Dear Reader,
At its core, project management is the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing a project.
It’s a discipline that applies knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet project requirements and achieve desired outcomes.
In the context of marketing or PR, project management can involve coordinating a product launch, planning a PR campaign, or even managing a social media schedule.
It’s a crucial skill for any communicator or marketeer (or someone asked to manage or coordinate a marketing or PR task), and mastering it can significantly enhance your effectiveness and efficiency.
Here are some approaches on understanding project management.
Traditional Project Management: Traditional project management is a linear approach where each phase of the project lifecycle must be completed before the next can begin (reference: https://www.coursera.org/articles/project-management-methodologies-your-guide).
- This approach is beneficial for projects where a lot of change is not expected and you have a clear vision of the finished product (reference: https://www.g2.com/articles/project-management-approach).
- For example, if you’re planning a PR campaign that you’ve executed multiple times before, a traditional approach might be suitable.
Agile Project Management: Agile project management is a flexible approach that allows for changes and updates throughout the project (reference: https://www.g2.com/articles/project-management-approach).
- This approach is beneficial for projects where changes are expected and flexibility is required (reference: https://www.atlassian.com/agile/agile-marketing/what-is-agile-marketing).
- For example, if you’re managing a social media schedule that needs to adapt to trending topics, an agile approach might be more appropriate.
Product-Based Planning: Product-based planning focuses on the outputs and deliverables of a project.
- This approach is beneficial for projects that aim to launch a product or service (reference: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/project-management-basics).
- For example, if you’re coordinating a product launch, a product-based planning approach might be the best fit.
Reach out to us at the Guild of Communicators Academy (academy@gocommunicators.com) if you have any questions!
For more reading from this email series:
Email 1 – Introduction to Project Management
Email 2 – Understanding Project Management
Email 3 – The Framework of Project Management
Email 4 – Identifying Decision Makers and Stakeholders
Email 5 – Creating a Project Management Plan
Email 6 – Measuring Project Success
Email 7 – Reporting and Sharing Project Success
Email 8 – Conducting an After-Action Review