400% return on investment over a 3-year period sounds like a pretty good ROI. This number is often attainable when calculating the ROI on effectively purchasing, implementing, and adopting a project management technology solution for an in-house creative group or in-house ad agency. That calculation doesn't even include many well-known benefits that these tools can offer like improved value justification, decreased error rates, and increased regulatory control. No matter how you spin it, those numbers and benefits sound fantastic on all counts and would leave most buyers very satisfied with their investment. But researching, purchasing, implementing and adopting a system is a significant challenge for most creative organizations.
We've recently visited the New York, Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas metro areas to hold our CreativeExecs Roundtable discussion series for in-house creative leaders, focused on Project Management and Time Tracking Technology. Throughout the course of the meetings, several clear barriers to success have emerged that suggest why only a small number of companies have been able to successfully install a project management tool. Despite these barriers, we remain absolutely convinced that these tools can significantly benefit in-house creative departments in increasing efficiency, justifying resources, enabling better decision making and enabling greater control over process and resources. The following is a summary of the common barriers to a successful project management technology implementation that were identified in the Roundtables, along with a few tips to help you overcome each of them.
Challenge #1: Force Fitting Your Process to the System
Some companies place more emphasis on the steps of their creative process than others, and the same can be said in general at the industry level. No matter what degree of emphasis your department places on process, you'll need to focus on this area first when selecting a new project management or workflow system, or improving your current system. In the words of our Roundtable moderator Dan Mucha, you need to "envision your technology-enabled process first" before exploring all of your options for vendors and functionality. Don't sacrifice a good creative process in order to fit into the capabilities and functionality of the tools you can buy.
Tip: Focus on Process Before Technology
The ROI and benefits associated with these tools are merely the result of a good process being enabled and improved through the use of technology. If you don't have any documented processes or protocols, document them before procuring new technology. You'll need this documentation when developing your requirements list and scoring your potential technology vendors later on. If you already have documented processes and procedures in place but see the need to improve them, re-engineer them now, before selecting a tool or making adjustments to your current tool. This step may appear to be time consuming on the front end, but it will save you a lot more time and discomfort throughout the implementation process and could potentially be the part of the initiative that makes or breaks the success of the tool.
Challenge #2: Corporate IT Constraints
IT departments are generally overburdened and the priorities of creative groups often land at the bottom of the list, and even when our team is prioritized, there are often additional challenges presented. Some organizations are required to find a tool that integrates into their enterprise-wide technology, such as SAP, which can limit the number of potential solutions they are able to consider purchasing. Other organizations have strict procurement standards that prevent the purchase of any new or unique technology without the approval of corporate IT. And some departments are mandated to use corporate IT services when managing the implementation of their new tool, delaying progress..
Tip: Partner with IT Early to Identify Constraints
Do your homework up front to evaluate the IT landscape in your organization so you can develop an IT strategy for the project. Can you quickly gain the approvals you'll be in need of? Will the organization permit you to engage an outside consultant to assist in the implementation if corporate IT doesn't have the bandwidth to support you? What are your restraints/requirements purely from a technical perspective? Will you need to host the tool inside your organization, run it off the cloud, or perhaps even procure a managed service to provide the tool for you? The more you know now in this area, the more time you'll save later on.
Challenge #3: Aligning Users and Requirements
A fully adopted project management tool can touch a wide variety of users in a creative organization, including Account and Project Managers, Traffic Managers, Designers, Marketing Managers, Writers, Editors, Programmers, Videographers, Clients, etc. No single solution, whether purchased off the shelf or custom built, will be capable of pleasing everybody at all times though, and chances are there will be some user groups that don't want to use the tool at all. It is challenging, but very important to understand 1) which users will be mandated to use the tool and 2) what the specific requirements of your user groups will be when using the tool. Getting your user list and requirements wrong will lead to adoption problems, and potentially even cultural problems if contention between user groups begins to arise as a result of the new process and technology.
