Welcome to post 3 of my Project Management key skills series. In previous posts, we covered the importance of setting project goals and objectives (you can check the post here), and we explored the importance of project scope and how to manage scope creep (refresh your memory here).

In this article, we examine the roles of key internal and external stakeholders and how their delicate relationships can impact projects and timelines.

Before we discuss the importance of identifying stakeholders, let’s clarify what stakeholders are in the context of project management. Stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organisations that have an interest in the project’s outcome. They can be internal or external to the organisation and can be further categorised as primary or secondary. Often, a project will have a variety of stakeholders, and each will have its own role, responsibility, and expectation, which needs to be accounted for.

Identifying internal and external stakeholders is an important stage of kickstarting a project. It sets the stage for effective communication, collaboration, and decision-making throughout the project’s lifecycle. 

A study carried out by Wellingtone on over 110 organisations across 29 countries placed Stakeholder Management as the most valuable process in project management and one of the easiest to implement.

Once you have identified these, don’t be afraid to share them with your full team (client included) to ensure everyone understands each other’s roles and knows how to communicate efficiently within the team.

External stakeholders are all individuals outside your organisation. For Ronins, as a digital agency, external stakeholders are everyone not part of our company, such as clients, suppliers, competitors, and vendors.

When looking at your external stakeholders specifically for a project, you need to look at who your client is and everyone who is somehow related to the project’s success. For example, when we worked on our Orbus website design and development project, we identified a variety of stakeholders:

Failing to identify stakeholders can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and, ultimately, project failure.

We covered some examples of external stakeholders, but it’s important also to define your internal stakeholders in a project, as each person will assume a role, each with its own set of responsibilities. Internal stakeholders are those individuals who are part of your organisation, so for Ronins, this includes:

Identifying stakeholders can be challenging, especially in complex projects or organisations. Common challenges include overlooking key stakeholders, misjudging their interests, and dealing with conflicting priorities. To overcome these challenges, project managers must continuously review and update their stakeholder lists and ensure effective communication to meet everyone’s needs.

Effective stakeholder identification at the beginning of each project offers several benefits to project management:

Managing stakeholder relationships is an ongoing process. At the beginning of a project, I suggest making a list of each stakeholder, who they are, what their responsibility is, and how to address them. For example, your day-to-day contact might benefit from a weekly status meeting. A senior stakeholder might be more interested in a monthly top-level report to ensure work is progressing nicely.

A simple RACI matrix is handy at this stage to quickly understand your entire team of stakeholders. You can find out more about the RACI matrix here.

Here are some best practices to consider:

Identifying stakeholders and understanding their roles is indispensable to successful project management. It encourages collaboration, minimises risks, and ultimately contributes to achieving project objectives that meet expectations.

By recognising the significance of stakeholders and following best practices for managing their relationships, project managers can give each project the best possible chance of success.

Welcome to the second of my 9 part blog series is about project scope management. In the dynamic world of web development, setting clear boundaries and objectives is crucial to ensure projects run smoothly and in line with client expectations. This article delves into the intricate art of scope management, defining project scope and managing scope creep.

Once the project goals have been established and agreed, the next logical step is defining the project scope in which the project falls under. At its essence, project scope defines the playing field, it is the compass that guides your web development journey, ensuring that everyone knows what to expect. Think of it as the roadmap outlining where you’re headed and what you’ll encounter.

Project scope isn’t just an optional guideline; it’s a fundamental requirement for a successful web development project. At Ronins’, we have seen several times how a poorly scoped project can strain client relationships and jeopardise not only the quality of the project but also the integrity of the agency.  It plays several pivotal roles:

Scope creep can often be the sneaky villain that can derail even the most well-planned projects. Clear project scope serves as a shield against its encroachment, keeping the project on course. A well-scoped project will detail in black and white what was required of the project at a point in time. However, projects evolve, and it’s only natural new ideas and requirements arise. A well-scoped project will allow you to move the conversation forward and focus on how to incorporate new requirements and their effect on the project’s golden triangle: time, budget, and quality.

