of this month. So drop me an email, and I will tell you more about how it works.
