Posted by Renata Brandão in
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Friday, 28 December 2012
at 02:57
Sheffield City Taxis, its Safe Taxi Scheme and new iPhone App
Posted by Renata Brandão in
at 11:03
Sheffield Host Scheme – a fun way to find out more about British culture
Posted by Renata Brandão in
Sunday, 27 March 2011
at 07:02
What is: the future of digital marketing?
Posted by Renata Brandão in
So our journey comes to an end (at least for a while) 21st Century kid,
But before I go, I would like to give you some heads up. Something that you can think about, something that might help you in the future.
There is a known African proverb that says that “for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”. The truth is that, in such a ephemeral world, where attention spam is increasingly scarce – as everyone is constantly talking to everyone – and the ability of reaching the public is decreasing, being proactive becomes much more than a quality. It is now a must-have attribute to anyone who wants to be successful and, in order to be so, one needs to be always in touch of what is coming next and try to act on it today.
And that is what I want you do to kid, act on it now.
So let’s start, shall we?
I find appropriate to say that thinking about the future of digital marketing is undoubtedly a great challenge to anyone. But this is also a two-way road, as no matter how hard it may seem, it is also extremely crucial and thus it must be taken seriously into consideration. And that is why I am here today, to tell you what are my, and specialists, thoughts on the prospects of digital marketing and how to jump on their bandwagons.
The truth is that there are a thousand trends, for this year alone, and they are in constant change. Still, these are my favorite 3.
Reputation Engines
One of the greatest things about the Internet is that you can share knowledge, talk to others and discuss pretty much everything you want. Even greater than that, is to think that your audiences is also out there in this digital world. And they talk, they share, they have a whole network of their own.
As said before, an engaged consumer will recommend the brand/idea four times more than a “neutral” one. But here is the thing: these recommendations will soon be – some already are – all made online. And from the number of Twitter followers, Facebook fans, mayorships on Foursquare…these “reputational builders” are growing colossally.
What comes next?
QR Codes
QR Codes? What are those? They are the next step on the evolution of barcodes. They allow the storage of information much more than the limited bar code and seem to be here to stay.
But does it work and why is it a trend?
Social Networks
Social Networks might seem like a harp on platform but they are not. They still have a long way to go…and believe me they will. This is for certain, but what will be the next revolution involving social networks?
No one can say for sure but – and think carefully about this – given the success of Twitter, perhaps we can conclude that the next revolution will involve large-scale communication; given the success of foursquare, we might say that the next revolution will involve geolocation; given the success of mobile applications, we can argue that the next revolution will be on your phone, your tablet and also in your browser, and not just in one place.
In the end, the possibilities are endless and only time will tell.
Still, I find relevant to say that not every – future or current – trend works to everyone. In that sense the final decision, if you should jump on the bandwagon or not, depends on you. Just have a thought, see what each can bring you or your company and then join their bandwagons.
Good luck in the journey my kid and, as always, do not forget to share your thoughts.
But before I go, I would like to give you some heads up. Something that you can think about, something that might help you in the future.
There is a known African proverb that says that “for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”. The truth is that, in such a ephemeral world, where attention spam is increasingly scarce – as everyone is constantly talking to everyone – and the ability of reaching the public is decreasing, being proactive becomes much more than a quality. It is now a must-have attribute to anyone who wants to be successful and, in order to be so, one needs to be always in touch of what is coming next and try to act on it today.
And that is what I want you do to kid, act on it now.
So let’s start, shall we?
I find appropriate to say that thinking about the future of digital marketing is undoubtedly a great challenge to anyone. But this is also a two-way road, as no matter how hard it may seem, it is also extremely crucial and thus it must be taken seriously into consideration. And that is why I am here today, to tell you what are my, and specialists, thoughts on the prospects of digital marketing and how to jump on their bandwagons.
The truth is that there are a thousand trends, for this year alone, and they are in constant change. Still, these are my favorite 3.
Reputation Engines
One of the greatest things about the Internet is that you can share knowledge, talk to others and discuss pretty much everything you want. Even greater than that, is to think that your audiences is also out there in this digital world. And they talk, they share, they have a whole network of their own.
As said before, an engaged consumer will recommend the brand/idea four times more than a “neutral” one. But here is the thing: these recommendations will soon be – some already are – all made online. And from the number of Twitter followers, Facebook fans, mayorships on Foursquare…these “reputational builders” are growing colossally.
