Renowned industry leader, Allison Amos, CEO of Honestly, is redefining success in the world of digital projects. She challenges businesses to consider not just the final product but the process, starting from defining success to the continuous evolution of the project.
“In the digital era, every company is investing heavily in software or web projects. But it’s not just about building, buying, or optimizing; it’s about ensuring these investments yield results and drive the organization’s momentum forward,” says Amos.
Success, according to Amos, can manifest in various forms, such as meeting key performance indicators, quick adoption by target audiences, launching on time and within budget, and producing a roadmap for future enhancements. “A successful project should not only address the immediate need but should also lay the foundation for future use cases and improvements,” she explains.
Amos emphasizes the importance of focusing on business needs rather than getting swayed by trends or sales pitches. She uses Salesforce as an example, stating that while it is the market leader in CRM, it might not necessarily be the right fit for all businesses due to its high implementation costs and extensive features. She advises, “Start by identifying the problem or priority that your team needs to solve. This is the first step towards finding or creating a solution that is more suited to your business.”
In the journey to successful project outcomes, Amos suggests starting with the end in mind. She emphasizes, “The project, tool, or platform is just your avenue to achieve the desired state. The focus should always be on the end state you are trying to achieve.”
Amos also shares insights about the discovery phase, which she believes should precede full requirements. “Discovery is about gaining information from end users, asking the right questions, and correctly summarizing the findings. Focusing on the wrong audience during discovery can lead to top-down projects that fail to meet the actual needs of the end users.”
She asserts that solid requirements and scoping, guided by discovery, lead to a clearer project scope, reducing risk for all stakeholders. She encourages comprehensive inclusion of goals, KPIs, user details, system integrations, design and development requirements, and technical details, among others.
Amos also emphasizes the importance of involving users and stakeholders throughout the process. “This approach not only facilitates better adoption but also secures buy-in throughout the process and enhances ownership over the implementation,” she says.
On the topic of ownership, Amos strongly advocates for businesses to have administrative rights over mission-critical tools. “With the ownership mentality, necessary training should follow. A project will never achieve sustainable success if the owners are not well-trained in its functionalities and usage.”
Amos underscores the importance of a support and maintenance plan for long-term success. “Launch is just the beginning,” she says, suggesting that maintenance and updates should be included in the project plan from the start.
The CEO of Honestly also highlights the role of a roadmap in a successful digital project. “A roadmap helps to capture and prioritize ideas for future updates and improvements, ensuring your organization maintains momentum in its digital journey.”
Amos concludes, “The secret to successful projects isn’t just in the code or design, but in the intention and purpose throughout the process. When executed well, these projects can be a catalyst inside any business, impacting budget distribution, revenue, and profit in the long run.”
Allison Amos and Honestly. are transforming digital project management, proving that the journey can be just as significant as the destination.
For more information request a meeting to see if they are able to help your company grow.
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