Project managers face the unique challenge of bringing multiple aspects of a job together, from personnel to assets. Digital project management requires the same skills but over many more streams of data and work. As a digital project manager, you might have to handle DevOps teams, data integration, and a wealth of online marketing information. Digital transformation means the opportunities for digital project managers are increasing — if you have the right skills and qualifications.
OPIT’s BSc and MSc courses provide the right foundation for building your digital project management career. Let’s take a look at what you can expect from this career choice and the best pathways to success.
The Role of a Digital Project Manager
What does a digital project manager do? Their roles and responsibilities vary depending on the industry they’re in. For example, a project manager in a game development company will have different workflows to manage than their counterpart in manufacturing. However, many duties remain common.
Digital project managers ensure every member of the team is delegated the right task and knows exactly what to do. Typically, they’ll use project management software, including collaboration tools and time management solutions. These software platforms may also empower project managers to divide larger projects into smaller tasks and assign assets to each task appropriately.
Another key responsibility of project managers is to monitor the timeline of projects. They’ll have to consider how long tasks should take and how that impacts overall completion. This involves setting and tracking deadlines, plus dealing with obstacles such as absenteeism, technical glitches, or client requests. Since this requires a great deal of inter-team and intrateam collaboration, digital project managers must have excellent leadership skills.
Digitally focused professionals are most likely to find work in:
- Digital marketing or advertising
- Enterprise software implementation
- Digital transformation projects
- Web or mobile app development
- SaaS (software as a service) development
As these factors are now embedded across multiple industries, digital project managers could find work in multiple fields. For example, many healthcare facilities are upgrading their patient data management systems to digital alternatives. Statistics show that globally, healthcare organizations are spending $1.3 trillion on digital transformation — a figure that’s continuing to grow. Digital project managers could find work helping implement electronic health records (EHR) and ensuring the smooth rollout of associated processes.
Digital Project Manager: A Typical Day
A digital project manager or PM will have their own daily routine:
- Start the day with a quick update from all team members — you might do this face-to-face or give a time slot for people to drop their updates in virtually. You’ll ensure all remote team members and contractors/freelancers are included.
- Check what tasks need to be completed today/this week and that you have all the required assets and personnel available. You might have to liaise with other teams or gain sign-off from change management professionals.
- Ensure someone has updated the client on the current progress of the project. You may have digital project management tools that provide automatic updates.
- Deal with obstacles and challenges as required. Listen to team members and ensure you remove as much friction from processes as possible. You may have to facilitate meetings between different areas of the business, or clients and project team leaders.
- Prioritize deliverables. As the digital PM, you get to decide what gets done first. Just remember to document the reasons. The board, client, or other stakeholders may need this data at some point.
- Utilize data from multiple streams to aid with prioritization and delegation. Digital project management requires knowledge of the skills and experience of team members. You must be able to share work fairly to avoid overburdening employees while considering their strengths.
- Resource management: you may have to liaise with HR, finance, or the client regarding allocating budgets and gaining relevant personnel and assets.
- Each day will also involve careful documentation of progress. Project managers are responsible for providing clear digital communication channels for all project stakeholders.
There may also be industry-specific daily responsibilities. To go back to the healthcare example, ensuring the security of data as per HIPAA requirements might fall under the scope of project management.
Skills Required for Digital Project Management
Whatever industry they work in, all digital project managers require the following skills:
- Technical knowledge of various systems, apps, and software
- Data analysis and pattern recognition
- Data visualization
- Excellent communication
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
- Mediation
- Time management
Project managers must be able to make tough calls. They’ll need to pivot when strategies aren’t working or reallocate team members at a moment’s notice.
OPIT’s courses help prepare prospective project managers for their role by nurturing these skills. The BSc and MSc courses in Digital Business both include segments on organizational behavior, project management, and quality analysis. By gaining both theory and hands-on practical work on these topics, students get the preparation they need for these demanding roles.
Career Path for Digital Project Managers
There are many paths to becoming a digital project manager, but they all require education and experience. As the PM has so much responsibility, most enterprises require applicants to have a BSc degree at the minimum. However, employers know that education only paints part of the picture. You might follow these steps to gain success in digital project management:
- Gain your qualification through an accredited education provider like OPIT.
