2020-04-16
Digital project newbies: 5 things an agency project manager can help with
Starting a new digital project can be daunting, especially if you've never done it before. As a newcomer to the digital world when I started at Tangent 2 years ago, I fully understand the fear.
This industry is often flooded with acronyms and confusing terminology that can sometimes just add to the confusion of any new job. Building a new website or app, for instance, isn’t something you necessarily do every 2 years. And as technology changes, so too has the way these types of digital products are delivered. That is why, at Tangent, we try to simplify the process and provide all the expertise needed to make it easier for anyone about to kick off a new digital project.
If you’re engaging an agency to help you with this, here’s our essential tips for you to make the most of that relationship.
1- Don't be afraid to ask questions
We are here to help you understand the process from start to finish and to help you know your APIs from your SVGs. Depending on the support you require, the agency can play as small or big a role you need from research to design and development. There is no such thing as a silly question- so ask away!
2- Check that you understand the deliverables
This could be something along the lines of asset libraries in a branding project or environment set up for a development build. Knowing the who, what, when, where and how of your project is important to understand from the outset. It is much easier to change things before the project kicks off and making sure the whole project team is on the same page. If you’re in doubt, just refer to point 1 above!
3- Confirm your responsibilities
As our client there are certain responsibilities that will fall to you and certain things that will fall on us. Your project team will highlight what these responsibilities will be and outline the expectation. For example, this could be a deadline on a specific decision, like 3rd party integrations or choices on visuals. It’s also helpful to understand timescales when it comes to gathering internal feedback, this allows us to ensure the project plan accounts for this and there are no delays to the project (or unexpected additional costs incurred).
4- Streamline communication through one point of contact
Throughout the project, there will be decisions to be made and it is very helpful to have a single point of contact who is able to make final decisions or collate internal project team feedback. This means that we can keep moving forward with the project and avoid unnecessary delays to schedule. It also reduces the risk for any miscommunication or crossed-wires.
5- Know your team
We are here to help and all have different areas of expertise. Depending on the project you are carrying out, you might have a team that involves team members from all across the agency; from UI to development, and strategy to project management. This can get overwhelming so trust your project team to provide you with the support you need. If in doubt your project manager will stay with you throughout the process and is always a great first point of call!
Following these simple tips should help you take some of the anxiety out of your new digital project and allow you to enjoy the experience. It can be incredibly rewarding to see a project you may have been working on for months finally come to life and share it with the world-so stick with it and you'll see, all will be fine!
