In the context of building a CRM or Analytical CoE, I find it more apt to think of project management as progress management. It's not just about rigid steps and checklists; it's about celebrating the journey from our present state to an envisioned future state within a practical, one-year horizon. With our eyes on the future state, we define work streams to bridge the gap between the current state and the future state.

Creating the Roadmap

To create your roadmap, begin by envisioning what the CoE should look like one year from now. For example, you may identify workstreams such as:

1.    Process: Moving from a culture of episodic marketing campaigns to an "always-on" Test and Learn culture.

2.    People: Evolving your team’s knowledge of experimental design thinking and acceptance of always improving marketing tactics.

3.    Technology: Integrating technology-enabled asset creation and deployment for experimentation.

Quarterly Milestones

Tackle the journey ahead in quarters. Identify quarterly milestones for each of the workstreams. For example, for workstream #1: Moving from a culture of episodic marketing campaigns to an “always-on” Test and Learn culture, quarterly milestones might include the following:

• Quarter 1
• Assess training needs and develop a plan
• Introduce the Performance Brief
• Identify the initial pilot
• Etc.
• Quarter 2
• Execute the initial pilot
• Develop the initial Knowledge Management platform
• Begin Knowledge Management rituals
• Etc.

Continue for Quarters three and four with the highest fidelity in the early quarters as this is an iterative and evolving plan. Details may evolve, but the direction remains clear.

From Progress to Project Management

With the milestones set, we transform this Progress Plan into a traditional Project Management Plan. Each milestone is dissected into actionable tasks, integrated into weekly stand-ups, and tracked using the project management tool that best suits our workflow.

Embracing a Practical Approach

The path will change as we learn and grow, but the vision for the future state remains unaltered. By focusing on progress rather than perfection, we create the opportunity to celebrate progress, little accomplishments each week to start. Momentum builds momentum, and success breeds more success. Your job is to champion the celebrations.

Project management in the context of a CRM CoE is more than just timelines and deliverables; it's a progressive journey towards an ambitious, yet attainable future state. It's a practical, flexible plan that focuses on incremental progress, with each quarter building on the last. By breaking down our year-long vision into quarterly goals, and then further into weekly tasks, we ensure that each member of the team knows their role in the journey.