This is how to successfully approach a digital project

What is a digital project?

To set up a digital project, you first need to know what we mean by a digital project. The answer is actually quite simple. As soon as the 'end product' of your project contains an element that is digital, it is already a digital project. This ranges from basic digital facilities, such as a website or CRM system, to innovative applications like a digital exhibition or app.

In this 'longread,' we cover all the steps for a digital project within the basic services. By this, we mean the recurring, structural services that are part of the core of your organization, such as implementing existing internal systems or updating existing digital tools.

This means that a digital project can include a new software system, online document management, a collaborative environment, a new (corporate) website, or an administrative system (scheduling system, accounting system, etc.).

For a digital project as part of your basic services, you can clearly define in advance the outcome you aim for and the impact the project will have on the organization.

Setting up a digital project for your basic services

To properly approach a digital project, you must go through three standard phases: preparation, execution, and follow-up.

The preparation phase includes clearly articulating the 'why' and setting up a project canvas. You can see this as a compact visual representation of a project, where you quickly and clearly structure key elements. This is useful for brainstorming, discussing, and planning your digital project. A project canvas can help you think through the questions you need to answer before starting your digital project.

1. Preparation

Jump directly to Execution and Live

a. The project canvas as an instrument for a digital project

Such a project canvas is a tool and a precursor to the briefing you eventually communicate to a technical partner. It's a kind of preliminary research. In a project canvas, you answer questions like: why do you want this digital project, what problems will you solve with the digital project, and for whom is the digital project intended? With DEN's project canvas template and step-by-step plan, you can systematically map out these questions and their answers. This gives you a clear starting point for a digital project.

b. How can user stories help me further?

In a project canvas, you often work with user stories. A user story is literally a user's story. It is a short description of a user's need in the form of a brief narrative. User stories help you identify in advance what exactly you are solving for whom and why with your digital project. Use our template for user stories within a digital project.

c. How do I determine what is important in my digital project?

The MoSCoW Method

While creating your project canvas and working with user stories, you will need to prioritize: what is important and what is not? To prioritize well within a digital project, you need to list: which elements are nice to have but not essential? What is desirable but currently at the bottom of the priority list? And what are we consciously leaving out for now?

There is a simple method to distinguish all these things: the MoSCoW method. With this, you distinguish Must have (mandatory), Should have (really should), Could have (nice but not necessarily now), and Won’t have (we'll leave it for now). Here's the difference between these four.

Must have

The Must-have list contains the elements that are crucial to starting the project. For example, hardware or privacy-preserving software.

Should have

The wish list includes items you want to deliver in the (medium) long term. These items are not yet necessary for the first phase of the project (in the short term). For example, using a Large Language Model trained only with proprietary data.

Could have

A Could-have list essentially says: this is nice to have, but perhaps for later. For example, a new CRM system that can 'communicate' with the CMS.

Won’t have

That's clear: not needed (for now). By distinguishing these four, you have a clear view of priorities and know what must and what may. This list also helps in a concrete conversation later with your future technical partner.

d. Change management: how do you involve users in a digital project?

One way to make change easier and more successful is the Prosci method*, a well-known change management method. We guide you step by step through the Prosci method for change management.

Implementing a new system requires quite a bit of effort. You can create it, but it also needs to be used. How do you ensure that? And how do you reduce or prevent resistance in a digital project? Change management can help. Change management is the point where you actively involve everyone affected by the digital process. We guide you step by step through the Prosci method for change management so your digital project is well-received by all your users.

*Prosci is a globally leading methodology for change management, focused on the human side of change. It uses the well-known ADKAR model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) to guide individuals and organizations through transformations. 

e. How do you write a good briefing?

For virtually all digital projects, you need an external party. A project canvas is usually too concise for a discussion – it is more of a strategic summary. Therefore, it is important to prepare a clear briefing before you start looking for a tech partner. In it, you specify your expectations, estimate the budget, mention a rough deadline, and indicate who should be involved internally.

f. How do I choose the right technical partner for my digital project?

Which technical agency would fit your digital project? Ask yourself the following questions during orientation: is this company familiar with your sector, and have they developed a similar product before? Does their way of working fit your organization? Is their project setup approach also suitable for you? Does a large or small agency suit you better?

You can of course work with an agency you already know, but meeting new contenders or organizing a pitch is also an option.

You've chosen your tech partner, now what?

You have your agency. Now what? Often, you first decide whether to go for an existing or new solution. The first step is deciding whether to choose an existing solution (possibly with adjustments) or a new product; usually, you'll find that the working method is determined by the agency you collaborate with.

They have experience building the product and can determine whether it works well in the context in which you want to use it. Together with your tech partner, you ultimately decide on the final working methods, budget, planning, and project team.

• The phases of an existing solution

If you choose an existing solution available in the market, you can often first agree on a pilot with your technical supplier. This is a kind of trial period. You don't have to immediately purchase the solution or acquire a long-term license, but you use the software for, say, three months to try it out. After that, you can often tweak and customize it to achieve the optimal result.

• The phases of a new digital product

Are you building a new digital product? Then you almost always go through four phases: exploration, development, testing, and implementation. But wait, there's a fifth! Adjusting and updating. This is sometimes forgotten but is an integral part of your digital product.

