Branding does not rest solely with a company. Brand offers unique value that people can get excited about and get behind. A project with a branded identity creates clarity and ownership among stakeholders. Get some tips for creating a compelling project brand that will rally teams for even the less popular projects.

1. Branding projects
Creating identity & ownership your
team can get behind
Your presenter is:
Alison Sigmon, M.Ed., LPC, PMP
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2. What’s on tap for our time together today…
 Cost of failure of projects
 Why don’t they Likemy project
 Brand? Isn’t that for the biz…
 Why bother? We’re too busy
 Okay, we’re in…so NOW what
 Tips, best practice to get ‘em behind the project
 Wrap it up!
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3. Cost of failure of projects
Tons of time, training, and money have been invested in ensuring
project management processes are in place and people know how to
use them. And yet projects still fail.
• A study reviewed 10,640 projects from
200 companies in 30 countriesfound
only2.5% of the companies
successfully completed 100% of their
projects.
• A separate study analyzed 1,471 IT
projects and found the average overrun
was 27%, but1:6projects had a
costoverrun of 200%and a schedule
overrun of70%.
Source: http://gmj.gallup.com/content/152429/cost-bad-project-management.aspx
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4. How
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5. There are a variety of reasons this happens on the functional
side and behavioral side of project management.
Today we’ll focus on the behavioral side because if we
address that then most of the time the functional side will fall
into place.
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6. Why don’t they Like my project…
It’s not that
they don’t
like your
project
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7. Maybe it’s just that they…
• Don’t understand it
• Are super busy
• Have higher priority work
• Don’t see the value
• Consider it not very compelling
• Think it’ll take too much time
• Believe there’s not much to gain
• Aren’t confident it’ll be successful
• Think it will create more work and
less value when launched
• Believe it’s a pet project
• The processes are a nightmare
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8. Question that makes you go hmmm…
Now, why on
Earth would
they EVER,
EVER think any
of those things?
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9. Rock star projects…
Let’s admit it. Some projects are more fun, cutting
edge, and even glamorous to work on…
High profile
Big business value
Chances of success are high
They have management support
Clear vision, mission, & cash
Promises are kept
Super cool
All of these things offer something akin to a product or
businessBrand. Stakeholders typically want to be part of
that action…Don’t you?
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10. Brand? Isn’t that for the biz
BRAND
Not just for
business anymore…
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11. What is brand anyway…
Brand is vast, deep, and time
consuming to manage,
and our attitude about it
comes own to our personal
experience with it.
If it’s positive, we feel trust
and accountability.
If it’s negative, we do
whatever we can to get
way from it, reject it, etc.
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12. But brand is more than…
Taste
Tagline or Catchphrase
Name,
Logo,
Sounds Color
Smells
Performance, movement Shapes, Graphics

13. Brand is a personal experience
Brand is a kind of personality that creates identity
others immediately recognize and connect with.
It’s behavioral and psychological. Our thoughts,
mental images, feelings, values, perceptions, hopes,
experiences, and attitudes all contribute to brand
experience.
It represents us. It reflects us. It inspires us.
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14. Why bother? We’re too busy
Guess what…maybe
the process pieces are
already there
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15. Characteristics of brand
• Compelling vision • Follow through
• Strategic purpose • Commitment
• Driving mission • Focus
• Why it matters – So what • Consistency & Trust
• Clear goals • Status
•Benefits • Workflow
Identification Promise
Differentiation Relationship
• Unique • Emotional connection
• Accountability • Engagement
• Characteristics that make it • Inclusion
unique and special • Communication
• Roles, responsibilities • Monitor, respond to
• Values, clear objectives changes
• Timing • Watching trends, shifts
Sound familiar…
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16. Characteristics of projects
• Compelling vision • Follow through
• Strategic purpose • Commitment
• Driving mission • Focus
• Why it matters – So what • Consistency & Trust
• Clear goals • Status
•Benefits • Workflow
Initiating Executing
Identification Promise
Planning Controlling
Differentiation Relationship
• Accountability • Emotional connection
• Roles, responsibility • Engagement
• Characteristics that make it unique and • Inclusion
special • Communication
• Values, clear objectives • Monitor, respond to
• Timing changes
• Watching trends, shifts
Sound familiar…yes it does.
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17. Connect the dots…
The net-net…
Creating a brand for a
product or service is not
that different from good
project management
practice.
The key is in what you do
& focus on. If the project is
considered second tier
connect the dots to
make it a first tier.
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18. Okay, we’re in so NOW what
Use your tools…
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19. Project pressures may have PMs too focused on the processes, tasks of the project.
Result? The things that keep stakeholders connected, engaged are stripped out.
Create a compelling story and use it as a touchstone throughout the project.
Burning Platform
•Share the why
• Business Need
• Feasibility
•Risks of doing/not doing
the projects
• Project Charter
•Benefits
• Current State
•Opportunities leveraged
• Future state
Not sure?
What are you waiting
for…go get what you
need.
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20. Your strength as a project manager is not just in numbers, workflow, and reports. It’s
in emotional connection, big picture thinking, and influence. To do this you have to
stay slightly ahead of your stakeholders.
WIIFT
•Know their motivations
• Respond to what they
care about
•Keep the big picture in
mind
• Understand their
passions& interests
• Figure out how they feel
valued
• Be thoughtful but
focused
Not sure?
Pay attention. Go ask.
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21. And it’s good to literally & figuratively do a few of these for your project too…
Taste
Tagline or Catchphrase
Name,
Logo,
Sounds Color
Smells
Performance, movement Shapes, Graphics

22. Hot tips, best practice to get ‘em on board
Putting it all in
motion…
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23. How to connect the dots…
“Too often senior leaders say that
innovation is a strategic priority,
but when it comes to allocating
resources and creating the time
and space for innovation to occur and
thrive, many de-prioritize it in
favor of shorter term (and often
smaller financial) wins…business unit
teams have to be really ambitious
and your senior management has to
be committed, supportive, and
hungry. It can’t be one or the other.”
Source: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669216/five-new-rules-for-a-winning-brand-
launch
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24. If it were easy…
If it were easy to create a brand experience, everybody would be doing it!
But even for companies launching a new brand, it’s not easy to do.
• Creating a new brand expensive& challenging
•Innovation & doing things differently can be scary
• New product launch numbers aren’t inspiring: only 25% of new products
generate more than $7.5 million in sales in their first year. Only 3% achieve $50
million or more. Source: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669216/five-new-rules-for-a-winning-brand-launch
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25. 5 P’s from “Why Every Project Needs a Brand”
http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2011-summer/52416/why-every-project-needs-a-brand-and-how-to-create-one/
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26. How to connect the dots…think differently
It all starts with you and the project
team.
•Challenge each other & don’t take it
personally when you don’t agree
•Create personal meaning
• Think outside the box
• T-shaped thinking
• Go get what you need to build
interest and enthusiasm
•Connect the dots
• Take a nod from non-project
management processes
• Sell it, promote it as you would to a
customer
• Remember: excitement is infectious
•Attitude matters
• Pictures are worth a 1000 words
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27. Wrapping it up
 Some projects naturally have brand qualities. Those that
don’t can. It starts with you.
 Brand identity creates an emotional connection that can
inspire others
 Project pressures create a risk of depersonalizing the
experience
 Tools and skills are there but you gotta use them
Questions???
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28. Thank you!
Alison Sigmon, M.Ed, LPC, PMP
asigmon@systemation.com
Twitter @alisonsigmon
www.slideshare.net/ahsigmon
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