Building a new website, revamping an existing one or creating an app, requires careful planning. When you plan well, you’ll save time and money. Establish a realistic schedule, then follow it through by including all the specific details and tasks in your plan.

• Keep it simple

The digital team may have a multitude of great ideas about content, features, and functionality that should be included on the site. But the truth is that the site will be far more effective if you select a single focus and achieve it well. Keeping your energies focused on a single goal can help you to achieve short and long-term goals at the same time.

• Too many decision makers

Too many decision makers can spoil a website project, they can cause that project goes over budget, miss important deadlines and frustrate project staff.

• Plan ahead

Do your best to forecast your requirements for additional help, skills, or technologies that you might need in the future.

• Knowledge is power

Learn about and understand the common types of features. Read case studies about how businesses implement digital strategies, best practices and standards. Visit other websites and compile a list of competitors websites to visit regularly.

• Project Management skills

Break down your project into its major phases (these might include: initial planning; content planning; design and development planning; deployment and after launch); within each major phase create smaller and more manageable milestones and create a schedule.

• Team Management skills

Communicate clearly; follow-up meetings and discussions in writing, to keep everyone informed, and minimise misunderstandings; make sure a master plan and schedule is accessible to the team and above all be supportive, positive, diplomatic, sensitive and flexible. To establish positive bonds within the team, create opportunities for team members to work and play together.