What comes next?
“Several recent companies such as BranchOut, Honestly.com (formerly Unvarnished) and Hashable, have attempted to bridge the gap between real-world reputation and online marks"So keep an eye on that because soon you will be building – and maintaining – your reputation via one of those online tools.
QR Codes
QR Codes? What are those? They are the next step on the evolution of barcodes. They allow the storage of information much more than the limited bar code and seem to be here to stay.
But does it work and why is it a trend?
Social Networks
Social Networks might seem like a harp on platform but they are not. They still have a long way to go…and believe me they will. This is for certain, but what will be the next revolution involving social networks?
No one can say for sure but – and think carefully about this – given the success of Twitter, perhaps we can conclude that the next revolution will involve large-scale communication; given the success of foursquare, we might say that the next revolution will involve geolocation; given the success of mobile applications, we can argue that the next revolution will be on your phone, your tablet and also in your browser, and not just in one place.
In the end, the possibilities are endless and only time will tell.
Still, I find relevant to say that not every – future or current – trend works to everyone. In that sense the final decision, if you should jump on the bandwagon or not, depends on you. Just have a thought, see what each can bring you or your company and then join their bandwagons.
Good luck in the journey my kid and, as always, do not forget to share your thoughts.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
at 05:19
How to: give winning pitches?
Posted by Renata Brandão in
pitch
Welcome back 21st Century Kid,
I hope you learned as much as I did in last week’s blog and – most importantly – you are ready for this week’s one. Ok, now picture yourself in front of a couple of investors, you have butterflies in stomach, your hands are sweating but you have this incredible idea that they must hear. What should you do?
Pitching is the art of succinctly delivering a few powerful words that will convince a group of investor to buy your idea or product. But can this art be learned? Would pitching also be a science?
To me, pitching is not an exact science because every person is unique and thus every pitching has a piece of its pitcher on it. However, in a way, it can be seen as a science since it can be thought and thus improved. Truth be told, I am terrified of public speaking – in fact public speaking is a well spread phobia – but with some tips and outlines to follow it can definitely be easier and – at least to me – less scary.
Indeed, a good pitch is essential to generate interest in your project. So sit back, relax and join me while I also learn how to improve pitching skills.
1. Be short.
In a pitch you will have little time, so try to give the message in one minute or less. This one minute is essential Kid, as with it you might get a further 5 minutes of attention and/or a meeting in the near future. As a matter of fact, this is where "elevator pitch" term comes from. But what exactly is an “elavator pitch”? Well, I will leave Sean Wise – consultant of the reality show Dragon’s Den – explain it, and also give some important tips, to you:
2. Be clear.
Since you have little time you must be clear about what you are speaking, as you won’t have time to explain it further. Try to stick to your product and/or idea’s main characteristics and please DO NOT leave room for confusion. Moreover I find extremely useful to make some comparisons, making it easier for your investors to understand, as it serves as a reference.
3. Know how to tell a story.
Yes your product might be innovator and extremely interesting but you need to show that in an attractive way to your investor, otherwise they won’t buy it. The truth is that if you manage to make it attractive you can even sell ice to Eskimos, and a great way to do it is to make it personal, to enunciate the problem as something that you personally – or a friend, or someone that your “audience” can associate with – have struggle with.
4. Problem/Solution
Problem and solution is something that needs to be treated as one. When you present a problem and follows up with a solution to it, you instantly creates a bond with your auditor/investors. It helps to establish the importance of your product or idea and, additionally, shows more clearly what you can and have to give to your client.
5. Financial attractiveness
In the end, no matter how amazing your idea is, how clear and short your pitch was, and whether you created a story with a great solution to a latent problem, it also needs to also be profitable and financially attractive. How to do it? Well, I would say that, a good way is to present market data, relevant statistics or even show, somehow, that costumers will be willing to pay for your product. Your investors are your first – and possibly most important – costumers, sell it to them!
Are you taking notes Kids? I sure am.
Undeniably, doing all that in 2 minutes, or so, seems insane right? Perhaps, but trust me, it is not impossible. And in order to get there, to make a winning pitch, there is only one thing left: practice! Practice as much you can and I am sure you will get there. We will both get there – after all we are on this journey together, right?!