- Seek internships to gain experience.
- Network and create contacts via conferences, webinars, and industry events.
- Research where opportunities exist and apply for roles that match your skills and career ambitions.
- Keep a document of everything you do and update your CV regularly.
Digital project managers are highly sought after in various sectors. Software developers with DevOps and DevSecOps teams often seek digital PMs to manage increasingly distributed systems and teams. Businesses looking to update their cybersecurity policy may hire project managers to ensure this gets done in a timely and efficient manner. Also, look for opportunities in industries undergoing dramatic digital transformation efforts. You might consider healthcare, finance, real estate, or agriculture. Sustainable digitalization is a hot topic in farming right now across Europe. Digital project managers passionate about environmental concerns might find job satisfaction in this industry.
Salaries for digital project managers range from €76K to €137K ($83K to $150K).
Your OPIT course can help open many career doors. We encourage internships and provide elective additional units that may align with your career goals. We also have a dedicated career services team to support students in realizing their dreams.
Challenges in Digital Project Management
A key aspect of gaining success in digital project management is recognizing and handling challenges:
- Managing increasingly remote and disparate teams.
- Providing team members with continuous education on rapidly evolving emerging technologies.
- Scope creep — where client change requests cause project parameters to veer outside the originally agreed scope.
Digital project managers need excellent communication skills and the confidence to approach these challenges head-on. To prevent scope creep, for example, digital PMs must be able to say “No,” to clients. They have to set reasonable expectations while giving unwanted answers a positive spin. Alternatively, they may build a sliding cost into a project allowing clients to request more on a pay-as-you-go basis.
OPIT’s curriculum is highly focused on producing similar practical solutions. Every course involves getting hands-on so students are always trying out new things and learning what works in each situation.
OPIT’s Bachelor’s and Master’s in Digital Business
What can you expect as a learner on an OPIT course? The Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Business covers business fundamentals, project management, business strategy, and much more. It’s aimed at undergraduates looking to combine digital fluency with business acumen. This course costs €2,250 per term and is fully remote.
For graduates looking to learn advanced skills and further their careers, the Master’s Degree in Applied Digital Business is the next natural step. This course dives further into digital project management and digital transformation. Students learn about the interplay between digitalization and business, and are highly encouraged to pursue an internship with a trusted industry partner. The cost for this course is €6,750 and dedicated students can complete a fast-track option in just 12 months.
On all OPIT courses, you gain access to high-level academics and excellent student support. Our courses combine strong technical skills with the digital business know-how you need to hasten your journey along your chosen career trajectory.
Digital Project Managers are Vital for Business Success
As a digital project manager, you could be the difference between an organization surviving or thriving in its market. You’ll need excellent communication and leadership skills, bolstered by the technical knowledge and experience that comes from the right educational pathway.
If you’re excited to pursue a career in digital project management, take a look at OPIT’s course offerings. Our goal is to help you succeed, so get in touch if you need more information.
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From the same author
Read the articleSource:
- Agenda Digitale, published on November 25th, 2025
In recent years, the word ” sustainability ” has become a firm fixture in the corporate lexicon. However, simply “doing no harm” is no longer enough: the climate crisis , social inequalities , and the erosion of natural resources require a change of pace. This is where the net-positive paradigm comes in , a model that isn’t content to simply reduce negative impacts, but aims to generate more social and environmental value than is consumed.
This isn’t about philanthropy, nor is it about reputational makeovers: net-positive is a strategic approach that intertwines economics, technology, and corporate culture. Within this framework, digitalization becomes an essential lever, capable of enabling regenerative models through circular platforms and exponential technologies.
Blockchain, AI, and IoT: The Technological Triad of Regeneration
Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things represent the technological triad that makes this paradigm shift possible. Each addresses a critical point in regeneration.
Blockchain guarantees the traceability of material flows and product life cycles, allowing a regenerated dress or a bottle collected at sea to tell their story in a transparent and verifiable way.
Artificial Intelligence optimizes recovery and redistribution chains, predicting supply and demand, reducing waste and improving the efficiency of circular processes .