Imagine building a house without blueprints. Chaos would reign. Similarly, in web development, a well-defined scope sets clear expectations for all involved parties, minimizing misunderstandings.

Without a scope, it’s like embarking on a cross-country road trip without a map. You’re likely to run out of fuel (resources) and veer off track. A well-scoped project helps allocate resources efficiently and understand the budget required to complete the project within a given timeframe.

Project scope is the lighthouse guiding the ship. It directs planning and execution, ensuring that every task and decision aligns with the project’s objectives.

Scoping a web project involves a series of deliberate steps:

Gathering Project Requirements: It all begins with gathering detailed requirements. This is where you sit down with stakeholders, asking questions, listening intently, and understanding their needs and goals. Spending a good amount of time at this stage really understanding and defining the project will allow you to not only gain a better understanding of the project but also uncover opportunities to enhance the final product. For this stage, there are several tools available that will allow you to map out requirements and flow. I like using miro boards to increase collaboration and keep things organised.

Identifying Project Objectives: What’s the purpose of the project? What goals are you trying to achieve? Identifying clear and attainable objectives ensures everyone is on the same page. Please read my post on setting project goals for a more in-depth understanding of this.

Defining Deliverables: What will the project produce? Is it a website, an app, or something else? Defining the deliverables with precision avoids ambiguity.

Setting Boundaries and Constraints: Just as a fence sets the boundaries of a yard, project scope defines what’s in and what’s out. Clearly stating project constraints, such as budget and timeline, helps manage expectations. Don’t be afraid to include ‘what is not included’ as part of your scope to avoid uncertainty at a later stage.

Creating a Scope Statement: All the collected information coalesces into a formal scope statement. This document serves as the project’s North Star, guiding every decision and action.

In the world of web development, change is constant. Shifting requirements, evolving objectives, and stakeholder misalignment can challenge even the best-scoped projects. Here’s where scope management comes into play, helping you navigate these choppy waters by documenting, evaluating, and approving scope changes.

The project management golden triangle serves as a valuable framework, empowering project managers to handle change, risk, and priorities. This model revolves around three fundamental constraints: time, budget, and scope. Each modification to a project impacts one of these dimensions. Importantly, these three elements are intricately linked and must always be balanced. When a change is introduced in one facet, it requires adjustments in either or both other constraints.

For example, if a project timeline suddenly shrinks the project manager will need to consider its impact on the scope of the project (reducing scope) or budget (increasing budget to bring more team members to complete the project quicker). Another example is if new requirements are added to a project, the project manager will then need to look at its impact on time and budget to accommodate the changes.

Scope definition and management are not a one-size-fits-all. It is important to look at the project and understand what risk areas require more scrutiny. For example, when we started the project definition for the Orbus Software website, we knew it was critical to focus a lot of time and effort on defining the content migration strategy involved.  On the other hand, when developing the project scope for our Cysiam client, we were more focused on understanding and defining the key user flows necessary to complete the project successfully. When scoping a branding project, such as Globium, we focused more on defining review processes and key deliverables.

In web development, project scope plays a pivotal role, orchestrating the coordination of efforts and charting the course toward a successful outcome. Clarity, precision, and adaptability serve as invaluable allies when scoping and defining the parameters of your web project. If you want to learn more about the digital planning process, check out this blog post.

Stay tuned for our next post next week where we will focus on identifying key stakeholders and their roles.

In project management, where direction and efficiency matter most, project goals are your project’s guiding lights. They help you stay focused and driven through the smooth and rough times.

In the first post of this series, we will investigate the importance of setting clear project goals, measuring and tracking their progress and keeping a mindset that can adapt to the ever-changing nature of web design and web development.

In my experience working at Ronins, these recommendations have been proven crucial repeatedly, not only with our Surrey web development projects but also with our most recent award-winning website Orbus Software.

