Project & Program Management Tools
These are a few of my favorite project management and workspace tools,
with examples of how you could put them to use for your own work.
Google Workspace:
The Perfect Toolkit for Lean Startups
Being a lean startup is all about maximizing impact with minimal resources. When I worked at Wisdom Wonder Project, we needed to clearly communicate our mission to potential donors and investors, while staying laser-focused to keep costs low. Google Workspace proved its worth as a suite of powerful tools for our team.
With Docs, Sheets, and Slides, we could collaboratively brainstorm, plan, and refine our business model. Google Drive kept all our files organized and accessible, fostering seamless teamwork. And using tools like Gmail, Calendar, and Tasks ensured clear communication both internally and with external stakeholders.
The best part? Google Workspace offered a scalable solution that fit perfectly within our lean budget. We could focus our resources on our mission, not expensive software licenses.
Here are some ways that I utilized Google Workspace for Wisdom Wonder Project:
Sites for Digital Operations Manuals
& How-to Guides
Slides for Lean
Business Plans
& Executive
Board Reports
Identify Viable Product Ideas Fast with
Steven Jones' Free Opportunity Assessment Tool
Struggling to assess new product or business ideas? Steven Jones' free Opportunity Assessment Tool helps you quickly map the potential of your vision with just 9 key questions. Gain clarity and land on the right decision – fast!
I leveraged this tool myself to guide Pacific Psychiatry through a business proposition research project. By summarizing key data points and presenting clear insights, the tool empowered the business owner to make an informed decision about pursuing the opportunity.
Don't let big ideas overwhelm you! I'm passionate about using this assessment method to swiftly identify if an idea has legs and if the timing aligns. A clear plan, even a simple one, can illuminate unknowns and spark confidence to pursue bold endeavors.
Airtable: My Production
Management Tool of Choice
Ever launched a project without a clear roadmap? For Wisdom Wonder Project, their curriculum production began without thorough scoping by the previous project manager, leaving the board in the dark on costs and the team scrambling without a strategy.
Airtable to the rescue! When I stepped in, this powerful tool helped me:
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Map the Project Vision: I captured the entire production process, allowing for accurate cost estimations, velocity calculations, and realistic timelines.
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Visualize for Stakeholders: The board gained a clear picture of the project with cost projections, enabling informed decision-making.
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Break Down the Work: Each course was meticulously segmented, complete with due dates, task tracking, attachments, and communication features.
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Drive Team Alignment: Stakeholders saw the bigger picture, understanding how their contributions impacted the entire course.
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Boost Communication: Employees effortlessly reported task completion, and I could instantly update stakeholders on progress.
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Mitigate Risk: Airtable empowered me to quickly identify timeline risks, assess team capacity, and adjust tasks to ensure on-time launches.
Production Airtable View: Work Breakdown Structure
Production Airtable View: Kanban Board
Airtable: Supercharge Your Marketing Campaigns
Struggling to manage marketing efforts with limited resources? At Wisdom Wonder Project, our tiny marketing team needed a streamlined way to track ambitious marketing campaigns. We turned to Airtable, and it became our secret weapon!
Here's how Airtable transformed our marketing game:
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Campaign Command Center: We planned, created, and managed all marketing initiatives – from email blasts to paid advertising – within a single, organized platform.
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Visuals, Budget & Results – All in One Place: Tracked creation, scheduling (with automated due date reminders), costs, and results for marketing visuals, HTML code, and campaigns.
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Simple Yet Powerful: No complex software to learn. Airtable's user-friendly interface kept us on the same page and campaigns moving smoothly.
Airtable empowers even small teams to launch and manage robust marketing campaigns. Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Try Airtable!
Airtable View: Email Marketing Gallery
Airtable View: Email Marketing Grid
Airtable View: Social Media Planning Gallery
Airtable View: Social Media Post Grid
Airtable View: Blog Planning Grid
Asana: Command Center for
Agile Marketing Campaigns
Feeling overwhelmed by competing priorities and tight marketing budgets? At Wisdom Wonder Project, we needed a way to activate our creative ideas and streamline marketing campaign management.
Enter Asana! This powerful tool became our secret weapon for:
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Crystal Clear Campaign Planning: We mapped out marketing plans with clear tasks and timelines in Asana. This ensured everyone was on the same page and could plan their workload effectively.
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Balancing Act Made Easy: Team members easily saw how WWP tasks fit alongside their other responsibilities, fostering a healthy balance.
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Volunteer Power: Asana helped integrate parent volunteers seamlessly, assigning tasks like product photography and blog posts for a helping hand.
Asana is the perfect solution for marketing teams facing limited resources and competing priorities. Keep your campaigns on track and your team focused.
Asana View: Marketing Campaign Task Management
HubSpot's Free Customer Journey Maps:
Unlock Customer Insights & Boost Sales
Feeling lost in the world of your customers? At Wisdom Wonder Project, we initially struggled to truly understand their needs. This impacted sales and left us with unanswered questions about our target audience.
The Solution? HubSpot's Free Customer Journey Map Templates!
By leveraging these templates, I:
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Unveiled Customer Insights: Gathered valuable data through customer conversations and surveys (quantitative & qualitative).
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Mapped the Customer Journey: Visualized the entire customer experience, pinpointing areas for improvement.
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Increased Sales Potential: Identified actionable steps to enhance the customer journey and drive sales.
HubSpot's free Customer Journey Maps are your key to unlocking deeper customer understanding and boosting sales. Take control of your customer experience today!
Customer Journey Map: Buyer's Journey Exercise
(One sample page from a real customer journey map I created)
