What Is Digital Delivery? An Essential Guide

Digital delivery is revolutionising how tasks are managed and executed in line with organisations' digital transformation strategies. By utilising software applications and online platforms, this approach significantly enhances workflows and boosts productivity, which is crucial for businesses aiming to maintain a competitive advantage. 

As firms rely on online solutions to boost growth and efficiency, the ability to deliver projects within budget and on time with the highest quality standards becomes a competitive advantage. If you are contemplating undertaking a new task or if you have one already, we will share insights on steps to managing an online task and tips for successful digital project delivery in this article. 

Understanding Digital Delivery Meaning 

Digital project delivery involves devising, planning, designing, developing, and deploying tasks within an interactive online space accessible to all stakeholders. This method utilises a common data environment (CDE) to facilitate collaboration and manage tasks.

It involves several key components necessary for ensuring success:

• Technologies: Software applications designed to help managers and teams plan, execute, and track progress more effectively. They cover aspects such as task management, resource allocation, and reporting.
• People and Skills: A diverse set of talents is essential for effective management, including leadership, communication, time management, problem-solving, and strategic planning. These skills guide teams and help overcome challenges throughout the project lifecycle.
• Process: This typically includes initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing phases. Each phase has specific objectives and activities, providing a structured approach to delivery.
• System/Methodology: Refers to the overall framework, methodologies, and procedures used to handle tasks within an organisation. A robust management system promotes consistency, transparency, and collaboration across teams.

Effective digital delivery requires a balanced integration of these elements to ensure successful outcomes, with each component playing a critical role in achieving goals and meeting client expectations.

Benefits of Digital Delivery 

Digital delivery offers several key advantages:

• Improved collaboration: Digital tools enable real-time collaboration across geographically dispersed teams. Enhanced communication and knowledge sharing result from these capabilities, promoting effective teamwork.
• Enhanced efficiency: Software used in this process incorporates automation features that streamline repetitive tasks, thereby saving time and reducing effort. This efficiency shift allows teams to concentrate on more critical aspects of the task, accelerating project completion.
• Better resource management: With the aid of online tools, resources can be tracked and allocated with greater precision. These tools assist in managing workloads, scheduling tasks, and budgeting, providing insights that enhance resource utilisation.
• Data-driven insights: Managers can obtain valuable information and analytics, enabling them to base their decisions on solid data. Insights drawn from performance metrics and risk assessments are crucial for guiding tasks to successful outcomes.

Common Digital Delivery Methodology 

Below are common processes employed in delivering projects digitally. 

Agile Approach 

Agile project management is particularly useful in dynamic environments, such as software delivery and game development. The processes are flexible and iterative, allowing tasks to be executed and adapted as needed, unlike the pre-planned waterfall approach. Teams respond to unpredictability with incremental, iterative work processes, focusing on adaptability and continuous communication.

Scrum

Many agencies adopt the Scrum concepts – such as daily stand-ups, progress demos, and sprint retrospectives – and apply them in managing their digital delivery process, using tools to track progress and deliverables. Scrum defines roles (including the Scrum master), events, and tools to iteratively deliver valuable, shippable functionality. Work is divided into “sprints”, a 2-4 week development cycle, where the team tackles backlog items (a prioritised list of user stories or requirements managed by the product owner).

Waterfall

The waterfall model prioritises comprehensive upfront planning to ensure tasks are completed correctly on the first attempt. The team establishes all requirements before any work commences, and following sponsor approval, the project progresses in distinct, sequential phases with no overlap. Adjustments are minimal and generally require formal change requests. Although this method offers limited flexibility for adjustments once a phase is completed, it remains effective for tasks with fixed, well-documented requirements, mature technology, and short timelines. 