Project goals are the cornerstones of your web design and web development projects. They provide the project with a sense of purpose, direction, and a shared vision.

The main role of project goals is to remove ambiguity and ensure everyone understands what must be achieved. It is important to establish and agree on the project goals alongside your client and wider team so everyone is on the same page from the beginning.

Being able to revisit these objectives as a team, sense-check decisions, agree on key UX / UI elements, and agree on functionality is an efficient and consistent approach to ensuring project success.

Web projects encompass various objectives. The trick with setting these is to make sure different goals address key areas of the project. Usually, the main areas you look to cover are timeline, user experience, scope, budget, and functionality.

Addressing each aspect with specific project goals ensures a holistic approach to project management.

The power of project goals lies in their clarity and measurability.

Vague goals, such as ‘increase website traffic’ or ‘better user experience’, lack the precision needed for effective tracking. You can always start by writing down a list of more vague and subjective objectives as a starting point. Then, complete the exercise of turning each one into something you can 1) measure, 2) achieve, and 3) track. So, in our examples, you can say: “Achieve a 20% increase in website traffic by Q4” or “Improve the user engagement rate by 15% within six months”.

Measurable goals allow you to track progress accurately and acknowledge accomplishments.

‘It takes two to tango’! I cannot stress enough how important it is that you and your client are completely aligned when setting project goals. Aligning project goals with client expectations enhances transparency and fosters collaboration. I’m a big believer in solving problems as a team and including the client in the process as much as they want. This is also extremely useful as you progress in your project, as you can always reference the goals you and your client agreed on to validate and sense-check decisions.

Ambition is admirable, but setting achievable goals is key. Overly ambitious project goals can lead to team demotivation and frustration and, ultimately, a disappointing project. At the same time, don’t make your goals obviously easy, as it will only devalue your achievements in the long run. Realistic goals motivate progress and maintain team morale. Setting realistic goals for a project in harmony with project constraints makes it easier to navigate the path to success.

Now, this is by far one of the most crucial steps when you kick-start any web design or web development project. Goals are destinations, and a clear plan is the route to reach them. There are plenty of tools available to help you in this process. My favourites include Monday, Jira or good old trusted Google Sheets. Sometimes you can also use multiple tools; for example, when we designed and developed the Orbus Website, we used a combination of Google Sheets for day-to-day management & general headquarters, Jira for development management and Asana for the wider Orbus team management.  

An actionable plan outlines the necessary steps, assigns responsibilities, and provides a roadmap for project goal achievement. It’s your project’s itinerary, guiding you from one milestone to the next.

The essence of project management, particularly when working in an agile methodology, is its constant change and evolution. This is why flexibility is vital in the dynamic world of web design and development. Project goals should adapt to changing circumstances. Regular reviews and adjustments ensure that goals remain relevant and attainable, allowing your project to stay on course, even in the face of unexpected challenges.

Setting clear project goals is the compass that guides your web design and development project. These goals, when specific, measurable, and aligned with client expectations, provide the roadmap for your journey. Keeping them realistic, actionable, and open to adjustment ensures that you stay on the right path, even when the project landscape shifts. So, set your goals, chart your course, and sail towards a successful web project. If you want to learn more about key project management skills, check out my article: 5 Important Skills for Digital Project Managers.

Web Project Management is a complex network of different pieces working together to deliver a set piece of work within a timeframe and a budget. To bring these digital developments to life, you need the ability to adapt to changes, creativity, and technical expertise.

I decided to create a 9 part blog series that explores the essential aspects of effective web project management. Think of it as your roadmap to project success, whether you’re a seasoned project manager or someone new to the world of web development.

As this is our first post, I will outline the areas we will cover and summarise them to, hopefully, whet your appetite for weeks to come.