Finally, IoT enables real-time monitoring, from sensors installed at recycling plants to sharing mobility platforms, returning granular data for quick, informed decisions.
These integrated technologies allow us to move beyond linear vision and enable systems in which value is continuously regenerated.
New business models: from product-as-a-service to incentive tokens
Digital regeneration is n’t limited to the technological dimension; it’s redefining business models. More and more companies are adopting product-as-a-service approaches , transforming goods into services: from technical clothing rentals to pay-per-use for industrial machinery. This approach reduces resource consumption and encourages modular design, designed for reuse.
At the same time, circular marketplaces create ecosystems where materials, components, and products find new life. No longer waste, but input for other production processes. The logic of scarcity is overturned in an economy of regenerated abundance.
To complete the picture, incentive tokens — digital tools that reward virtuous behavior, from collecting plastic from the sea to reusing used clothing — activate global communities and catalyze private capital for regeneration.
Measuring Impact: Integrated Metrics for Net-Positiveness
One of the main obstacles to the widespread adoption of net-positive models is the difficulty of measuring their impact. Traditional profit-focused accounting systems are not enough. They need to be combined with integrated metrics that combine ESG and ROI, such as impact-weighted accounting or innovative indicators like lifetime carbon savings.
In this way, companies can validate the scalability of their models and attract investors who are increasingly attentive to financial returns that go hand in hand with social and environmental returns.
Case studies: RePlanet Energy, RIFO, and Ogyre
Concrete examples demonstrate how the combination of circular platforms and exponential technologies can generate real value. RePlanet Energy has defined its Massive Transformative Purpose as “Enabling Regeneration” and is now providing sustainable energy to Nigerian schools and hospitals, thanks in part to transparent blockchain-based supply chains and the active contribution of employees. RIFO, a Tuscan circular fashion brand, regenerates textile waste into new clothing, supporting local artisans and promoting workplace inclusion, with transparency in the production process as a distinctive feature and driver of loyalty. Ogyre incentivizes fishermen to collect plastic during their fishing trips; the recovered material is digitally tracked and transformed into new products, while the global community participates through tokens and environmental compensation programs.
These cases demonstrate how regeneration and profitability are not contradictory, but can actually feed off each other, strengthening the competitiveness of businesses.
From Net Zero to Net Positive: The Role of Massive Transformative Purpose
The crucial point lies in the distinction between sustainability and regeneration. The former aims for net zero, that is, reducing the impact until it is completely neutralized. The latter goes further, aiming for a net positive, capable of giving back more than it consumes.
This shift in perspective requires a strong Massive Transformative Purpose: an inspiring and shared goal that guides strategic choices, preventing technology from becoming a sterile end. Without this level of intentionality, even the most advanced tools risk turning into gadgets with no impact.
Regenerating business also means regenerating skills to train a new generation of professionals capable not only of using technologies but also of directing them towards regenerative business models. From this perspective, training becomes the first step in a transformation that is simultaneously cultural, economic, and social.
The Regenerative Future: Technology, Skills, and Shared Value
Digital regeneration is not an abstract concept, but a concrete practice already being tested by companies in Europe and around the world. It’s an opportunity for businesses to redefine their role, moving from mere economic operators to drivers of net-positive value for society and the environment.
The combination of blockchain, AI, and IoT with circular product-as-a-service models, marketplaces, and incentive tokens can enable scalable and sustainable regenerative ecosystems. The future of business isn’t just measured in terms of margins, but in the ability to leave the world better than we found it.
Read the articleSource:
- Raconteur, published on November 06th, 2025
Many firms have conducted successful Artificial Intelligence (AI) pilot projects, but scaling them across departments and workflows remains a challenge. Inference costs, data silos, talent gaps and poor alignment with business strategy are just some of the issues that leave organisations trapped in pilot purgatory. This inability to scale successful experiments means AI’s potential for improving enterprise efficiency, decision-making and innovation isn’t fully realised. So what’s the solution?