Thank you once again for company and do not forget to share you thoughts with me.
at 03:48
Bonus Track
Posted by Renata Brandão in
bonus track
Hi 21st Century Kid,
This week I was randomly watching videos on YouTube and saw this "How Cool Brands Stay Hot" video. Yes, I have a thing for chilli but the reason why I decided to share this with you is because they managed to approach brilliantly what is and how important Generation Y is.
Moreover, they present a new model on how to reach this core audience. I introduce you CRUSH:
Anyway, I hope you liked this bonus track and please remember to share your thoughts with me.
Sunday, 13 March 2011
at 13:35
What are: the most meaningful measures to improve campaign performance?
Hello again 21st Century kid,
Have you noticed how much we learned since this blog started? It is amazing. Indeed, a lot has been said of how to use online tools, engage with your audience, structure a proper digital marketing campaign, and so on. But one question remains unanswered: how to know if this it is all worth it? Are you having the expected return? How to measure that in order to improve a campaign’s performance?
Well, today’s blog is my help to you in this quest of answering this core question. Truth be told, the greatest thing about online marketing is the fact that it offers you the opportunity to properly measure your campaigns outcomes. That because, unlike traditional media (e.g. TV, Radio, Magazines) – where the audience cannot be identified in isolation – online media enables you to know exactly who saw your campaign, who liked it, who did not, how they saw it and so on.
Actually, there are a thousand acronyms out there that would help you measure that, one for each occasion and purpose, but everyone needs a starting point, right?! This is mine; give it a go:
ROI
Return On Investment is probably my favorite measurement tool. That because in order to properly use it, firstly you will need to know in which grounds your brand and campaigns are currently in. That means that you and your brand should start by knowing and describing your target audience, the current audience, your goals, missions, where you want to increase traffic, which channels you want to use, etc. By doing so, you will generate a solid database, which will in the future enable the monitoring of your performance, accomplishments and what truly matters to you and the company – regardless if it is Twitter’s RTs, Facebook friends or blog readers.
You want to see some examples on how to measure the investments made? Check and try this out kid:
1. Promotional codes/coupons’ campaign can be a great way to measure success. Think about it! Coupon campaigns are an easy way to analyze how your consumers are using the coupons in your store in an everyday basis! Now think harder about this: it will generate a great amount of data – which will only help you measure your outcomes – how great is that?!
2. Now you want to know where are your consumers? Well, track your links! A great way to do so is by using Google Analytics – a gadget that can track from where your clients click are coming from (if it’s from Twitter, Facebook, blogs). That will give you a great heads on the repercussions of your campaign. Use it in your favor!
3. But what are they truly saying about my campaign? Indeed it is essential to know your customers’ feedback. And that is where Google Alerts come in. It can help you a lot with that as it follows in real time what they are saying about your brand. With this you will know if the effort put on the online media was worth and successful or not, which will then help you correct any errors and mistakes of your campaign.
Great, but when is the right time to measure ROI? Well, in this case patience is a virtue. Do not expect that from one day to the other you will be able to collect enough data to measure your campaign. You will not. That because it is not only through the number of followers and fans that a campaign lives, it is also extremely important to consider whether your brand is well positioned in search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo), what happens when the traffic of your site increases, if you are expanding your consumer’s knowledge on your brand, and – most importantly – whether your audience is truly interested and engaged in your brand or not.
Sounding too complicated? Well, the truth is that calculating the success of a campaign is not simple, it is not an easy task – mostly because there is not a standard of how to do it – but I can tell you something 21st Century Kid, everything can be solved when there is a good plan and detailed result’s analysis behind it.
Want to see some examples of how ROI helped improve campaign performance? Check this Socialnomics’ video where it shows several campaigns and its usage of ROIs.
Did you like it?! I hope you did kid.
Now go plan yourself, good luck and remember to always share your thoughts with me.
Have you noticed how much we learned since this blog started? It is amazing. Indeed, a lot has been said of how to use online tools, engage with your audience, structure a proper digital marketing campaign, and so on. But one question remains unanswered: how to know if this it is all worth it? Are you having the expected return? How to measure that in order to improve a campaign’s performance?
