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When it comes to any global brand activation project, success ultimately comes down to effective project management. It sounds simple and obvious, but doing the homework around ambitious brand programmes across continents and countries will reap dividends in the long run.
Forensic and fluid project management of your company sign rollout can not only help you deliver everything on time, but ensure that costs are kept firmly under control. Here’s how…
Project management team - terms of reference
Everything starts with a project management team leader and a project management team that has clear terms of reference, including core objectives, key milestones, defined roles and responsibilities and clear budget parameters. But that’s just your foundation. To make it all work you need to deploy project management tools and techniques to track progress at every stage.
Communication plan
Projects start to quickly go wrong when communication between teams and individuals breaks down, for whatever reason. The best way to prevent this is to have a robust communication plan that engages everyone throughout every key stage.
Think about creating a fully interconnected comms plan, one that doesn’t just include your internal teams but includes local contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. Establish key lines of communication between each of these teams so that everyone knows key milestones in terms of deliverables, including contingency timings.
Cross-functional collaboration and coordination
Don’t operate in silos - encourage open communication, address challenges collaboratively, and ensure everyone achieves the same objectives. Operating across wide geographical territories means that collaboration, and communication, via a centralised coordination system is essential - especially to ensure consistency around brand guidelines and design.
Real time reporting
Different time zones and different working hours means there can be big discrepancies when it comes to getting an accurate, up-to-date overview of where each company sign installation project is up to. This is why a reporting mechanism that allows for real-time updates and feedback from every location is essential.
Risk management
Working on a global scale means there are so many different variables to consider, such as potential shipping delays, local regulatory changes or unforeseen site conditions. By doing rigorous risk analysis at the outset you can identify potential pitfalls before they happen, build in contingency time, and minimise additional costs.
Stakeholder engagement
Knowing who you’re delivering for, and the people who have a vested interest in every stage of the project is essential. But it’s easy to overlook. So, identify who your key stakeholders are and engage with them from the outset. Make sure they’re part of your communication plan as well as your local delivery teams, as well as your customers. Don’t forget to solicit feedback and insights throughout the process to ensure that the final signage meets the needs and expectations of each market.
Monitoring and evaluation
While metrics form the basis against which everything can be measured - from costs to timelines - don’t forget to evaluate other aspects such as visibility, use of materials, installation methods and the emotive side of how people react to your signs.
Post rollout review
Every company sign rollout is a major investment in time, money and people - and an important way of presenting a new face to your customers, and the wider world.
With every project that we undertake we conduct a comprehensive post-rollout review to evaluate both the hits and misses. Every project will always bring new learning insights, so it’s worth taking these on board for when the next evolution of your brand identity comes up for review. It’s also worth building in time for snagging and settling in, to see how your signs in all their locations are performing in terms of visibility, illumination (if they’re illuminated) and security of fixing.
Take a look at how we worked with BT on a global brand rollout to see how we project managed their programme across 207 sites in the UK and globally in an 18 month programme.
If you’re planning a major company sign rollout programme contact the team on +44 (0)115 940 9620 to start a conversation.