Although it’s not a magic bullet, an AI operating model is really the foundation for scaling pilot projects up to enterprise-wide deployments. Essentially it’s a structured framework that defines how the organisation develops, deploys and governs AI. By bringing together infrastructure, data, people, and governance in a flexible and secure way, it ensures that AI delivers value at scale while remaining ethical and compliant.
“A successful AI proof-of-concept is like building a single race car that can go fast,” says Professor Yu Xiong, chair of business analytics at the UK-based Surrey Business School. “An efficient AI technology operations model, however, is the entire system – the processes, tools, and team structures – for continuously manufacturing, maintaining, and safely operating an entire fleet of cars.”
But while the importance of this framework is clear, how should enterprises establish and embed it?
“It begins with a clear strategy that defines objectives, desired outcomes, and measurable success criteria, such as model performance, bias detection, and regulatory compliance metrics,” says Professor Azadeh Haratiannezhadi, co-founder of generative AI company Taktify and professor of generative AI in cybersecurity at OPIT – the Open Institute of Technology.
Platforms, tools and MLOps pipelines that enable models to be deployed, monitored and scaled in a safe and efficient way are also essential in practical terms.
“Tools and infrastructure must also be selected with transparency, cost, and governance in mind,” says Efrain Ruh, continental chief technology officer for Europe at Digitate. “Crucially, organisations need to continuously monitor the evolving AI landscape and adapt their models to new capabilities and market offerings.”
An open approach
The most effective AI operating models are also founded on openness, interoperability and modularity. Open source platforms and tools provide greater control over data, deployment environments and costs, for example. These characteristics can help enterprises to avoid vendor lock-in, successfully align AI to business culture and values, and embed it safely into cross-department workflows.
“Modularity and platformisation…avoids building isolated ‘silos’ for each project,” explains professor Xiong. “Instead, it provides a shared, reusable ‘AI platform’ that integrates toolchains for data preparation, model training, deployment, monitoring, and retraining. This drastically improves efficiency and reduces the cost of redundant work.”
A strong data strategy is equally vital for ensuring high-quality performance and reducing bias. Ideally, the AI operating model should be cloud and LLM agnostic too.
“This allows organisations to coordinate and orchestrate AI agents from various sources, whether that’s internal or 3rd party,” says Babak Hodjat, global chief technology officer of AI at Cognizant. “The interoperability also means businesses can adopt an agile iterative process for AI projects that is guided by measuring efficiency, productivity, and quality gains, while guaranteeing trust and safety are built into all elements of design and implementation.”
A robust AI operating model should feature clear objectives for compliance, security and data privacy, as well as accountability structures. Richard Corbridge, chief information officer of Segro, advises organisations to: “Start small with well-scoped pilots that solve real pain points, then bake in repeatable patterns, data contracts, test harnesses, explainability checks and rollback plans, so learning can be scaled without multiplying risk. If you don’t codify how models are approved, deployed, monitored and retired, you won’t get past pilot purgatory.”
Of course, technology alone can’t drive successful AI adoption at scale: the right skills and culture are also essential for embedding AI across the enterprise.
“Multidisciplinary teams that combine technical expertise in AI, security, and governance with deep business knowledge create a foundation for sustainable adoption,” says Professor Haratiannezhadi. “Ongoing training ensures staff acquire advanced AI skills while understanding associated risks and responsibilities.”
Ultimately, an AI operating model is the playbook that enables an enterprise to use AI responsibly and effectively at scale. By drawing together governance, technological infrastructure, cultural change and open collaboration, it supports the shift from isolated experiments to the kind of sustainable AI capability that can drive competitive advantage.
In other words, it’s the foundation for turning ambition into reality, and finally escaping pilot purgatory for good.
-
Go to all authors
Related posts
Source:
- Agenda Digitale, published on November 25th, 2025
In recent years, the word ” sustainability ” has become a firm fixture in the corporate lexicon. However, simply “doing no harm” is no longer enough: the climate crisis , social inequalities , and the erosion of natural resources require a change of pace. This is where the net-positive paradigm comes in , a model that isn’t content to simply reduce negative impacts, but aims to generate more social and environmental value than is consumed.