For each phase, it is important to plan measurement points and decision moments. You can document this in a work plan or roadmap. 

2. Execution

Jump directly to phase: live

You've chosen the right technical partner, sharpened the briefing, and completed the preparation — time to really get started. In the execution phase, everything comes together: plans become tangible steps, ideas are built, and your collaboration takes shape. Together with your tech partner, you define not only what is being built but also how you will work, with which team, within what budget, and in what timeframe. In the upcoming sections, we guide you step by step through this process, so you make clear choices and maintain control over what happens along the way.

a. What are the phases of executing a digital project?

b. Determine your working method

As you progress with your digital project, you need to determine how you want to work. There are various project methodologies for your digital project. You can work with the waterfall method, agile/scrum, or a hybrid approach.

What are the different project methodologies (and what is scrum)?

What if my external supplier wants agile/scrum, but my organization is used to traditional planning?

Discuss with your supplier the possibilities and limitations for your organization. Get informed about the expectations the supplier has of you in an agile/scrum process. Experience shows that a mixed approach often works very well, so Waterfall within your organization and scrum at the design company can work fine as long as the process is discussed beforehand and expectations are clear on both sides. Make sure to document this to avoid misunderstandings.

c. How do I determine the budget for my digital project?

The next step is determining the final budget. How much does a digital project cost? Often, it helps to approach a digital project by reversing the question to ensure it doesn't become endlessly large and complex. The question then becomes: how big is this digital project for your organization, how much budget éand time from the team can you allocate for it? With this question in hand, it becomes much easier to arrive at a budget because it makes the question more concrete and starts from the available resources.

Step-by-step plan to determine your budget

d. Planning

What does a planning look like? In a digital project, there are three components of planning that influence each other:

1. Time (the amount of time available/can be allocated)
2. Scope (what you create)
3. Resources (technology, people)

This is called the scope triangle.

If you change one of the three, it almost always impacts the other two. In an ideal world, time, scope, and resources are always in balance. In practice, one or two of these often take precedence. So keep in mind that there are one or two of these key factors in your project that influence your planning.

e. Assemble your project team

How do you assemble a project team for your digital project? In digital projects, there is almost always a project team that operates both inside and outside the organization. We explain how to determine who you need inside and outside the organization. In any case, the roles of product owner, UX/UI designer, developer, content specialist, and tester must always be represented.

What roles are there within a digital project?

3. Live

Your digital project has been built, tested, and users can start working with it. What’s the first thing you do after launching your digital project? Celebrate successes! Take a moment to recognize what has been achieved and what positive changes are coming.

There is now a beautiful new system that will help you further in the process of digital transformation. It is important not to see the end of the execution period as the final destination. Therefore, there are a few steps you can (and should) take.

Properly organize your organization to manage and optimize systems. Technical management, an innovation working group, and knowledge building are important.

a. Set up a support system for users

Once your digital project is live, it's important that colleagues know where to go with questions. Not only for technical support but also about the new way of working. Provide a clear contact point or team that answers such questions. Think of: internal colleagues for answering functional questions and an external helpdesk for technical questions. The most important thing is that people know whom to approach with which question. IT systems can support this but are merely a tool; the core is a clear organizational structure for support.

TIP: post a list of FAQs (frequently asked questions) online, providing answers to common questions éand clearly indicating whom to contact with which question if they get stuck.

b. Collect user feedback after going live

There are various ways to collect user feedback. Look primarily at what suits your organization and consider the size of the group you want feedback from.

A small group?

The smaller the group, the better it is to do this orally in a meeting. Prepare your questions in advance. To ensure everyone gets their turn, you can use a tool like Mentimeter (www.mentimeter.com).

A large group?

Is the group large? You can then use an online survey and/or deploy key users or ambassadors: these are delegated colleagues who gather feedback from others.

c. Further development, management, and optimization 

A digital project is never truly finished. Not only must you technically maintain a project (comparison: your phone also regularly needs updates), but you also need to leave room for further development. Needs and possibilities will change over time.

What three aspects should you monitor for management and optimization?

d. A digital project as part of digital transformation and digital strategy

Your digital project is now live — great job! But of course, this is not the end of your cultural organization’s digital journey. Digital projects contribute to a larger, ongoing process: digital transformation. Digital transformation is a change process in which you continually make choices, learn, and adjust.

Digital transformation means having a vision in which digital projects fit into a broader digital strategy. A good digital strategy has concrete goals that contribute to changes valuable to both the audience and the organization. With a good digital strategy, your cultural organization becomes resilient and future-proof in an ever-changing digital landscape.
 

e. How do I measure the impact of my digital project?

It’s logical to wonder about the impact of digital activities; how they contribute to societal, educational, or artistic goals. This too is part of your digital strategy. You define the impact goals for your project or organization in advance.

Then, you determine which (digital) activities contribute to those goals. You measure this impact by testing your assumptions after implementing the new systems. Collect data about your audience, both qualitative and quantitative. For example, age categories and people’s feedback about their experience. This way, you gain insight into what truly works in practice. Based on these insights, you can substantiate strategic choices, make adjustments, and allocate resources more effectively in the future.