Starting a big digital project can sometimes feel a lot like cooking a five-course meal when you can just about manage beans on toast. It’s pretty exciting, but there’s a very real chance that things could get overwhelming.
Whether you’re overhauling your website, launching an app, or re-engineering a large-scale web application, the details and decisions pile up fast. From scope creep to misaligned goals, mid-project changes are inevitable - and can be costly and threaten to derail the whole project.
To continue the food analogy (yes, it’s possible I’m hungry), are you looking at all the ingredients and struggling to work out how to combine them all to produce something Masterchef-worthy?
To avoid them, you try to scope out the project as best you can in advance of inviting proposals, but it’s simply impossible to know at this early stage how the project will pan out. What will user research throw up? What if you can’t integrate this system with that one? What if the CEO doesn’t like the design? What’s a must-have and what’s a nice-to-have?
So, how do you turn unknowns into knowns and de-risk your project?
Break it down to remove the risk
If you’ve ever had building work done on your home and engaged the services of an architect, you might be familiar with the phased approach to managing risk in a large project.
The first phase might start with measuring and producing initial drawings of your home. It’s a distinct phase of the project with its own cost, and at the end of it, if you don’t like the direction it’s taking you can adjust and refine, or even take your business elsewhere for the next phase! Another architect can even use those drawings, so you don’t have to start again.
We call it the Launch accelerator
It’s a mini-project, focused on defining the true scope of the project based on much more information than you were able to provide in your initial brief. Instead of having to wear all the hats, you work with our team of experts - business strategists, UX experts, content writers, graphic designers, programmers, project managers and user researchers - who will plan out the project so you can confidently move into Phase 2.
The earlier you get answers, the smoother the project
Imagine if you knew at the start of your project the answers to all those questions you simply don’t have the expertise or the time to delve into. It would mean you could be more confident that the project will accomplish your objectives, on time and to budget. You would be able to present accurate costings and timescales to colleagues, and get feedback from other teams early on - before it can cause problems.
- Initial design concepts to help shape the vision for the next phase
- An evidence-based plan for user journeys and content strategy
- Strategic and tactical SEO recommendations to help your marketers
- Technical direction and which technologies best suit your goals
- A prioritised list of requirements/features, agreed by stakeholders
- Well-defined timelines and clear budget recommendations
- An enhanced project management and communication plan
Our clients love the Launch accelerator as much as we do
“Versantus have been instrumental in shaping the Skoll Centre’s vision for a new website and have assisted us in developing a comprehensive roadmap to get there.”
- Sophie Crowe, Marketing & Communications Manager, Skoll Centre for Entrepreneurship, Saïd Business School
Roadmap your digital success with the Launch accelerator
Launch Accelerator is a collaborative service where we work with you and your stakeholders to assess the viability of your ideas and create a comprehensive digital roadmap strategy for your project. This will help you ensure the idea becomes a successful reality.
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