We will start our series by setting clear project goals that are clear, timely and realistic. Project goals provide direction and purpose, ensuring everyone on board knows where you’re headed. These can also be extremely useful to have as your mantra as you move along with the project to ensure no one loses sight of the project’s purpose. Setting goals needs to take into account our web project management requirements, web design objectives, web development functionality, technology and ways to measure our success.

Next, we’ll delve into scoping and defining project scope—a critical step to avoid the infamous “scope creep.” This is akin to drawing the boundaries of your adventure, marking what’s in and what’s out. We will cover scope creep, the importance of transparent communication in web project management and potential risks to look out for along the way.

Gathering the right team and understanding each person’s role is crucial. Each member brings unique skills and expectations, and knowing who they are ensures a smooth voyage. In this post, we will cover key roles you need to ensure a smooth project and tips on communicating and managing different roles within your team. We will look at examples like our latest Orbus project, where having clearly defined roles ensured everyone felt heard and up-to-date with project progress.

Smooth sailing in the world of web project management requires clear communication. Our fourth post explores establishing an effective communication plan—a vital tool for keeping everyone on the same course, regardless of the stormy seas. We will also review a few web project management tools, such as Jira and Asana.

Time is money, and running a web project within the expected time can make or break client relationships. In our fifth post, we’ll delve into creating a project timeline and how well-defined milestones and deliverables can help us through.

Your ship is only as strong as its crew. This post will look at resource allocation, the different roles needed to run a project efficiently and how best to assign and manage the workflows with different team members to ensure a harmonious journey.

Not everything will happen according to your plan, and that’s ok. In post 7, we will discuss risk assessment and mitigation and how to prepare for and navigate challenges effectively whilst understanding potential risks and effectively communicating with the client.

A successful project requires engaged stakeholders. Post eight explores client engagement strategies to keep your clients actively involved and satisfied throughout the journey.

Just because the project is finished, it doesn’t mean the work is over. One of the most crucial steps of the process is the post-web project management evaluation. What went well? What could have been better? By learning from your experiences, you ensure smoother voyages in the future. You can read a bit more about Ronins’ approach and focus on improvement and pushing our work in this blog article.

With this roadmap in hand, we’re ready to begin our series of posts, guiding you through the complex world of web project management. Stay tuned for the first post next week as we dive into the art of setting clear project goals—a crucial step toward project success.

For Ronins, client retention is something we value and focus on with every client interaction. However, in today’s competitive web and app development world, client retention is often overshadowed by the race for new acquisitions.

Studies suggest that retaining an existing client can cost five times less than acquiring a new one, not to mention the amount of effort, heartbreak and sweat involved in proving yourself to a new group of stakeholders. High client turnover affects your bottom line and keeps you in a constant state of having to prove your worth to new prospects. This is where transparency comes into play as more than just an ethical guideline—it’s a strategic tool for client retention.

First, we must understand transparency in website and app development. At Ronins, transparency means open communication, clear expectations, and accountability. It goes beyond being a good ethical practice; it’s a functional strategy for retaining clients. All clients want to know where their money is going, how their project is progressing, and whether they should anticipate any changes. Transparency fills in these gaps and sets the foundation for long-term cooperation. Sounds pretty fair, right?

Keeping communication channels open is one of the main pillars of transparency. Whether sharing project updates or discussing challenges, timely and honest communication builds trust. And trust, as we all know, is the cornerstone of any lasting relationship. This has been particularly important when working with our client, Orbus Software, based in London. The wide range of stakeholders from multiple disciplines means alignment and efficient communication are vital for project success, retaining trust and respect within the team and improving morale and team spirit.

Another aspect where transparency is critical is in setting and managing expectations. Explicit project scopes, timelines, and deliverables leave no room for misunderstandings. Transparency here reduces friction, minimises scope creep, and ensures client satisfaction, which is pivotal for retention.  We often find this particularly important when managing projects with tight, client-led deadlines that require strict adherence to deadlines, particularly during the UX and UI phases of projects. We can often mitigate risk and work through challenges by setting expectations and working as a team.