This isn’t about philanthropy, nor is it about reputational makeovers: net-positive is a strategic approach that intertwines economics, technology, and corporate culture. Within this framework, digitalization becomes an essential lever, capable of enabling regenerative models through circular platforms and exponential technologies.
Blockchain, AI, and IoT: The Technological Triad of Regeneration
Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things represent the technological triad that makes this paradigm shift possible. Each addresses a critical point in regeneration.
Blockchain guarantees the traceability of material flows and product life cycles, allowing a regenerated dress or a bottle collected at sea to tell their story in a transparent and verifiable way.
Artificial Intelligence optimizes recovery and redistribution chains, predicting supply and demand, reducing waste and improving the efficiency of circular processes .
Finally, IoT enables real-time monitoring, from sensors installed at recycling plants to sharing mobility platforms, returning granular data for quick, informed decisions.
These integrated technologies allow us to move beyond linear vision and enable systems in which value is continuously regenerated.
New business models: from product-as-a-service to incentive tokens
Digital regeneration is n’t limited to the technological dimension; it’s redefining business models. More and more companies are adopting product-as-a-service approaches , transforming goods into services: from technical clothing rentals to pay-per-use for industrial machinery. This approach reduces resource consumption and encourages modular design, designed for reuse.
At the same time, circular marketplaces create ecosystems where materials, components, and products find new life. No longer waste, but input for other production processes. The logic of scarcity is overturned in an economy of regenerated abundance.
To complete the picture, incentive tokens — digital tools that reward virtuous behavior, from collecting plastic from the sea to reusing used clothing — activate global communities and catalyze private capital for regeneration.
Measuring Impact: Integrated Metrics for Net-Positiveness
One of the main obstacles to the widespread adoption of net-positive models is the difficulty of measuring their impact. Traditional profit-focused accounting systems are not enough. They need to be combined with integrated metrics that combine ESG and ROI, such as impact-weighted accounting or innovative indicators like lifetime carbon savings.
In this way, companies can validate the scalability of their models and attract investors who are increasingly attentive to financial returns that go hand in hand with social and environmental returns.
Case studies: RePlanet Energy, RIFO, and Ogyre
Concrete examples demonstrate how the combination of circular platforms and exponential technologies can generate real value. RePlanet Energy has defined its Massive Transformative Purpose as “Enabling Regeneration” and is now providing sustainable energy to Nigerian schools and hospitals, thanks in part to transparent blockchain-based supply chains and the active contribution of employees. RIFO, a Tuscan circular fashion brand, regenerates textile waste into new clothing, supporting local artisans and promoting workplace inclusion, with transparency in the production process as a distinctive feature and driver of loyalty. Ogyre incentivizes fishermen to collect plastic during their fishing trips; the recovered material is digitally tracked and transformed into new products, while the global community participates through tokens and environmental compensation programs.
These cases demonstrate how regeneration and profitability are not contradictory, but can actually feed off each other, strengthening the competitiveness of businesses.
From Net Zero to Net Positive: The Role of Massive Transformative Purpose
The crucial point lies in the distinction between sustainability and regeneration. The former aims for net zero, that is, reducing the impact until it is completely neutralized. The latter goes further, aiming for a net positive, capable of giving back more than it consumes.
This shift in perspective requires a strong Massive Transformative Purpose: an inspiring and shared goal that guides strategic choices, preventing technology from becoming a sterile end. Without this level of intentionality, even the most advanced tools risk turning into gadgets with no impact.
Regenerating business also means regenerating skills to train a new generation of professionals capable not only of using technologies but also of directing them towards regenerative business models. From this perspective, training becomes the first step in a transformation that is simultaneously cultural, economic, and social.
The Regenerative Future: Technology, Skills, and Shared Value
Digital regeneration is not an abstract concept, but a concrete practice already being tested by companies in Europe and around the world. It’s an opportunity for businesses to redefine their role, moving from mere economic operators to drivers of net-positive value for society and the environment.
The combination of blockchain, AI, and IoT with circular product-as-a-service models, marketplaces, and incentive tokens can enable scalable and sustainable regenerative ecosystems. The future of business isn’t just measured in terms of margins, but in the ability to leave the world better than we found it.
