11 Key Players Powering Digital Projects—And the AI Tools Behind Their Success

By Lucy Marino, Executive Director, Marketing and Creative, Robert Half, and Ryan M. Sutton, Executive Director, Technology, Robert Half

Whether you are creating an omnichannel marketing campaign or developing a customer support chatbot, digital transformation projects are complex. Skills gaps, evolving technology and the need for cross-functional alignment all add pressure, and you need access to the right talent to make your digital project a success.

By combining the skills and expertise of marketing, creative and technology talent, you can create digital products, services and experiences that are technically sound, visually compelling and user-friendly.

In this article, we highlight 11 key players to consider for your digital dream team. Each one adds value individually, but together they represent the full spectrum of expertise needed to deliver a successful digital project. We also explore how many of the roles are using AI to enhance their workflows and build digital products that are faster to market and user-centric.

The skills that these professionals bring can be grouped into five categories of the digital project lifecycle, helping you plan strategically, reduce risk and ensure every stage has the right expertise. From discovery—where business systems analysis, UX research and strategy roles set direction—through design, development, testing and long-term alignment, each discipline contributes to building smarter, more secure and more engaging digital experiences.

Build Your Digital Dream Team: Roles Across the Project Lifecycle

Phase 1: Discovery and concept
Phase 2: Design and content
Phase 3: Build and develop
Phase 4: Testing and optimization
At the center: Continuity and alignment
The role of AI across the digital project lifecycle
Building future-ready teams
More resources from Robert Half for employers and hiring managers

Phase 1: Discovery and concept

This stage clarifies the audience, project goals and requirements, and sets the vision for execution. Roles like business analysts and UX researchers help uncover organizational needs, align stakeholders and ensure the user perspective guides decisions from the start.

Business Analyst

A business analyst connects stakeholders with technical teams, documenting requirements and prioritizing features with the most business value. These professionals also support change management and often measure post-launch success. Many now use AI-enabled modeling tools to analyze processes, test scenarios and provide clearer recommendations to decision-makers.

UX Researcher

UX researchers uncover user needs and expectations through interviews, surveys and usability testing. Their findings guide product design and help ensure outcomes are user-centered. Researchers can now incorporate AI tools that detect hidden behavior patterns, accelerate analysis and strengthen insights.

Infographic titled “The Digital Project Lifecycle: Critical Skills That Drive Success” from Robert Half. It illustrates a four-phase circular process (Discovery & Concept, Design & Content, Build & Develop, and Testing & Optimization) with Continuity & Security at the center, highlighting key skills like AI strategy, UX design, full-stack engineering, and quality assurance testing.

Title: The Digital Project Lifecycle: Critical Skills That Drive Success Phases: Discovery & Concept AI strategy, Business systems analysis, Content strategy, UX research Design & Content Content management, Data architecture, UX/product design, Visual design Build & Develop Front-end development, Full-stack engineering Testing & Optimization Business intelligence analysis, Quality assurance testing, Test automation engineering Center Section: Continuity & Security Product/project management, Security architecture Footer: © 2025 Robert Half Inc. An EOE M/F/D/V

Phase 2: Design and content

This phase translates research into visuals, frameworks and messaging. Specialists such as content managers, data architects and UX designers plan a product that looks polished, communicates clearly and performs reliably.

Content Manager

Content managers strategize, develop and publish copy that aligns with brand voice and business objectives. They collaborate across teams to ensure consistency and optimize content for search, personalize messages for target audiences and monitor performance in real time.

Data Architect

Data architects design and maintain frameworks that keep information secure, reliable and scalable. Increasingly, they prepare environments to be AI-ready by organizing data for analytics, personalization and future integrations, giving organizations the ability to scale digital projects more effectively.

UX and Product Designers

UX designers and product designers translate research into wireframes, prototypes and final designs. They create interfaces that are intuitive, accessible and visually appealing. Many design teams now rely on AI-driven prototyping tools to test variations and refine user flows more efficiently.