Kanban

Kanban is a methodology focused on enhancing efficiency and enabling frequent releases through the collaboration of self-managing teams. It achieves this by visualising workflow in real-time, imposing limits on work in progress, making processes explicit, and continuously evaluating and implementing improvements. Managers utilise a Kanban board, which can be physical (sticky notes on a whiteboard) or digital (using cards), to represent the team's workflow. Kanban is particularly suitable for work that requires a consistent output amidst changing priorities, such as production, support, or maintenance.

eXtreme Programming (XP)

eXtreme Programming (XP) focuses on values and processes that improve software quality and adaptability to changing customer needs. Its core values – simplicity, communication, feedback, respect, and courage – mirror those of Scrum. XP distinguishes itself by establishing specific rules or prescriptive processes tailored to development projects. Key among these are user stories, test-driven development, pair programming, and continuous integration. 

Tools Supporting Digital Delivery

This table provides an overview of various tools across different functional areas essential for digital delivery, highlighting how each category serves specific business needs and contributes to overall operational effectiveness.

5 Steps to Managing Digital Delivery 

Below are the five steps to managing any online tasks. When done correctly, they ensure the success of your task. 

Step 1: Initial planning

Initial planning is vital for laying the groundwork for a successful digital project. During this phase, the focus is on generating and evaluating ideas and identifying potential risks and challenges. The outcome is an all-around proposal and a foundational plan that outlines the project's requirements and expectations.

Key activities in this phase include:

• Conducting ideation sessions with clients to establish time and cost estimates.
• Holding team meetings to delineate milestones and roles.
• Creating a project initiation document.

One common challenge is the shift from account executives to managers, which underscores the need for clear baselines to ensure alignment and meet initial expectations, thereby averting issues during the execution of the task.

Step 2: Scoping

The process includes defining the user experience through wireframes, user journeys, and information architecture. Teams from UX, design, marketing, and development collaborate on this. 

Key tasks in scoping involve:

• Outlining a detailed implementation plan and agreeing on a roadmap.
• Engaging teams to design the user experience.
• Transferring requirements and design guidelines to the development team.
• Presenting a Statement of Work – including costs and initial requirements – to stakeholders for approval.

Step 3: Development

Development begins once the team receives the initial requirements and rough design specifications. During this stage, the architecture that supports both the development process and the final product is constructed. After the back end is developed, the front end is enhanced based on final design specifications. 

Collaboration with key stakeholders for revisions and feedback ensures the product meets client expectations. Tracking progress via a Kanban or Sprint board is essential to monitor and adjust the development workflow effectively.

Step 4: Testing and Deployment 

This is the final stage before the product is rolled out to end users. At this stage, thorough testing is conducted to ensure that all code and use cases meet the specified requirements. After the evaluation phase, a quality assessment is carried out to verify that the final product complies with all applicable quality standards. Once the software is approved, it is deployed and made available to the public.

Step 5: Maintenance 

Upon delivery of the product, the maintenance phase commences with a focus on improving functionality, stability, and support. This stage may involve additional development as per the requirements.

Key aspects of maintenance include:

• Improving product functionality and resolving bugs.
• Addressing stability issues to maintain operational efficiency.
• Providing ongoing product support.

Effective maintenance is essential for the long-term reliability of the product, ensuring that it consistently meets user needs and adapts to emerging requirements.

Top Tips for Successful Digital Project Delivery 

Here are five top tips to ensure your project meets its goals and delivers outstanding results:

Communicate Effectively 

Adequate communication is paramount for the success of any digital project, as it allows for input from all stakeholders, including end users and the technical team. Managing changes presents challenges from both a technical and a user standpoint, underscoring the importance of maintaining open lines of communication. 

Furthermore, ensuring that documentation is consistently updated, well-organised, and easily accessible is crucial for clarity and supports the needs of both new and experienced team members.

Know the Risks Involved 

It is essential to proactively pinpoint and address potential risks early in the project lifecycle to improve the overall success rate. By incorporating risk assessment into the initial documentation, team members can effectively anticipate and mitigate issues that may arise.

