Are you looking for ways to manage projects more effectively? Do you want to learn from successful examples of project management?
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, and techniques to execute projects successfully. It involves using strategies such as goal setting, scoping, scheduling, designing processes and structures, assessing risk, estimating resources and budgeting. To understand it better, examine some project management examples.
Project management is an essential tool for professionals in many industries. Whether you are starting a career or looking for a way to improve your current job performance, understanding how other projects were managed can help provide you with the inspiration and information necessary to master the art of project management.
In this article, we will discuss some project management examples that can teach you valuable lessons on how to organize a successful project.
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Project Management Project management is defined as the framework used to guide your team to success—this includes your team objectives, tools, and techniques both over the long term and in your day-to-day work. |
What Is Project Management?
Project management is the coordination and implementation of all the activities, skills, knowledge, methods, and processes needed to achieve the objectives of a project. The ultimate goal of project management is to complete the project successfully and within the defined parameters of time, budget, and scope.
The Association for Project Management defines project management as the "application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge, and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters." This means that project management involves a systematic approach to planning, executing, controlling, and reviewing the different elements of a project to ensure its success.
A project is unique in that it is a temporary effort with a specific beginning and end, and it is not part of the routine business operations. A project may have different objectives, such as launching a new service, conducting a marketing campaign, developing a new product, or even planning a wedding.
These projects require careful planning and management to ensure that they are completed within the defined constraints of time and budget, while meeting the project's objectives and acceptance criteria.
Project management is a crucial aspect of any project as it involves coordinating and executing all the activities necessary to achieve the project's goals and objectives. The science and art of project management ensures that the project is completed successfully, within the agreed parameters, and to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
1. Streamlining communications with Smartsheet
Domino's is a well-known company in the pizza restaurant and delivery industry, with more than 17,000 stores in over 90 countries. The company has a total of approximately 350,000 team members and franchisees worldwide.
However, due to its large size, effective communication, coordination, event management, and marketing strategies were once a major challenge for the company.
The objective
To keep employees and franchise holders informed of new procedures, technologies, and modifications to current offerings, timely. Overall, increased awareness leads to greater efficiency.
The problem
Domino’s faced a challenge with effective communication and collaboration within its vast network of over 17,000 stores in 90+ countries and an estimated 350,000 team members and franchisees.
The internal communications team used various channels to communicate with its employees, including newsletters, emails for critical updates, and the Worldwide Rally, a bi-annual event that brought together more than 9,000 individuals.
However, this approach resulted in recipients receiving multiple messages through different platforms, leading to information overload and important updates being overlooked. Multiple people sending separate communication to ensure their message was received only added to the problem.
According to Stacie Barrett, the internal communications director at Domino’s, "Everyone thought their message was the most important," causing them to send redundant communication. The result was a cluttered messaging system that was less effective in delivering information.
The solution
Stacie Barrett, internal communications director at Domino's, recognized that her team needed to change their approach to internal communications. With so many employees and franchisees spread out across the world, it was difficult to ensure that everyone was on the same page.
The team was using multiple communication channels, including newsletters, emails, and an in-person event, but the result was information overload and a lack of effective communication.
To solve this issue, Barrett and her team implemented Smartsheet into their work process. They now have a long-term work plan in place, including a calendar of standalone announcements and newsletter topics. This allows the entire team to have access to the same information, making it easier to coordinate and avoid any confusion or duplication of messages.
Thanks to this improved project plan and more streamlined messaging process, the read rate of Domino's newsletter has skyrocketed from 4% to 100%. The team is now able to effectively communicate with all of their employees and franchisees, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
The project roadmap for the Worldwide Rally is also planned using Smartsheet. With essential information like the project plan outline, deadlines, and requirements stored in the system, team members can easily pick up the work if someone is on vacation.
Automated alerts are also set up to remind task owners of upcoming deadlines and alert managers of any overdue activities.
Takeaway
Project planning is an important aspect of successful project management and should be approached as a team effort. By having multiple individuals involved in the planning process, the team can benefit from diverse perspectives, knowledge, and skills.
One of the critical elements of effective project planning is defining clear roles and responsibilities for all team members. This helps to avoid confusion and ensures that each team member knows exactly what is expected of them.
A central workspace for all project-related information and updates can be a valuable tool in streamlining the project planning process. The internal communications team can use this workspace to collaborate, plan, allocate tasks, and roll out messaging campaigns that are optimized for success.
Having a centralized platform for all project-related information and updates not only streamlines the planning process but also ensures that everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal.
To learn more about how Smartsheet can help teams plan and manage projects effectively, visit their website.
