From organizing marketing strategies and campaigns to planning the roll-out of a new website, digital projects come in many forms. For those with experience in this field, it’s commonly accepted that not everything will go as planned: some deadlines may be missed, opportunities for improvements overlooked, and even forces of nature may sometimes derail progress in any given digital project.
Any brand or business seeking to maximize the efficiency of a digital project must consider the variety of ways in which improvements can be made. Reducing the amount of time it takes to complete a project, minimizing waste throughout the process, and improving overall performance are common concerns regardless of the project’s focus.
Any project manager wishing to improve the efficiency of a digital project should continue reading, as we’ll be discussing some useful tips.
Utilize Project Management Software
The single biggest action managers can take to ensure better efficiency for any digital or web-based project is to implement project management software. These complex suites provide a litany of benefits for project teams, including reporting, document sharing, resource allocation, task management and scheduling.
Rather than relying upon outdated forms of communication and collaboration, a project plan tool integrates all essential functions under one virtual roof. There are many project management software solutions available: The Digital Project Manager recently outlined this year’s best project management software choices for those seeking to improve team efficiency.
Train Your Team Beforehand
It’s absolutely shocking how many brands will compile a team of employees without first providing necessary and critical information to each of them. While project management may seem simple and individual tasks can often be handled by individuals, working on something greater than the sum of its parts doesn’t inherently come naturally.
For project managers seeking to maximize the efficiency of their digital projects, it is imperative to either hire individuals with ample experience in project management and/or provide specific training sessions to educate them. Only once each team member understands everything that is expected of them can the team function at optimal efficiency.
Maintain Constant Communication
The perfect digital project team would in theory work with minimal oversight and communication. In reality, these elements are essential if you wish to get the most efficiency out of a project in terms of time, manpower and cost. Project leaders must learn to delegate – but they also must follow-up with team members on a regular basis to ensure tasks are on-track.
Likewise, consistent communication to both individuals and the team at-large will ensure everybody’s on the same page with respect to priority changes, individuals’ levels of progress, and foreseeable issues. Learn more about proper project team communication strategies by clicking here.
Separate the Nifty from the Necessary
Big digital projects often present opportunities for a plethora of intriguing and awesome ideas. These ideas – converted into tasks – can quickly add to the project’s scope, size and complexity. Ultimately, a digital project may become overwhelming with too many tasks and too little time.
Efficient project managers understand that plans sometimes have to change. While every planned aspect of the project may seem like a great idea, some aspects are requirements (while others are merely optional). If the project is bottlenecking or otherwise falling behind schedule, then consider temporarily or permanently scaling back tasks and plans that aren’t absolutely required. You can always revisit them later if time and resources permit.
Monitor Your Metrics
Without multiple methods for measuring the progress of a digital project, it can be easy to lose track of time and resources. Inevitably, digital projects require digital solutions. As such, a constant eye being kept on the metrics of the project is absolutely required for peak efficiency. The project management software mentioned above is an excellent option for tracking a variety of metrics such as hours logged, resources spent and progress on select tasks made.
Such a keen focus on these details will ultimately keep the parameters of the project in check, acting as a safeguard against both time and budget overruns. To really ensure optimal performance on any digital project, check out these additional useful project management metrics.
Without goals, projects are never completed. Without a way to monitor the progress of those goals, teams often fall into disarray. By focusing on improving communication, monitoring key metrics, training your team members and utilizing project management software, your team can master the art of the project and deliver superior results for less money, in less time, and with less frustration.
The post How to Squeeze Extra Efficiency Out of Any Digital Project appeared first on Mike Gingerich.
Read more: mikegingerich.com