Visual Designer

A visual designer shapes the overall look and feel of digital products, from graphics and icons to layouts and visual systems. Their work reinforces brand identity while improving usability and maintaining style consistency across channels.

Phase 3: Build and develop

This phase is where concepts become reality. A team of software developers and engineers code, integrate and maintain the systems that bring digital projects to life, often leveraging AI coding assistants and automated testing frameworks to enhance a product’s usability and performance.

Front-End Developer

Front-end developers build the user-facing components of digital products. They ensure interfaces are responsive, accessible and visually consistent across devices and browsers.

Back-End Developer

Back-end developers focus on the server side, building and maintaining databases, APIs and application logic that keep products running smoothly. Their role includes ensuring systems are secure, scalable and well-integrated.

Full-Stack Engineer

Full-stack engineers combine front-end and back-end expertise, giving them flexibility to work across multiple layers of development. They troubleshoot issues quickly, integrate systems and adapt to changing project needs.

Phase 4: Testing and optimization

Before and after launch, roles such as the QA analyst and business intelligence analyst ensure digital products meet expectations, perform reliably and continue to improve over time.

Quality Assurance (QA) Analyst

QA analysts test products thoroughly to confirm functionality and reliability. They document defects, collaborate with developers on fixes and help verify that updates don’t create new issues. They conduct both manual and automated testing, allowing faster detection of bugs and broader test coverage.

Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst

A business intelligence analyst collects and interprets data to provide insights that drive optimization. They track KPIs, identify performance trends and deliver reports that support decision-making. Many rely on AI dashboards and predictive modeling to forecast user behavior, highlight risks and recommend improvements.

At the center: Continuity and alignment

At the center of all these phases, strong leadership and oversight are required to keep digital projects aligned and secure. Roles like the project manager and security architect provide governance, communication and protection during the project and long after launch.

Product or Project Manager

Project managers oversee initiatives across the full lifecycle, ensuring teams are aligned and goals stay on track. They also manage stakeholder communications and remove barriers that slow progress. Many now rely on AI-enabled project management platforms to improve scheduling, allocate resources and monitor risks in real time.

Security Architect

Security architects design frameworks that safeguard digital systems and protect sensitive data. Their responsibilities include ensuring compliance, assessing vulnerabilities and building resilience into platforms, as well as monitoring and detecting suspicious activity and responding to incidents.

The role of AI across the digital project lifecycle

Artificial intelligence is shaping how digital teams operate. UX researchers use AI-enabled tools to analyze feedback at scale, developers rely on coding assistants to accelerate builds, QA teams expand coverage with automated testing and security architects deploy AI to identify risks in real time. Even project managers and content leaders are adopting AI-driven platforms to forecast outcomes, tailor messages and improve workflows.

For professionals, fluency with AI tools is becoming a core skill. For organizations, balancing technical expertise with emerging capabilities is essential to deliver digital products that are faster, smarter and more personalized.

Building future-ready teams

Aligning the right creative, digital and technology talent to support every stage of your projects is essential. The roles outlined above highlight the professionals who can help you move from concept to delivery with confidence.

Finding this talent is not easy in today’s hiring market. That is where Robert Half can help. Our recruiters connect you with professionals who bring both technical expertise and emerging skills to support your initiatives. Whether you are hiring permanent staff or building scalable project teams, we can help you create a digital dream team that delivers results.

Reach out today to learn how Robert Half can support your next digital project.

More resources from Robert Half for employers and hiring managers

Download our e-book, Building Future Forward Tech Teams, to learn about the skills gap in tech that could put many digital projects at risk—and how to overcome it.

View our Demand for Skilled Talent report to get more details on in-demand positions in marketing and creative and technology, as well as other top professions.

See Robert Half’s latest Salary Guide for insight into trends and projected starting salaries for roles in marketing and creative, tech and IT, and more.

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