Source:
- Raconteur, published on November 06th, 2025
Many firms have conducted successful Artificial Intelligence (AI) pilot projects, but scaling them across departments and workflows remains a challenge. Inference costs, data silos, talent gaps and poor alignment with business strategy are just some of the issues that leave organisations trapped in pilot purgatory. This inability to scale successful experiments means AI’s potential for improving enterprise efficiency, decision-making and innovation isn’t fully realised. So what’s the solution?
Although it’s not a magic bullet, an AI operating model is really the foundation for scaling pilot projects up to enterprise-wide deployments. Essentially it’s a structured framework that defines how the organisation develops, deploys and governs AI. By bringing together infrastructure, data, people, and governance in a flexible and secure way, it ensures that AI delivers value at scale while remaining ethical and compliant.
“A successful AI proof-of-concept is like building a single race car that can go fast,” says Professor Yu Xiong, chair of business analytics at the UK-based Surrey Business School. “An efficient AI technology operations model, however, is the entire system – the processes, tools, and team structures – for continuously manufacturing, maintaining, and safely operating an entire fleet of cars.”
But while the importance of this framework is clear, how should enterprises establish and embed it?
“It begins with a clear strategy that defines objectives, desired outcomes, and measurable success criteria, such as model performance, bias detection, and regulatory compliance metrics,” says Professor Azadeh Haratiannezhadi, co-founder of generative AI company Taktify and professor of generative AI in cybersecurity at OPIT – the Open Institute of Technology.
Platforms, tools and MLOps pipelines that enable models to be deployed, monitored and scaled in a safe and efficient way are also essential in practical terms.
“Tools and infrastructure must also be selected with transparency, cost, and governance in mind,” says Efrain Ruh, continental chief technology officer for Europe at Digitate. “Crucially, organisations need to continuously monitor the evolving AI landscape and adapt their models to new capabilities and market offerings.”
An open approach
The most effective AI operating models are also founded on openness, interoperability and modularity. Open source platforms and tools provide greater control over data, deployment environments and costs, for example. These characteristics can help enterprises to avoid vendor lock-in, successfully align AI to business culture and values, and embed it safely into cross-department workflows.
“Modularity and platformisation…avoids building isolated ‘silos’ for each project,” explains professor Xiong. “Instead, it provides a shared, reusable ‘AI platform’ that integrates toolchains for data preparation, model training, deployment, monitoring, and retraining. This drastically improves efficiency and reduces the cost of redundant work.”
A strong data strategy is equally vital for ensuring high-quality performance and reducing bias. Ideally, the AI operating model should be cloud and LLM agnostic too.
“This allows organisations to coordinate and orchestrate AI agents from various sources, whether that’s internal or 3rd party,” says Babak Hodjat, global chief technology officer of AI at Cognizant. “The interoperability also means businesses can adopt an agile iterative process for AI projects that is guided by measuring efficiency, productivity, and quality gains, while guaranteeing trust and safety are built into all elements of design and implementation.”
A robust AI operating model should feature clear objectives for compliance, security and data privacy, as well as accountability structures. Richard Corbridge, chief information officer of Segro, advises organisations to: “Start small with well-scoped pilots that solve real pain points, then bake in repeatable patterns, data contracts, test harnesses, explainability checks and rollback plans, so learning can be scaled without multiplying risk. If you don’t codify how models are approved, deployed, monitored and retired, you won’t get past pilot purgatory.”
Of course, technology alone can’t drive successful AI adoption at scale: the right skills and culture are also essential for embedding AI across the enterprise.
“Multidisciplinary teams that combine technical expertise in AI, security, and governance with deep business knowledge create a foundation for sustainable adoption,” says Professor Haratiannezhadi. “Ongoing training ensures staff acquire advanced AI skills while understanding associated risks and responsibilities.”
Ultimately, an AI operating model is the playbook that enables an enterprise to use AI responsibly and effectively at scale. By drawing together governance, technological infrastructure, cultural change and open collaboration, it supports the shift from isolated experiments to the kind of sustainable AI capability that can drive competitive advantage.
In other words, it’s the foundation for turning ambition into reality, and finally escaping pilot purgatory for good.
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