Well, today’s blog is my help to you in this quest of answering this core question. Truth be told, the greatest thing about online marketing is the fact that it offers you the opportunity to properly measure your campaigns outcomes. That because, unlike traditional media (e.g. TV, Radio, Magazines) – where the audience cannot be identified in isolation – online media enables you to know exactly who saw your campaign, who liked it, who did not, how they saw it and so on.
Actually, there are a thousand acronyms out there that would help you measure that, one for each occasion and purpose, but everyone needs a starting point, right?! This is mine; give it a go:
ROI
Return On Investment is probably my favorite measurement tool. That because in order to properly use it, firstly you will need to know in which grounds your brand and campaigns are currently in. That means that you and your brand should start by knowing and describing your target audience, the current audience, your goals, missions, where you want to increase traffic, which channels you want to use, etc. By doing so, you will generate a solid database, which will in the future enable the monitoring of your performance, accomplishments and what truly matters to you and the company – regardless if it is Twitter’s RTs, Facebook friends or blog readers.
You want to see some examples on how to measure the investments made? Check and try this out kid:
1. Promotional codes/coupons’ campaign can be a great way to measure success. Think about it! Coupon campaigns are an easy way to analyze how your consumers are using the coupons in your store in an everyday basis! Now think harder about this: it will generate a great amount of data – which will only help you measure your outcomes – how great is that?!
2. Now you want to know where are your consumers? Well, track your links! A great way to do so is by using Google Analytics – a gadget that can track from where your clients click are coming from (if it’s from Twitter, Facebook, blogs). That will give you a great heads on the repercussions of your campaign. Use it in your favor!
3. But what are they truly saying about my campaign? Indeed it is essential to know your customers’ feedback. And that is where Google Alerts come in. It can help you a lot with that as it follows in real time what they are saying about your brand. With this you will know if the effort put on the online media was worth and successful or not, which will then help you correct any errors and mistakes of your campaign.
Great, but when is the right time to measure ROI? Well, in this case patience is a virtue. Do not expect that from one day to the other you will be able to collect enough data to measure your campaign. You will not. That because it is not only through the number of followers and fans that a campaign lives, it is also extremely important to consider whether your brand is well positioned in search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo), what happens when the traffic of your site increases, if you are expanding your consumer’s knowledge on your brand, and – most importantly – whether your audience is truly interested and engaged in your brand or not.
Sounding too complicated? Well, the truth is that calculating the success of a campaign is not simple, it is not an easy task – mostly because there is not a standard of how to do it – but I can tell you something 21st Century Kid, everything can be solved when there is a good plan and detailed result’s analysis behind it.
Want to see some examples of how ROI helped improve campaign performance? Check this Socialnomics’ video where it shows several campaigns and its usage of ROIs.
Did you like it?! I hope you did kid.
Now go plan yourself, good luck and remember to always share your thoughts with me.
Sunday, 6 March 2011
at 11:26
How to: engage your audience.
Ready for another journey 21st Century Kid?
I have been fighting with my computer for hours now trying to find a way to start this week’s post. That because I am here to explain how to engage an audience to create deeper relationships, and it is not that I don’t think I am doing a good job, it is that it kind of feels like I am sharing a secret with someone I should not – after all you are my audience.
And just so I don’t feel like I am betraying myself, or something, I am giving Chris Garrett the first words.
Ok, now my fussing apart, my thoughts on the issue is the following. This is how I believe one should engage with their audience, and most importantly how I – as far as I can go – engage with you.
So firstly, and foremost, you must know your audience. “The more you pin them down, the more you get inside their heads, the more you can really write for them, what they really want“.
Secondly, provide a high-quality content. The truth is that if you want to engage any audience, a great starting point is to provide good (regardless if through tweets, blog posts or videos) content – one that grab your audience’s attention through interesting and valuable information. That because in today’s digital world we are overwhelmed with mediocre information, thus presenting useful content will not only attract the audience but also make them come back and, in the process, build deeper relationships.
Fourthly, listen to your audience. It bears repetition that social media is becoming a – if not the most – valuable means of communication. In that sense, use it both in your and your audience’s advantage. Listen to them and learn from them. Meaning that you must keep what is working but also, try to implement the changes they suggest. They are core to any idea and thus you must do anything to meet their desire.
