The new media ecosystem
The new media ecosystem has become an important and necessary aspect of today's culture. It is so common that most people don't even know it's there. Digital technology pervades all aspects of our everyday lives, as do the electronic devices that have become indispensable in our lives, such as cell phones, laptops, and smart televisions. According to Liu (2016), the growth of digital media heralds the emergence of a whole new industry. The emergence of a whole new market creates entirely new markets, employment, and avenues for the creation of new and improved products. Digital media encompasses a myriad of industries, as long as their digitized content can be transferred through the World Wide Web, computer networks, and electronic devices. Some of the industries that have a stake in digital media are E-learning, Graphic Design, Social Media, App Development, Advertising, Film, Television, Project Management, and many more. Digital Media is not merely technology-driven. It is in fact a mixture of excellent content and technology, working together to deliver a relevant and engaging final product.
Teamwork and possibilities
From the discussion on what digital media is all about and all the things that it encompasses, we can now glean two important things. First, digital media needs a team of people who have various skills all working together. These skills include technical skills, artistic skills, analytical skills, and production coordination skills. A successful digital media campaign needs engaging storytelling, user experience, art, interaction, software development, and a project manager to bring them all together. The second thing is that we see that digital Media is such a wide and diverse space, a new frontier we might say, that is full of possibilities. It is possible for a project to go in different directions. While possibilities are a good thing, projects also operate under other practical considerations like budget, manpower, and many others. This is where a good project manager is needed, a person who can give directions and reign in certain aspects of the project.
Key Roles of Digital Project Management
We have now identified two important things about the digital media industry. One common thread between these two things is the acknowledgement that good digital project managers are essential to run a successful digital media project.
The digital media industry is constantly moving and changing at a fast pace, so project management as a skill set is also constantly evolving. According to Edgerton (2013), project management will delve into broader skills sets that the ability to create GANNT charts, track budgets, and manage scope. Project management entails directing a digital media project from inception to going live, and even beyond. A specific description of digital project management is not easy to do because depending on the industry and the digital end-product that will be produced, the role of a digital project manager varies.
However, there are some common roles of digital project management. As mentioned earlier, the first role of digital project management entails monitoring budgets and schedules, identifying and managing the breadth of the project, designing project plans, and managing a team of developers until the project completion. Before a team could be managed, however, a digital project manager should be able to bring teams together to work towards a common goal. According to Aston (2015), project managers are digital solutions architects. They should be able to understand the rationale of the project, the types of technology that will be used, and the budget and timeline. Project management also entails account management. The project managers serve as the direct contact of the client. This is a crucial role because good communication skills and strategies are required to handle clients and be able to communicate issues that crop up. Good communication skills are also crucial in order to communicate with clients who aren’t actually sure what they need themselves. Another role of project management is being a digital strategist, especially coming from a marketing perspective. The business and technical aspect of a digital media project should work hand in hand. Most of the time, the technical aspect is well taken care of. However, project management also entails looking at the marketing side – such as user experience, design, content, SEO, and social media. Lastly, all digital media projects have quality specialists who test the finished product again and again. However, a project manager is always held accountable for the final deliverable of the product that will be presented to the client.
The Future of Digital Project Management
Digital project management serves as the central hub, the control station, or the eye of the storm of any digital media project. There are a myriad of skills that digital project managers need, such as information architecture, analytics and reporting, content writing, SEO, presentation skills, marketing skills and technology language, organization, and eye for detail, and many more. Most importantly, digital project management acknowledges that people are a key resource in digital media production.
Moving forward into the future of digital project management, teams should focus more on key strategies rather than projects, they should leverage more on employees' strengths and veer away from hierarchies to create a more horizontal team, and more emphasis on soft skills rather than technical skills. Digital project managers should continue to strengthen verbal and written communication skills to be able to interact with all types of people resolve conflict, and deal with confidentiality, and diplomacy.
Bibliography
Aston, B. (2015). Digital project manager job description. The Digital Project Manager.
March 17, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.thedigitalprojectmanager.com/digital-project-manager-job-description/
Edgerton. A. (2013). The successful digital PM, part 1: What is a digital project
maangers role? Metal Toad. May 6, 2013. Retrieved from
https://www.metaltoad.com/blog/successful-digital-pm-part-1-what-digital-
project-managers-role
Liu, L. (2016). An introduction to the digital media industry. Inkspire. May 13, 2016.
Retrieved from https://inkspire.org/post/an-introduction-to-the-digital-
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