Transparency isn’t just about being upfront; it’s also about being accountable. When you own mistakes, provide clear paths for resolution, and are transparent about what went wrong, you build a level of trust that money can’t buy. This makes your client more likely to stick with you through thick and thin.

Simple acts, like regular status updates or quick check-ins, can go a long way in keeping a client engaged and building a trusting relationship. These actions show the client that you’re on top of things and care about their project. When we develop web build projects for our clients in London, we operate a 3-tiered communication approach: weekly status to set the project cadence. This status report is continuously updated and kept available to the client, a Jira board with all the tickets being worked on and in the pipeline for maximum transparency.

Surprises, not invoices, are suitable for birthdays. Clear and transparent invoicing practices, devoid of hidden fees or unclear billing methods, play an essential role in building and retaining client trust. Clients feel more comfortable and secure when they know what to expect financially.

In summary, transparency isn’t just an ethical guideline but a strategic tool for client retention. It fosters open communication, helps set realistic expectations, and builds trust and accountability. By incorporating transparency into your client relationships, you’re not just doing the right thing but also setting the stage for long-term success.

Today, I have decided to put on my digital project managers’ hat and talk about the key skills of this crucial role. Word of warning – I am full of analogies when it comes to explaining the complex world of Project Management, so continue at your peril!

When a new project comes in, those early stages can sometimes feel like a giant, ever-evolving jigsaw puzzle with lots of little pieces that are yet to come together. As digital project managers, we’re the puzzle solvers; the picture only comes together when we have the right skills and can see the full picture. Don’t forget to also check my 9 post series where we dive deeper into each key skill for digital project managers.

One of the most useful skills is technical empathy and know-how. I like to think of it as being a chef: you can’t cook without knowing your way around the kitchen. We need to understand the digital technologies we’re working with to spot potential challenges, foresee limitations and come up with solutions.

Having the right project management tools – like Jira, Asana or Trello– really helps! They’re our secret recipe for tracking progress and managing tasks. Knowing the type of chef you want to be will also help you along the way – familiarising yourself with Agile methodologies, for example, will give you an edge and catapult you to a more refined and effective management style, allowing you to adapt and evolve with the fast-paced digital world.

Another key skill to navigate the world of project management is your leadership skills – being the captain of the ship. As digital project managers, we need to steer the ship, making decisions about everything from which route to take – resource allocation – to who does what (task delegation). And when the sea gets rough (i.e. conflicts within the team or client), we need to step in and calm the waters.

Communication is our compass. Giving clear instructions, listening, and allowing the team to have a voice ensures that everyone is going in the same direction. And when it comes to presenting updates and reports to stakeholders, we need to use our storytelling skills to keep everyone engaged and on board.

As digital project managers, combining communication with transparency will ensure a winning combination that will keep you on the right track, avoid surprises and foster a relationship with your clients based on trust and respect.

Problem-solving skills are like lifeboats. If we spot a storm risk ahead, we need to be prepared, not panic, and sail it with confidence. Adapting to change and thinking critically can make the difference between sink or swim because as we all know change is constant and projects not always going according to plan.

And lastly but not least important, emotional intelligence is the heartbeat of the journey. Being empathetic, understanding, and addressing our team’s concerns make us not just captains but leaders.

Recognising our strengths and weaknesses through self-awareness keeps us humble, ready to learn and open to new ideas. Finally, let’s not forget to cheer! Keeping the team motivated, highlighting strengths and fostering positive team spirit will make the whole process way more enjoyable!

In a nutshell, as digital project managers, we’re chefs, captains, and navigators, all rolled into one.

We must focus on our technical leadership to ensure we make the best decisions for our clients, communication combined with transparency for a client relationship based on trust, problem-solving and adaptability to lead the team through rough seas, and emotional intelligence to ensure your team stays motivated and your client feels reassured. By doing so, we become better digital project managers as well as puzzle solvers, ready to tackle any digital project that comes our way.