Fifthly, do not forget to give feedback, comment and even some sort of reward to your contributors. As by doing so you will be encouraging participation from others, which will then – most likely – make your audience grow.
And lastly, meet them in person. Wait 21st Century kid, I am not telling you to go randomly meet every single one of your audience, what I mean by that is that despite all the power of social media, there is no better way to truly connect and engage with people than knowing them personally. That is why symposia, conferences, lectures, seminars are still so popular. Thus if you have a chance to meet some of your audience in an event, do it! – as it will most definitely create a stronger bond between you and your audience.
The truth is that:
4x → an engaged consumer will recommend the brand/idea four times more than a “neutral” one.
and
3x → engaged audience will visit the website two times more and buy your products three times more than “neutral” consumers.
There you are my kid, my little secret to you. In the end the Little Prince’s fox is right, "[i]t is the time that you have spent for your rose that makes your rose so important" and it is indeed the time that I’ve spend for you that makes you so important to me.
Thank you for another journey and please remember to share your thoughts with me.
I have been fighting with my computer for hours now trying to find a way to start this week’s post. That because I am here to explain how to engage an audience to create deeper relationships, and it is not that I don’t think I am doing a good job, it is that it kind of feels like I am sharing a secret with someone I should not – after all you are my audience.
And just so I don’t feel like I am betraying myself, or something, I am giving Chris Garrett the first words.
Ok, now my fussing apart, my thoughts on the issue is the following. This is how I believe one should engage with their audience, and most importantly how I – as far as I can go – engage with you.
So firstly, and foremost, you must know your audience. “The more you pin them down, the more you get inside their heads, the more you can really write for them, what they really want“.
Secondly, provide a high-quality content. The truth is that if you want to engage any audience, a great starting point is to provide good (regardless if through tweets, blog posts or videos) content – one that grab your audience’s attention through interesting and valuable information. That because in today’s digital world we are overwhelmed with mediocre information, thus presenting useful content will not only attract the audience but also make them come back and, in the process, build deeper relationships.
Thirdly, you must join the conversation! Please have in mind that social media is a platform which is intricately related to what is happening now in the world and thus, in order to engage the audience, one needs to share their thoughts, opinions and – above all things – knowledge on current issues. So join the bandwagon 21st Century Kid, join the conversation, as it is how you make your audience know that you are well informed and thus can provide good content to them.
Fourthly, listen to your audience. It bears repetition that social media is becoming a – if not the most – valuable means of communication. In that sense, use it both in your and your audience’s advantage. Listen to them and learn from them. Meaning that you must keep what is working but also, try to implement the changes they suggest. They are core to any idea and thus you must do anything to meet their desire.
Fifthly, do not forget to give feedback, comment and even some sort of reward to your contributors. As by doing so you will be encouraging participation from others, which will then – most likely – make your audience grow.
And lastly, meet them in person. Wait 21st Century kid, I am not telling you to go randomly meet every single one of your audience, what I mean by that is that despite all the power of social media, there is no better way to truly connect and engage with people than knowing them personally. That is why symposia, conferences, lectures, seminars are still so popular. Thus if you have a chance to meet some of your audience in an event, do it! – as it will most definitely create a stronger bond between you and your audience.
The truth is that:
4x → an engaged consumer will recommend the brand/idea four times more than a “neutral” one.
and
3x → engaged audience will visit the website two times more and buy your products three times more than “neutral” consumers.
There you are my kid, my little secret to you. In the end the Little Prince’s fox is right, "[i]t is the time that you have spent for your rose that makes your rose so important" and it is indeed the time that I’ve spend for you that makes you so important to me.
Thank you for another journey and please remember to share your thoughts with me.
Sunday, 27 February 2011
at 08:08
How to: deliver projects on brief, on time & on budget.
Welcome back 21st Century Kid.
Let’s start a new journey on the digital marketing world, shall we?
So last post I presented you my favorite digital marketing creative. Indeed, once we have all the results of a given campaign, it seems fairly easy and stress-free the path in which the team has gone through to reach such a successful campaign. But truth be told, the path to get to this success is long and demanding.
As a matter of fact, I believe that more than merely having a great idea, producing a successful project depends more on the ability of adapting to change, of planning and, above all things, of delivering results on time and on budget.
But how we do that?
