Archive for Marketing Calendar
Basics Of Project Management for Marketing
Posted by: | CommentsThe last several posts have discussed several products and resources for project management. Good project management has to occur throughout your organization to be successful. Your company probably has a great deal of knowledge and is already using a software package for scheduling such as Microsoft Project. I want to reiterate the point I made before, Scheduling is not Project Management.
I use Microsoft Project Standard 2007
An Affiliate resource of mine, Systems2win has a very unique set of Project Management tools that are templates for Microsoft Excel. They are part of his Kaizen Bundle offering, and if you understand Kaizen you understand why they are bundled there.
Below is a minimum outline for Project Management in a Marketing Process:
Calendar: Yes, we still could use a graphical list. Some people just have to see it that way to understand it.
Gantt Chart Project Plan: A graphic way for a Project Leader to manage tasks assigned to team members. This is an important tool to and the way I view project 90% of the time.
Project Cost Estimate Worksheet: To estimate project costs.
To Do List: A simple way for a Team Leader to manage tasks assigned to team members. Meeting Agenda & Minutes template: To prepare for and get the most from team meetings
Priorities Consensus Worksheet: To evaluate & prioritize strategic initiatives
Decision Matrix (with Impact Effort PICK Matrix): Provides a visually graphic depiction of the trade-offs between the impact that an alternative will probably have toward resolving the problem, and the effort required. I love Matrices.
Issues Worksheet: To organize and resolve issues faced by a project or team and to identify and approve potential software customizations
Organization Chart: To define both formal and informal work group structures
Ground Rules for Working Together: Covenants for mutual respect and productive work habits
Change Management Worksheet: To prepare a Communications Plan and other approaches to help people embrace change
Team Members, Roles & Responsibilities: A concise way to summarize who is responsible for what.
Team Support Roles: Clear responsibilities for the Teams that support various project teams
Project Team Facilities Worksheet: To identify facilities needed, and track status of providing them.
The descriptions of these items were furnished by Systems2win. Their Project Management templates included each one of these and more in a Microsoft Word or Excel Template.
Small Project Management: As you become familiar with Lean and the Lean Marketing concept, you will learn about A3 reporting. An A3 Report is a single-page storyboard that is used to systematically identify problems and stimulate creative problem-solving. It is also used for proposals and guidelines for the work that needs to be done. It could also serve as a small project management form if so constructed. However most of the time it will consist of several of the items above embedded into one sheet.
There is so much to learn in project management that I have chosen to create numerous resources in lieu of blogging about the basics. Our journey will now start in Project Management for “Leaner” Marketing and there will be a fair amount of blogging around that subject.
Related Posts:
Replacing the Marketing Calendar with Project Management
Posted by: | CommentsI believe that many Marketing projects do not conform to good solid project management techniques and practices. It’s not surprising, seldom does anyone invest in the proper training to develop the skills needed. To do list, due dates without properly define scope, and assigning responsibilities does not constitute project management. Scope, Managing Risk, Variation and Resource Planning are just some of the necessary parts of a solid project management structure. Even your Marketing budget could be identified and tracked by a Project Management System. A calendar is to simple to manage the complexities of today’s marketing. Developing good Project Management techniques is imperative.
A single blog post cannot describe the intricacies of Project Management and the framework in developing a structure to make it successful. These AFFILIATE links are just the best of the processes and information I have used in developing a solid Project Management background.
I have for years followed the Ten Step Project Management philosophy for Project Management. It is carefully thought out and is a proven method of Project management.
If you choose to just to learn a little about Project Management and the Terms used in this field Click here to download a free ebook!
Out of all the books that I have read on the subject and used, the one I would recommend starting with is Lean Project Management: Eight Principles For Success 
A quick Summary of Larry’s First Principle:
It’s the system! You must design and implement an effective project delivery system appropriate to your projects, organization, and environment.
The project system consists of people, process, and the product, and the relationships between them.
Some of the basics of project management are essential to all projects, but few are necessary for every project.
The project leader must sort out what matters most for the project at hand.
Any project worth doing is worth doing fast.
Critical Chain Project Management gives you the tools to do projects, in half the time, all the time.
The Lean Project Management approach will include:
More successful projects (satisfied customers and project team, full-scope, on-time, under-budget).
Faster project completion.
Simple project status.
Reduced unnecessary project paperwork.
Clear signals on when to take action on the project.
Reduced pressure on project team members.
Reduction of the waste that causes project delays: multi-tasking, queuing, Student Syndrome, Parkinson’s law.
Learn more and download a free chapter if you go to the E-book section in the TenStep Store for templates, eBooks and many other project management products., under the title Lean Project Management: Eight Principles for Success.
Are you ready to give up your Marketing Calendar?
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s not working, it’s that simple. You are assigning responsibilities, deadlines and tasks, but it is just a headache to keep up. The most apparent problem: tasks are not getting handed off well or at the wrong time to others. Another problem may be, everyone’s priorities seem all mixed up, and one or two people or departments seem to be a enormous bottleneck. A project management system is not a cure all, but it certainly is a start.
An excerpt from the TenStep Project Management Ebook on Options for Obtaining a Methodology:
To successfully implement a project management methodology, first convince yourself that there is value if the process is applied and utilized correctly. In fact, all projects use a methodology of processes, procedures and templates. If you don’t think you have one, it really means that you have a poor and informal one.
If you need a good project management methodology, there are two major sources.Build one yourself. You can build a custom methodology that perfectly reflects the philosophy and best practices of your organization. Many companies continue to do this today.
Buy one. If you build a methodology, you might be surprised to learn that it ultimately looks similar to most other project management methodologies that people use. No matter how you structure it, you still need to plan, build a workplan, manage scope and risks, communicate, etc. Therefore, many companies choose to buy or license a pre-existing methodology. These pre-built methodologies usually have everything your organization needs to be successful.
Of course, if you buy a methodology, you still may need to customize it to meet the specific needs of your organization. This gives you the benefits of option 1, while also taking less effort and cost, which is the major benefit of option 2.
TenStep, Inc.©
The TenStep website is one of the most content driven websites on Project Management. It is great place to learn the basic, intermediate and advanced structure and terminology of the business.
If you choose to just to learn a little about Project Management and the Terms used in this field Click here to download a free ebook!
Learn more about the Ten Step Management Process at the TenStep Store for templates, eBooks and many other project management products.
P.S. I am an affiliate of this product.
Related Post: The Death of the Marketing Calendar – Part1
