If you are creating a new newsletter you can leverage existing copy and images and tweak or optimize them both to save money and time. Take a look at all assets to see if they are consistent in the message you want to send. Over time and multiple projects your message can veer in unintended directions. Take every opportunity to tune your newsletters and web pages going over all of them with an eye for consistency in messaging and follow through.

Even if you do not have a Content Management System, you can get more organized by ensuring anyone who touches image or written assets works from the same folder and labels altered versions accordingly. This process fits nicely with Project Management since you can treat this as a project that feeds into larger programs and avoid treating every new digital project as a one-off. The constant through most of these projects is your brand and Unique Selling Proposition, so for your brand’s sake, take some time to organize, review, and leverage existing assets.

I strongly support the idea of formally ‘projectizing’ and then going to operational roles (where you might need a full time employee). For example, you may need to implement a new Content Management System (CMS) and then start creating and placing more content in the website. You might consider hiring a person full-time to manage this and expect them to then oversee new content additions after it’s completioin. After a bit of time you might find this person is less motivated and you aren’t getting the results you need. The reason is that they may be more technically oriented and don’t really concern themselves with you branding and marketing needs.

A second option would be to hire a project manager to oversee the implementation, furthermore they can lay out schedules and training for the new system that integrates other departments and existing staff. A website is a tool for marketing among other things and when your website is running you won’t need the technical roles as much. Integrating branding, marketing, and communications goals during implementation allows you to fully leverage your new website at completion.

If you have a discrete budget for a project consider using a project manager. The end result is that you might be able to leverage existing staff skills or hire more specific job roles such as copywriters and save some stress and money.

A little background. The project management institute provides certification for prospective project managers. It requires proof of roughly 3 years project experience, plus coursework, plus a difficult test for certification. That’s me.

So how is project management different from ‘accidental project or simply job assignments? A project has an end. After formally closing the project the resulting product, process, system etc. moves into operational mode. You quite literally stand above the whole project and formally say ‘this is a project’ and by doing so commit yourself to further steps laid out by PMP certification: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing.

Creating a charter, a Work Breakdown Structure, risk management plans, scheduling, communications plan, identifying Human Resources and stakeholders are all part of a more formal framework.

Why do this? Well, with complex multifaceted projects for web development or digital projects of all sorts you need a plan. The extra work at the outset increases the chance of success and can be carried over to other projects from lessons learned. If every new assignment and project is dealt as a one-off you reduce chances of success. Approaching project management with a birds-eye approach will increase chances of success and reduce stress as it unfolds.