Well, first and foremost it is needed for us to understand that a project is a temporary work – which means that it has a beginning and an end – that has fixed goals and missions. More than that, it is important to have in mind that managing a project means acting in way to achieve the proposed objectives within the determined – meaning actively working within the parameters restrictions of deadlines and costs (budget).
Thus, the job of a good project manager is to ensure that these goals will be reached despite the constraints of resource and time. And these are my tips to you my 21st Century kid…for you to be a great project manager.
• Have specific goals.
Again, last post, I pointed out that one of the reasons why catchachoo campaign was so successful is due to its specific goals. To me this is basic marketing strategy as having specific goals means knowing the project’s milestones and, thus, having a proper mission. And having those means not diverting the path to achieve them and thus not overspending money or time.
• Also have a methodology.
Adding to the previous point, having a methodology means having more control over the resources that will be used in the project. And to me, controlling the process is the best way to make it more effective – as it will, most likely, mean projects’ delivers with higher accuracy rate in terms of time and costs. Indeed a good use of a methodology is important because it helps avoiding practices that can in the future lead one to failure. One good example of a methodology that has been use lately is IBM’s RUP – Rational Unified Process. It is indeed quite interesting and worth having a look kid.
• Define project scope and detail activities.
You heard me kid, use and abuse the use of WBS!!! Work Breakdown Structure should be your best friend in this journey. That because after defining your scope – which is highly important because it permits the team to understand the delineations of the project and draw a line between what should be done and what shouldn’t – you will need to work closely with your WBS’ charts in order to thoroughly detail every and each person/teams’ activities.
• Now communicate!!!
Communication is the most important element of any kind of project, relationship or environment. Why is it so essential? Well, in order for you to understand this better, I will (temporarily) give my dm-clickthrough voice to Rita Mulcahy – an expert in advanced project management. She has excellent communication skills and thus explains more succinctly and brilliantly the importance of communication for a project.
• Know your team and every one else involved on the project.
Everyone involved in the project is known as “stakeholders”. It is them you have to know, they are the ones that you have to work it, and – most importantly – they are the ones you have to please. Knowing the interests of all those involved means delivering more effective and accurate projects.
• Develop a chronogram together with those “who get their hands dirty”.
This one is more focused on the project manager’s role, but the core idea here is of interconnection among every sub-team. To me the main way of developing a successful agenda – and thus delivering the project on brief, time and budget – is to do it alongside those who “actually work” on it. That because an effective chronogram means identifying specific tasks required, estimating time required to complete, and who will perform each task and how can one do it without interacting with those involved? Thus, please be sure to include your project team – and sub-teams – when estimating the work effort required in completing each task, and indeed the whole project.
• Monitor – identify and reduce – the risks and be pro-active!!!
Now that everyone knows that to do, it is highly important to identify risks that may prevent the successful development of the project. So many projects have failed because something “unexpected” happened, you do not want to be one of those! “You need to ensure these unexpected things (risks) are identified early in the life of the project and managed effectively.” (Rosenhead) Again, use and abuse of typical project management tolls. Draw GANTT charts, several of them – in post-it, online, by hand, it does not matter –, they are a great help in foreseen possible threats and risks; and thus a great way of preventing the project’s failure in relation to its’ parameters.
• Have a formal beginning and ending of the project.
I know that I have been, throughout this blog’s life, harping on some things about project management and campaigns, but understand 21st Century kid that if I do so is because they are indeed something important to be taken into consideration. One example of this is my recurrent idea that one must evaluate project’s results. Having a specific beginning to a project is important, but having a explicit end to it is much more important one as it is only then that one will know for sure if the project achieved its goals within the time and budget constrains. And that is precisely what will differentiate an extremely to a successful one, an “ok” one and, obviously, successful campaigna failed one.
There we are. Are you now ready to develop a successful project that will be delivered succinctly, on time and on budget? I am sure you are!
Good luck in any project you create in your life 21st Century kid.
Let me know how they go and please don’t forget to always share your thoughts with me.
Let’s start a new journey on the digital marketing world, shall we?
So last post I presented you my favorite digital marketing creative. Indeed, once we have all the results of a given campaign, it seems fairly easy and stress-free the path in which the team has gone through to reach such a successful campaign. But truth be told, the path to get to this success is long and demanding.