Tip: Don't Underestimate the Importance of Identifying Users
First, get your user list right. Are you engaging the right user groups with this tool? Are there key functional groups (Example: Marketing Managers) who are regularly involved in the creative process but aren't on your user list? Figure out your user list, and gain buy-in for those you don't have buy-in from before you go any further in implementing your solution. Once you have your user list, begin gathering user specific requirements and "wish lists" of features.
Challenge #4: Underestimating the Change Prioritize Change Management
One of the most common mistakes we see when creative departments venture into adopting new project management technology is is underestimating the need for rigorous change management. Whether it means time tracking when time tracking didn't exist before, taking a new step to ensure their part in the approval process is documented, or staying focused on a new queue of projects that prioritizes work, these tools can have a significant impact on your team's work life. Employees may see the implementation of these new tools as a threat, as these tools usually lead to increased accountability, higher levels of transparency and decreased freedom to venture outside of standard operating procedures.
Tip: Leaders Must Be Champions of the Tool
The most-senior leaders of and over the department must prioritize a migration to a new tool like this as a top change initiative that requires regular communication. The seniormost executive who oversees the users of the project management tool must be ready to look at it as a strategic, high-priority project. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the senior leader to consistently and persistently drive the adoption and ongoing use of the tool and not place the responsibility of change management solely on the shoulders of a manager or contributor below them. Adoption and usage of these tools should also be mandated, not encouraged, and, when appropriate, should be a documented portion of each employee's job responsibilities, which can be evaluated as part of the employee's periodic review.
Challenge #5: Attempting to Manage the Project Off the Side of Your Desk
With all the obstacles noted above, in addition to the steep learning curve that is involved in effectively managing one of these projects, the owner of the "change initiative" involving new project management technology will often realize mid-project that selecting, implementing and driving the successful adoption of a new tool can be close to a full-time job. In fact, Cella knows many people who work for in-house creative departments, who have spent 75% or more of their time for the better part of a year on getting these tools in place. There is a lot to do if you want to do it right and achieve a positive ROI. We have seen many projects in this category get cancelled mid-stream simply because they consumed more time and resources than the departments expected.
Tip: Dedicate Resources to the Selection, Implementation and Adoption
Don't underestimate the amount of time and resources this will take. If you need to, engage a qualified consultant who can help you plan out the project so you know what you're getting into before you even purchase new technology. If you choose to apply staff to the project, don't skimp! Make sure your staff and resources are adequate to get the job done effectively and quickly (while not negatively impacting your production queue). If you don't have internal resources to apply to the project, consider engaging a qualified outside consultant such as Cella to help you drive the project forward.
Looking for more on this topic? We have two upcoming events for you to consider attending:
Intensive Training for In-House Creative Leaders
Please consider joining us for Beyond the Creative 2 November 15-17 in Philadelphia, where Dan Mucha will discuss the capabilities and benefits of systems, considerations in choosing a system and how to gain your management's buy-in for implementing a system. This session will prepare attendees to reap the highest benefits from the Vendor Showcase on Day 3.
Free 60-Minute Webinar
Cella Sr. Consultant Dan Mucha will share the collective input from the participants of our most recent CreativeExecs Roundtable series that addressed the topic of Project Management and Time Tracking Technology. Dan will also guide us through his in-depth presentation on the topic.
We're offering two webinars in September that you may choose to attend, and you can openly share this invitation with other leaders in or outside of your organization. Click on your preferred date below to sign up for the webinar.
Brendon Derr has been working in the creative industry for more than eight years. As the Business Development Manager for Cella Consulting, he maintains intimate and successful business relationships with creative leaders in corporations and agencies. Brendon has gained a keen sense of the unique cultural characteristics that make the Creative Services field tick. Prior to working with Cella, he provided business development for The BOSS Group, where he established himself as a resident expert in building integrated and interactive media creative teams. Brendon developed a new social media recruiting model which is still running today. Before his work with Cella and BOSS, he worked for film and video production companies, providing TV and Corporate production services to creative clientele.
