In an age with a strong drive for innovation and change, in which new content and technologies appear on the market in rapid succession, companies must act flexibly and quickly to adapt to these constantly changing market conditions.
Only companies that manage to deal with these changes will be successful in the long run. Therefore, it is essential to systematically approach a project and with a view to the future to master it effectively.
The more complex and innovative a project is, the less clear at the beginning of the project are the tasks and work steps necessary for the successful completion of a project. These must be formulated, recorded, and structured—the whole quintessence of project management.
“Operations keeps the lights on, strategy providesa light at the end of the tunnel, but project management isthe train engine that moves the organization forward.”- Joy Gumz
What do you mean by project management?
Most projects are based upon an approval workflow—usually required during key milestones, like text, layout, image components, and final artwork before print, video, online production. We all need a clear, concise process of assuring that managers can review and OK project materials.
But it’s not always so simple.
“Project management” contains two sets of tools. One set builds the approval process among project partners—along with deadlines and triggers to continue production automation. The other set of tools is analytical. They help project managers locate inefficiencies in their workflows to locate where processes can be improved.
Why do I need project management?
Quite simply, if you are like any department that oversees marketing or publishing content, you are probably involved in managing people and equipment globally, for a multitude of projects, at the same time. And, like it or not, you will also need a way to make value decisions, prioritizing specific projects and resources.
If you can tie your production automation system into an automated approval workflow, pretty much any project can drive itself. Not only can it drive people to get work done, but it can automatically run and track equipment too.
With projects becoming more and more complex, like many geographic regions, languages, and channels of distribution—never mind personalization—you must be on top of project approvals. Trying to create an email network to manage reviews and approvals will never work—not only for assuring that everyone responds but even just tracking all of the comments.
Project management is essential when managing multiple projects and sharing global resources. Also, brands face more and more labeling requirements—such as ingredients, nutrition—and even compliance audits. You need to be assured that your workflow builds and records every action.
Meanwhile, a clear view of marketing workflow milestones and approval processes reveals potential barriers at an early stage. And, the transparency motivates your stakeholders to review and approve creative content and campaigns quickly.
What is the business case for project management?
It’s easy. Time is money.
What if you could assign tasks, plan resources and monitor progress in the same workflow as your automated production system? It means much greater efficiency.
If you can plan better projects, you can reduce time to market. If it’s new packaging, you can get products on the shelves faster. If it’s marketing content, you can start your promotional programs faster. If it’s a magazine, you can make sure it’s in front of readers on time—and with the best content available.