As a matter of fact, I believe that more than merely having a great idea, producing a successful project depends more on the ability of adapting to change, of planning and, above all things, of delivering results on time and on budget.
But how we do that?
Well, first and foremost it is needed for us to understand that a project is a temporary work – which means that it has a beginning and an end – that has fixed goals and missions. More than that, it is important to have in mind that managing a project means acting in way to achieve the proposed objectives within the determined – meaning actively working within the parameters restrictions of deadlines and costs (budget).
Thus, the job of a good project manager is to ensure that these goals will be reached despite the constraints of resource and time. And these are my tips to you my 21st Century kid…for you to be a great project manager.
• Have specific goals.
Again, last post, I pointed out that one of the reasons why catchachoo campaign was so successful is due to its specific goals. To me this is basic marketing strategy as having specific goals means knowing the project’s milestones and, thus, having a proper mission. And having those means not diverting the path to achieve them and thus not overspending money or time.
• Also have a methodology.
Adding to the previous point, having a methodology means having more control over the resources that will be used in the project. And to me, controlling the process is the best way to make it more effective – as it will, most likely, mean projects’ delivers with higher accuracy rate in terms of time and costs. Indeed a good use of a methodology is important because it helps avoiding practices that can in the future lead one to failure. One good example of a methodology that has been use lately is IBM’s RUP – Rational Unified Process. It is indeed quite interesting and worth having a look kid.
• Define project scope and detail activities.
You heard me kid, use and abuse the use of WBS!!! Work Breakdown Structure should be your best friend in this journey. That because after defining your scope – which is highly important because it permits the team to understand the delineations of the project and draw a line between what should be done and what shouldn’t – you will need to work closely with your WBS’ charts in order to thoroughly detail every and each person/teams’ activities.
• Now communicate!!!
Communication is the most important element of any kind of project, relationship or environment. Why is it so essential? Well, in order for you to understand this better, I will (temporarily) give my dm-clickthrough voice to Rita Mulcahy – an expert in advanced project management. She has excellent communication skills and thus explains more succinctly and brilliantly the importance of communication for a project.
• Know your team and every one else involved on the project.
Everyone involved in the project is known as “stakeholders”. It is them you have to know, they are the ones that you have to work it, and – most importantly – they are the ones you have to please. Knowing the interests of all those involved means delivering more effective and accurate projects.
Project Agency research shows that those projects where stakeholders are identified and well managed deliver better project results than those, which take little or no account of this important group.Ron Rosenhead is an expert in project management.
• Develop a chronogram together with those “who get their hands dirty”.
This one is more focused on the project manager’s role, but the core idea here is of interconnection among every sub-team. To me the main way of developing a successful agenda – and thus delivering the project on brief, time and budget – is to do it alongside those who “actually work” on it. That because an effective chronogram means identifying specific tasks required, estimating time required to complete, and who will perform each task and how can one do it without interacting with those involved? Thus, please be sure to include your project team – and sub-teams – when estimating the work effort required in completing each task, and indeed the whole project.
• Monitor – identify and reduce – the risks and be pro-active!!!
Now that everyone knows that to do, it is highly important to identify risks that may prevent the successful development of the project. So many projects have failed because something “unexpected” happened, you do not want to be one of those! “You need to ensure these unexpected things (risks) are identified early in the life of the project and managed effectively.” (Rosenhead) Again, use and abuse of typical project management tolls. Draw GANTT charts, several of them – in post-it, online, by hand, it does not matter –, they are a great help in foreseen possible threats and risks; and thus a great way of preventing the project’s failure in relation to its’ parameters.
• Have a formal beginning and ending of the project.
I know that I have been, throughout this blog’s life, harping on some things about project management and campaigns, but understand 21st Century kid that if I do so is because they are indeed something important to be taken into consideration. One example of this is my recurrent idea that one must evaluate project’s results. Having a specific beginning to a project is important, but having a explicit end to it is much more important one as it is only then that one will know for sure if the project achieved its goals within the time and budget constrains. And that is precisely what will differentiate an extremely to a successful one, an “ok” one and, obviously, successful campaigna failed one.
There we are. Are you now ready to develop a successful project that will be delivered succinctly, on time and on budget? I am sure you are!
Good luck in any project you create in your life 21st Century kid.
Let me know how they go and please don’t forget to always share your thoughts with me.
