Dear Alison,
At the Collections Trust, we use an in-house project management methodology called 'COMPOSE' that is derived from PRINCE2 but scaled for digital projects. We have now used it to deliver some £3m of digital programmes, and it has been very useful in asserting the discipline of project planning, scope and particularly change management to avoid things veering off track!
I'd echo the comments elsewhere about ensuring that all of the stakeholders in the project speak a common project management language. Before we implemented COMPOSE, we ran into issues of people having a different concept of the scope of a project, or different understandings of risk management. With a common framework, and particularly with a few projects under your belt, you can achieve real efficiencies over the lifetime of a project.
We also have a variant called 'COMPOSE Lite' that we use for smaller/lower risk deliverables.
A critical distinction, as others have said, is the choice between agile vs. waterfall. The problem in my experience is that agile works for developers, but puts a significant load on the client to be on their toes and understand when and how to affect the direction of the project. Waterfall on the other hand works for you as a client because it minimises risk through clear signoff stages, but inhibits creativity and forces developers to fit a fairly fluid design & build process into relatively artificial staged products.
In practice, we end up running projects that are waterfall in terms of overall scheduling, but which allow for agile development in parallel. It's not a perfect solution, but it does combine risk management with creativity!
Finally, we really had to learn to close a project properly, and to ensure that we integrate long-term sustainability planning into the core planning of our organisation. In practice, this has meant identifying outputs and deliverables that have potential to be integrated into our core business and then ensuring that we have planned for the capacity to integrate them after the end of the project. I would be lying if I said that we regularly evaluate and learn at the end of every project, but we do at least have the aspiration to do so!
COMPOSE is open and available for anyone to use. The documentation is too large to email, but if anyone is interested in receiving the manual, templates etc, please do contact me offlist.
Yours sincerely,
Nick
Nick Poole
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bromley, Alex
Sent: 20 February 2013 09:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: MCG Digest - 15 Feb 2013 to 18 Feb 2013 (#2013-34)
Hi Alison
I've used Prince 2 on a large scale digitisation project at Museum of London and found it invaluable.
It specifies the presence and structure of important documents: Quality Management Strategy, Communication Strategy etc, as well as forcing you to be clear about roles and responsibilities. It also includes important processes like project closedown - vital where you need to document issues and lessons for future projects to learn from.
Happy to provide more information if required.
Cheers
Alex
Alex Bromley
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Museum of London
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alison Bean
Sent: 19 February 2013 11:46
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: MCG Digest - 15 Feb 2013 to 18 Feb 2013 (#2013-34)
Hi Zak
Thanks for the tips and suggestions, will definitely follow those up.
Also thanks to those who've contacted me privately with their advice.
Alison Bean
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of MCG automatic digest system
Sent: 19 February 2013 00:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: MCG Digest - 15 Feb 2013 to 18 Feb 2013 (#2013-34)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:23:59 +0000
From: zakmensah <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Digital Project Management
Hi
I work on various scale digital projects and and regardless of what size the project having good "communication" is more helpful than prince2 (which I have and hasn't been required for most of them - tends to be used by folks to cover backs rather than be used for helpful reasons).
Agile approaches can be helpful for specific sprints of activity but I wouldn't say there is one way.
For more web focused projects you could start with http://www.fivesimplesteps.com/products/a-practical-guide-to-managing-web-projectsand
Mike Ellis
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Managing-Growing-Cultural-Heritage-Presence/dp/1856047105
are both good starting points as is the GDS blog on how they work at http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
Basecamp http://basecamp.com/ is great for to-dos, storing project files and milestones for teams and clients.
One of the biggest problems I encounter is when a project isn't clear....
there isn't a super clear goal (a website is not a goal on its own - what is it doing?!) and everything unravels from the lack of this.
Good luck!
On 18 February 2013 18:00, Alison Bean <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> Does anyone have any thoughts on the best way(s) to manage a large
> digital project? I will be projecting managing several over the next
> couple of years, and will need to manage external developers and
> partners, colleagues from different departments, and stakeholders such as audiences and funders.
> Does anyone have experience of managing this kind of project? Did you
> use a particular project management methodology (i.e. PRINCE2, Agile)?
> Did you brief external and internal people in a way which proved to be
> successful (or unsuccessful)? Any tips on this welcome.
> Alison Bean
> Web Officer
>
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