In this article
This series of five articles has been produced to support people working in the creative and cultural sectors to deliver digital projects effectively. The articles are accompanied by a practical workbook to support the process.
The implementation phase is where your digital project starts to take shape. This is when plans, designs and decisions move into delivery, and where collaboration, communication and careful management become essential. Strong implementation creates a solid foundation you can build on over time, helping you get the best long-term value from the work.
Below is a practical checklist to help you manage this phase effectively.
Successful implementation depends on clear roles and strong collaboration. Assign responsibilities early, ensure the project sits across relevant teams, and create space for colleagues to feel ownership. Sponsorship from someone in your senior team is crucial for helping to unblock issues that are likely to arise.
Having a dedicated project manager can be transformational. They keep work moving, coordinate between teams, champion timelines and help ensure the project doesn’t become an unmanageable extra burden for staff. Depending on scale and budget this could be an element of an existing staff members role, or a dedicated position.
Break your project into manageable tasks and agree achievable timeframes for each stage. Many tasks will depend on one another, so build in contingency time and be ready to adapt when things shift as they often do in digital projects.
Think about internal milestones too. Are there exhibitions, building projects or seasonal peaks that could affect delivery? Linking a digital launch to a major organisational moment can be powerful, but it can also stretch internal capacity. Weigh the benefits against the risks and make sure everyone understands the implications.
Delays from suppliers or internal teams are normal. Keep deadlines firm but realistic and plan extra time rather than extra budget wherever possible. Work closely with your suppliers to understand their own pressures and key deadlines.
Action: Create a timeline using an online Gantt chart template in Excel or Google Sheets or in a project management tool if you have one.
A risk register helps you identify potential challenges early and monitor them throughout the project. It should be a simple, regularly updated document that evolves as the project progresses.
Use your working group or “champions group” to identify possible risks from design delays to budget pressures and assign clear owners for each one. This ensures someone is accountable for monitoring each risk and taking action when needed.
Action: Use the Risk Register template in the Digital Projects Workbook to record your risks.
External communications
As you move closer to launch, plan how you will communicate your project to audiences, partners and stakeholders. Consider:
This ensures your digital project fits seamlessly into your wider communications strategy.
This is a good point to revisit the user stories and stakeholder mapping you did in the scoping phase.
Internal communications
Internal transparency is equally important. Keep colleagues informed about progress, particularly those whose work connects directly to the project.
Using a model like RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) or RAPID (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide) can help clarify who needs to know what and prevent teams feeling overwhelmed or left out of the loop.
Action: Read this article from Ash Mann for more information about RACI and RAPID.
Regular communication keeps everyone aligned, but too many meetings can drain momentum. Aim for:
Set clear agendas and outcomes for every meeting. For example: daily users of a new digital asset management system need regular input; senior leadership may only need monthly updates or key milestone reviews.
Your procurement phase should have identified partners you can trust. Now, clarify roles, responsibilities and communication expectations so you can collaborate smoothly.
Good relationships matter: open dialogue, quickly clarifying issues and mutual respect will help you navigate challenges as they arise.
As your project gets closer to launching don’t forget to build in time for user testing to make sure things are working as expected and have been tested for bugs. And ensure that everyone who will be using the new systems gets basic training before they go live. If you’re working with an external vendor talk to them about how they can support this process.
Consider who needs to know what about your new system as and when it launches. For example, do customers need to know that the way they buy tickets is changing? Do you have some excellent new digital content for audiences to discover on your website?
Internal communications are key too. Depending on the size of your organisation you might consider different types of communication for the wider organisation vs the teams who will be using the new systems.
Whatever the project is, it is a great achievement for the organisation. Make sure it is celebrated.
Launch day is not the end of the journey, it’s the beginning of how you use and develop the technology.
Allocate time and budget for:
Continue to measure success against your original objectives. For example, if you launched a new website aimed at teachers, track:
Using data to guide improvements helps keep the project relevant and valuable over time.
1. Planning issues
Even with strong preparation, things can go wrong. A robust plan, built collaboratively, gives you a shared foundation for solving problems. Planning also prevents you from carrying old issues into new systems, for example, mapping your data properly before migrating it to a new CRM.
2. Unrealistic resource allocation
Digital projects require time and focus. Consider a dedicated project manager or plan implementation for a quieter period in your calendar.
3. Scope changes
It’s normal for ideas to evolve but uncontrolled scope changes can derail a project. Revisit your goals, target audience and agreed scope regularly to ensure you stay aligned.
4. Lack of user testing
User stories are useful, but they must be tested with real people. Bring users in early and often, and adapt your approach based on their feedback.
5. Change management challenges
Technology alone won’t transform your organisation. Staff need support, training and reassurance to adopt new systems. Explain the benefits clearly, run hands-on training sessions and keep senior leaders engaged so the change is supported from the top.
The principles in this article still apply if you’re a freelancer, artist, collective or small organisation. You may not need formal governance structures, project teams or extensive documentation, but taking time to plan, challenge assumptions and focus on user needs can help you make better decisions, reduce risk and achieve stronger outcomes from your digital project.
If you’re working independently or in a small organisation, implementation is often less about coordinating teams and more about creating enough structure to keep the project moving. Break the work into manageable stages, schedule dedicated time for delivery and review progress regularly against your original objectives. Consider asking a trusted peer, collaborator or mentor to provide accountability and feedback, and test the project with a small group of users before launch to identify issues and opportunities for improvement.
Even simple planning, timelines and user testing can significantly improve delivery.
Strong implementation combines planning, good communication and flexibility. By bringing the right people together, keeping users at the heart of the process and building in time for improvement, you’ll set your project up to make a long-lasting impact.
Start by reading the other articles in our Digital Projects series. For deeper conversations or to explore additional resources, speak to one of our digital specialists in person so that we can assess your specific needs and provide practical and tailored support to help you scope out a digital project that works for your organisation.
Book a free one-to-one session with a Tech Champion to support you in developing your digital project.
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