A significant challenge in my career has not been a graphic design request, but a system design request. The core project management platform, used by my department since 2012, was replaced with Asana. As the newly-hired department manager, it was my responsibility to learn and understand the previous system, select the new platform, plan the transition timeline, keep up department productivity while changing from one major structural asset to another, and train building staff around the new processes. I was able to accomplish this within the first 20 months with the company.
Project management platforms are often critical to the operation of communication departments. As a sole contributor, an excel checklist is fine. However, when there are multiple people who may work on a project, or there is a large team with many projects, such as my current department of 12 people, it is important to centralize information in one place. Platforms typically have an intake form, where details of new projects can be collected. There is an assignment mechanism to determine which staff will be involved. There is a built-in calendar and list of steps to keep projects moving on time. There are features which allow routing the files, gathering approvals, and documenting communication during the project.
Leading the process of replacing this software platform on behalf of my department - and my building - impacted the very core of our operation, and I am relieved we have been able to successfully make the transformation. The new platform is much more nimble and easy to navigate for our partners and our internal staff.
History
In 2012, the Function Point platform was implemented in the marketing department. It was loaded with enterprise features, such as a detailed timeclock to track individual project billing. However, when the department model pivoted from an "agency" to an "internal communications team" just before my hire in 2022, tracking billable minutes was no longer needed. Additional feedback from partner clients around the previous project platform had been negative. Partners found the Function Point interface difficult to use, and project workflow timelines, including intake meetings, to be time consuming. The numbered project system made it very difficult to locate legacy projects based on project name or department. The platform had become bloated with more than a decade of previous projects. Former staff had customized linked tab headings and workflows to the point that current online documentation and tutorials were a mismatch.
Following a discovery process in fiscal year 2022-2023, Asana was selected as the most viable option of several platforms under review. Asana integrates with Microsoft Outlook communication capabilities and can be viewed with a mobile device. Asana is also currently used by other departments across campus. The annual cost of the Asana software is half the price of Function Point. Most importantly, though, our student designers and marketers would be able to put a recognizable skill on their resumés after graduation. Few professionals I've met are familiar with Function Point.
Implementation
The Asana subscription was purchased in July of 2023 and was anticipated to overlap with Function Point for one year. Early on, Asana representatives provided a slate of tutorial videos to familiarize staff with the platform. However, due to workload demands, including the Grand Reopening campaign, and the complex platform needs from the department, self-integrating the platform stalled. In response, I hired a project-management consultant in October to assist in the platform customization.
The consultant collaborated with campus IT to understand how the platform is used across campus and to understand the administrator role capabilities. I assembled a focus group of staff within our partner structure in late fall to verbalize specific pain points and concerns with the previous platform, and inform needs around archiving files from within Function Point. Using feedback from these conversations and from marketing department staff, the consultant built out customized workflow templates for different types of projects. After the successful onboard, a marketing staff member was identified to be the point person for any Asana changes or updates moving forward.
Deployment
Marketing Department career staff and student staff were trained on the new platform at our Spring Semester training in January. Over 75 pages of new documentation on specific transactions were created to support the new processes. A video training was developed for clients around creating a new free Asana account in order to access client communication through Outlook, and a staff member met with students in a partner office to demonstrate the process and answer any questions. Feedback in the building was positive, although longtime Function Point users were accustomed to navigating a full dashboard. Project communication with clients now uses a single communication thread which integrates with existing email inboxes. Based on feedback around this difference, staff became more attentive to including full details within the email thread.
Following the January rollout, building-wide LCD reservations and other business service reservations were streamlined to utilize the Asana capabilities in March 2024. The student center's reservation and invoicing system is a unique challenge for staff, as few other campus buildings allow paid advertising on their LCD screens. Navigating this piece was the single largest obstacle when selecting the new platform.
The original paid LCD reservation process required four software platforms:
1. Orders were receiving using Woo Commerce plug-ins on a WordPress site. 2. Approval requests and invoice generation moved through Function Point. 3. Invoices are uploaded to Kuali (the University's accounting platform). 4. Screens are deployed using Poppulo. The invoicing process was first pulled out of Function Point in March of 2023 to an excel-based system, requiring manual download of files for approval. The new Asana procedures allow us to take orders directly through an Asana form and make routing screens for approval much more direct. Invoices are created using screenshots from the Asana intake form. This is a minor inconvenience, but it allows staff more control over timing around when the invoice is forwarded to the customer and to accounting, should there be artwork approval issues during the process. The overall change created a small a cost savings, as we no longer need to pay for the plugin software, and moves from four software platforms to three. We also have access to a live report of screen reservations, instead of relying on Excel information to track customer trends. It also reduced the need to train any staff with Woo Commerce, increasing efficiency.
Workflow improvements
Project intake is much more simple than the previous platform. Clients simply need to set up a free Asana account using their preferred email. Once that step is complete, there is a dynamic intake form which asks for details about the project, and triggers questions which automatically populate follow-up fields depending on the project type indicated. All other client communication is via an Outlook communication thread. This eliminates internal staff time to manage complex staff account settings for clients. Multiple collaborators can be assigned to the project, giving flexibility to oversight within the department and with clients.
There are four main project templates for graphic design, multimedia, content and website requests. Additionally, there is an "express" option for previous projects requiring minor changes, which eliminates the scheduled intake meeting. The graphic design workflow had minor tweaks for efficiency, and new workflows for website updates, content, photography, and multimedia requests allow staff to track request types which previously were not supported. As part of this new system and workflow process, a follow-up survey was built into each project request, allowing the department to compile a net promoter score. This will give us real-time feedback from our partners to ensure we are meeting expectations. The new platform also includes a data dashboard to track the number of requests, department served, and speed of delivery requested.
Integration with existing Sharepoint
Links to training and accessing Asana, general announcement and tutorials, and final files are available to client staff via a SharePoint platform, which was developed in Spring of 2023. The SharePoint portal includes partner folders where completed project files are made available for immediate client use and to create a reference library of previous projects. This system has made storing and archiving files more accessible to building-wide collaborators and easier to find when searching by year or by partner.
Reporting and Data
The platform has custom dashboard fields which display in real time. Instead of downloading a project list, sorting out requests manually, and building graphic charts to demonstrate where efforts are centered, the platform creates this information automatically. The same is true for our LCD reservations. Staff can produce an instant report of which clients are utilizing the service without manually counting them from an Excel report. As the department manager, this instant access is invaluable to provide workload transparency and annual summaries to retainer clients.
Overall, this long anticipated department change has gone well. Our student staff adapted very quickly to the new platform. Career staff have taken a more measured approach and continue to find time-saving steps and features. Our client base still occasionally has questions, but with the positive features of the new platform, the conversations are a great opportunity to show off our new abilities with this tool.
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