All potential risks, regardless of their magnitude, should be thoroughly documented. This includes risks such as delays in creating user accounts as well as major technological failures within the project infrastructure. Effective risk management focuses on proactively addressing issues to avoid productivity bottlenecks rather than reacting to them after they occur.

Engage End Users

To make sure the success of your online transformation project, it is essential to actively involve users in the process. Their participation is important as they are the primary beneficiaries of the new systems and processes. It is vital to comprehend their daily workflows and practical differences in task execution. 

Taking the time to understand and learn from end users, who possess a deep understanding of the processes being digitised, is key. This approach aids in tailoring a solution that genuinely meets their needs and ensures effective implementation.

Pay Attention to Design 

In complex tasks, it's highly necessary to prioritise User Experience (UX) to avoid overlooking its significance. Even highly functional applications, processes, or software can be unsuccessful if they provide a challenging user experience or are difficult to navigate, especially on specific devices.

The digital solution must reflect your team's identity through simple and cohesive User Interface (UI) elements such as organisation-specific colours, fonts, and branding. The ultimate objective is to create something user-friendly, easy to navigate, and effectively caters to the end user's requirements.

Complete Testing 

After lengthy development and delivery phases, there might be a tendency to rush through testing as the project nears completion. However, time saved during testing now will likely lead to more time spent on addressing issues later on.

It's imperative to conduct comprehensive User Acceptance Testing (UAT) within your organisation. This involves replicating real-life scenarios, such as submitting data and actively identifying any potential issues. Thorough testing enables you to pinpoint and resolve issues that could impact end users, ensuring the success of your project. 

Deazy Support Digital Delivery With Quality Software Development 

At Deazy, we provide a streamlined platform that connects companies with top-tier software engineers who will help them advance their digital delivery initiatives. 

Our BuildTeams helps solve tech hiring challenges by bringing flexibility and enhanced capabilities, helping you optimise your operational efficiency. Whether you require adaptability, increased capacity, or specialised support, we have the perfect team for you.

Case Study Example

Learn how we simplified product delivery for Orderbee.

About the Company 

Orderbee is a leading Order and Pay application in the UK, prominently featured within Access Group's suite of hospitality solutions. It's favoured by major names in the industry, including Wagamama and Fuller's pubs. Originally developed by Omnifi, a renowned agency known for driving digital innovation, Orderbee began as an in-house project aimed at transforming service delivery in hospitality.

Challenge and Solution

Despite initial success, it faced challenges in early 2021 due to a surge in demand from other clients. This led them to partner with Deazy, discovering not only cost-effective solutions but also the value of augmenting their capabilities with our skilled developers and QA (quality assurance) professionals. This collaboration started with the integration of three full-stack developers and a QA expert, accelerating the Orderbee development timeline while allowing the team to focus on broader client needs.

Result

The partnership proved transformative. Within four weeks, the new team members were fully integrated and began enhancing Orderbee's features, subsequently assisting with other client projects. This flexible model enabled Omnifi to scale their resources effectively, meeting client demands and driving business growth.

Like Orderbee, you can enhance your project management with Deazy, keep track of developments, monitor real-time progress, and gain critical insights into your project's delivery status.

Why waste time when you can scale your digital operations with high-performance software? Contact our team today.

Conclusion  

It is necessary to understand what digital delivery is, as organisations can improve operational efficiency, cut costs, and offer better customer experiences by adopting it. Key technologies and methodologies such as project management software, collaboration tools, version control systems, and testing tools, along with techniques like agile, waterfall, or Kanban approaches, are driving this process, enabling organisations to obtain high-quality digital products that support their transformation initiatives.

The role of software development is critical in this process, laying the groundwork for scalable, efficient, and user-friendly applications that meet the changing needs of customers and businesses. As innovations continue to emerge, the future looks promising as they expand the possibilities of online delivery. Embracing these changes is crucial for any company that wants to stay competitive and relevant.

Frequently Asked Questions