2. Scaling globally with Wrike
Airbnb Experiences offers travelers a special opportunity to explore and learn about local cultures with the help of knowledgeable guides from the area. Among the many activities offered through the site are:
- A salsa dance party in Puerto Rico
- Stargazing and local wine tasting in Baja, Mexico
- An exploration of Cuba’s music scene with a celebrated DJ in Havana
- A hiking tour of the Atlas Mountains in Marrakech, Morocco
Despite Airbnb's popularity, launching and scaling a new service wasn't without its own challenges.
The objective
From 12 cities, the goal was to quadruple the production of video trailers, photos, and other digital and print assets to 50 cities around the world.
The problem
Airbnb's creative production team, led by Hoon Kim, faced challenges with managing thousands of assets in their work processes. The team used an online spreadsheet to manage the production process, but the tool proved insufficient in handling the frequent changes, simultaneous users, detailed handoff requirements, and the massive volume of content.
The spreadsheet was constantly crashing, leading team members to duplicate the document to manage their own small portion of the data. However, this resulted in confusion as the duplicates were not connected to the master document.
Due to the limitations of the spreadsheet system, Kim and the team at Airbnb were in desperate need of a solution that would allow them to manage their creative production efficiently and effectively.
The system needed to be able to handle multiple users and provide detailed handoff requirements while also ensuring that all updates and changes were centralized in a single location.
The solution
To resolve these challenges, Kim and his team searched for a tool that could streamline their work processes. They needed a central platform that would integrate with their existing tools, including Salesforce and Gmail, and allow for communication and collaboration among team members, regardless of their location.
After evaluating several options, the team chose Wrike, which offered the project tracking capabilities they required. With Wrike, the team was able to manage the production process more efficiently, resulting in improved workflow and productivity.
Takeaway
Effective communication plays a crucial role in the success of any project. Approximately 90% of project management is dedicated to communication to ensure that everyone is working towards a common goal. A well-structured communication plan ensures that all team members are on the same page, thereby allowing projects to scale smoothly, like Airbnb Experiences.
To learn more about the story of Airbnb Experiences and how they streamlined their communication and collaboration, visit Wrike's website.
3. Standardizing processes with Asana
Hack Reactor is a software coding education program with a network of on-campus locations in major cities like San Francisco, New York, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, Boulder, and Denver. In addition to their in-person boot camps, they also offer remote coding courses.
Maintaining consistent services across multiple locations can be a challenge for companies like Hack Reactor, as they navigate different geographical and cultural landscapes.
The objective
To standardize processes and ensure consistency of event types, feelings, and emotions across the different company locations at the same time.
The problem
As Hack Reactor grew, Tony Phillips, the CEO, faced the challenge of maintaining consistency across multiple locations. Despite his best efforts, he became uncertain if every detail was being properly taken care of, including the small ones that conveyed a sense of "meticulous care" to students. With a fragmented team spread across different geographies, it became increasingly difficult to manage all the moving parts.
The solution
With the implementation of Asana, Hack Reactor was able to streamline its operations and improve consistency across all locations. By making detailed process documentation easily accessible on the platform, teams were able to have a clear understanding of the guidelines they needed to perform their tasks effectively.
Moreover, the use of templates has allowed Hack Reactor to standardize its processes and ensure that each location follows the same procedures. This has not only made the company more process-efficient, but it has also halved its operations time.
The efforts have paid off, with a remarkable 98% hiring rate for Hack Reactor graduates. The company's focus on meticulous care for education and consistent processes has enabled it to provide a top-notch learning experience for its students.
Takeaway
Organization is a crucial aspect of successful project management. A wide range of factors must be kept under control, such as the project schedule, budget, team performance, deliverables, resource allocation, task updates, supplier and vendor reports, and stakeholder expectations, to name a few.
To streamline the process, it's essential to have templates for tasks and processes and even a sample project plan for future reference, so that you don't have to start from scratch every time. Implementing systems for efficiently assigning repetitive tasks to the right individuals at the right time, as demonstrated by Hack Reactor, can ensure that "every detail is covered."
Discover more about the impact of Asana on Hack Reactor in their case study.
Take the learning up a notch with project management examples
Project management can be a complex and challenging field, but by learning from real-world examples, we can gain a deeper understanding of the concepts and strategies involved. By studying these case studies, we can not only gain a practical understanding of how project management is applied in different scenarios, but also develop new ideas and approaches that we can use in our own projects.
Whether you're new to project management or have years of experience, these case studies provide valuable insights into the process, from start to finish. From identifying key objectives and defining project scope, to managing resources and ensuring effective communication, these case studies demonstrate how successful project management can lead to successful outcomes.
We hope that these case studies have provided you with valuable insights into the world of project management, and that you will continue to seek out and learn from real-world examples in the future. The more we understand about project management, the better equipped we will be to tackle complex projects with confidence and success.
