Build the right team

To make an effective digital product or service you need the right mix of people, skills, knowledge and experience. You need to combine: technical skills, subject expertise, user insight and design. The team needs to be supported by a product manager who can coordinate and support them.

The shape of team will change depending on the nature of the work. One option is for the charity to employ in-house software developers and designers, this is big commitment but is often a good option if the charity intends to continue to develop a digital product or service over time. A second option is to partner with an external digital agency who bring this capacity – this is helpful where there isn’t the skill or expertise internally. In either case it’s important that the charity dedicate a product manager to manage the product. While the team are central, if you work in a big organisation, you might also need a senior sponsor to support your work at the management level.