Digital Project Management

Digital projects are often challenging and never typical – they can vary in length, complexity and scope. Not only do digital project managers have to deal with mixed teams, all with different roles and responsibilities, but they also have to manage tight budgets and often tighter deadlines. The fluidity of the digital landscape and managing the expectations of others adds even more layers of difficulty to the task.

This course will stimulate learning on the most modern and exciting digital project management methods and will provide you with the skills you need to manage these projects in a climate of constant change using the very latest technologies.

Digital publishing allows for continuous adjustment in response to feedback, using tools such as Agile methods, which is a very different process from traditional print publishing.

In two days, this course will ensure that you:

• understand the difference between managing print and digital projects
• deliver fit-for-purpose digital projects within required time scales and budget, even if specifications and budgets change
• manage complex projects
• focus on iterative project management techniques and Agile methodology
• deal with inputs from multiple stakeholders
• select suppliers and put together teams that can deliver digital projects.

Learning to manage digital projects, however, is a never-ending challenge as project managers must continue to reflect on their processes and incorporate feedback. They must seek to identify the strategies that work and improve on them, and find alternatives to strategies that don't. Because many of these ideas may be new to delegates, this course offers follow-up coaching by email so that delegates can:

• share their experiences in attempting to introduce new project management methods
• receive encouragement and coaching, and acknowledgement that they are on the right track.

Programme:

Day One

• Exploring the differences between print and digital projects
• Creativity, quality, innovation and value – what are we striving for in digital projects?
• Case study: The Guardian and guardian.co.uk
• Customer expectations in the world of 'Web 2.0' and 'permanent beta'
• Differing approaches to project management
• Waterfall projects and big design
• Iterative projects and incremental design
• What approach delivers the best results for digital projects?
• Project management tools used for digital projects
• Developing project specifications in terms of stories
• Prioritisation and re-prioritisation throughout a project
• Demonstrating, testing and reflecting – how do you know when you've finished? How can you make sure you do it better next time?

Day Two

• Negotiation techniques
• How to get the best deal no matter how difficult the situation
• Estimation techniques
• What can estimation do to help you? What can't it do?
• What to do when your estimates are badly wrong
• Risk management
• Ensure that things get less – not more – risky as time goes by
• Getting buy-in
• How to persuade your management, your customers and your team that you know what you're doing
• Building a team
• Choosing suppliers.

Who will benefit from this course?

Anyone who is involved in the management and delivery of digital projects, especially those who come from a traditional print background, including editors, commissioning editors, web managers, project managers and publishers.

Your tutor

Your tutor for this course will beMark Stringer. Mark has been working as a software developer and project manager for the past 15 years. He first worked on web projects whilst working at the pioneering internet publishing company Chadwyck-Healy in 1997. He has also worked at organisations such as IBM, Xerox, Cambridge University and the BAFTA award-winning web development company Soda Creative. Mark now runs training and consulting firm AgileLab.

Note that most of our open courses can also be run as in-company events.