How is a plan structured?
In a digital project, there are three planning components that influence each other:
- Time (the amount of time available/you can allocate)
- Scope (what you are creating)
- Resources (technology, people)
This is known as the scope triangle.
If you change one of the three, it almost always affects the other two. In an ideal world, time, scope, and resources are always in balance. In practice, one or two often take precedence. So, keep in mind that there may be one or two such focal points in your project that influence your planning.
What else affects your planning?
If you're developing a product with a supplier, the development itself may not always be complicated, but certain aspects, such as testing components by colleagues within your organization, can take a lot of time. Discuss this in advance with the technical partner you are working with; how much time will that take (and how much room do your colleagues have for it)?
Create a realistic plan and build on it in consultation with internal and external team members. Creating a detailed plan early on gives you the levers you can adjust. More time? Then X, Y, Z are possible. Less time? Then maybe only X and Y are feasible.
Don't forget the internal planning!
Creating a briefing also means thinking about the internal planning. A digital project not only requires time from the contractor but also from your team. Therefore, try to schedule the project internally first. Who will lead the project? Which colleagues need to provide feedback? And are there crucial team members who will be on vacation?
Scope creep: How do I create a realistic plan if the scope/requirements can still change?
Projects often suffer from scope creep: the fact that requirements or needs can change during the project, leading to increased work. This can affect the planning (and budget).
Determine in advance which points cannot change. These requirements form the basis of a realistic plan (you remember: your MVP, minimal viable product). Should-haves and could-haves can still change, but they should not jeopardize the deadline.
How do I leave room for adjustments without losing sight of the deadline?
At the start of your project, distinguish between requirements (without these elements, the project cannot proceed), wishes (long-term goals, but not feasible in the project's first phase), and nice-to-haves (nice to have, but not essential).
During the product development, keep track of the minimum requirements for delivery: your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Continuously check during the project whether a decision leads to your MVP.
Project planning to get started with
An important point of attention is to consider both the technical and human aspects of the project. The digital project will likely bring changes to users. Make sure to give enough attention to this and involve users well in the project. We delve deeper into this in the chapter: Involving users in change management.
Don't know where to start with creating a project plan? Here, we share not only a blank project plan that you can fill in yourself but also a completed example PDF of a project plan with the different project phases.
This is how to approach a digital project effectively
Want to know more about setting up a digital project and everything it entails? You can read about it in this comprehensive article.
Start now with a digital project plan!
A digital project plan provides insight and control over all phases of your project. It helps keep time, resources, and project scope in balance and clarifies where you can make adjustments if things change. We share two plans with you.
- One example is a plan that has already been filled in with a fictitious project. This way, you can see what a plan could look like.
- Additionally, an interactive PDF that you can fill in with your own digital project.
More articles per topic
