8 Checkpoints to Create Success for Your Digital Projects

Running successful digital projects isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. It's helpful to periodically assess your approach and explore best practices.

Here are methods to boost your digital project's success.

1. Align with Corporate Strategy and Goals

Like a football team, organizations thrive on collaboration. Deviations can cause friction and loss. Gartner has found that aligning with company strategy is a key metric for project success.

So, align your project with corporate strategy by asking: What are we trying to accomplish? Map common traits and rule out misaligned elements. For example, a B2B-focused org shouldn't use B2C cost-cutting methods.

See also: Best practices for building a design system »

2. Enable a Prime Mover

Like Aristotle's "prime mover," organizations need someone to inspire action. Steve Jobs, for example, drove Apple to success with his philosophy: "Do what you believe is great work." Find a skilled, decisive person to drive your project.

Without a prime mover, you risk red tape and slow processes. Aim for someone with great product management skills and decision-making ability.

See also: 6 ways Enonic can help your company generate revenue »

3. Gather the Right Team

Like a machine, your team needs all the right parts. Digital leaders need people who can apply new technologies to create stable business models. Assemble a team with business and tech leadership skills. Look for hidden talents within your organization.

Increase members with deep skills and broad roles to drive experimentation and communication. Map achievements to business goals and adjust the team as needed.

4. Introduce Agile Processes

Great teams need efficient guidelines. Agile methods have gained traction as old waterfall approaches prove slow. Agile values continuous improvement through collaboration.

Agile also emphasizes individuals, interactions, working products, and adapting to change. Use it to build a flexible framework like Scrum or Kanban. By introducing Agile, you can quickly respond to changes in today's digital world.

As a side note, investigate content operations, a method for treating content production like code development.

5. Enable the Right Tools and Technologies

With the right team and processes, you need tools and technologies to unlock their potential. Ensure a flexible platform that motivates your team. If your current platform is lacking, consider a new one.

Look for modern tech, flexibility, scalability, and support for agile development. Happy, effective coworkers are key. Enable tools they love and remove obstacles.

Read also: 12 ways Enonic can help you save time on daily tasks »

6. Allocate Assets to New Projects

Maintenance vs. innovation is a common challenge. Without adapting to digital transformation, you risk falling behind. Kodak and Nokia failed to adapt. Digital projects combat stagnation. Convince leaders to allocate assets to new projects.

Don't miss: 7 benefits you get from a next-gen headless CMS »

7. Be Customer Centric

Don't forget the project's purpose: solving problems and pleasing customers. Always be customer-centric. Ask: What tasks do we solve for the customer? How can we maintain close dialogue?

Aim for a smooth process. Customer-centric projects increase revenue.

Don't miss: Let Enonic drive your customer journey »

8. Acquire Early Gains

Boost morale with early project wins. A successful campaign at the start creates pride. Early gains kickstart optimism. Success stories are valuable for years to come.

The Road Goes Ever On and On …

Organizations and organisms share similarities. Like a lion hunting, organizations run projects to meet customer needs, research products, market, and maintain relationships.

Even after a project succeeds, continue developing your organization. Creating lasting success is a never-ending endeavor.

First published 1 April 2019, updated 4 June 2025.