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Author: Jennifer Hahn Masterson

Best of PMTimes: Project Management Strategies for Succeeding in the Fashion Industry

 Published on: Jan 21, 2020

The fashion industry is one of the fastest-growing ones and it’s probably more unpredictable than any other.

What is “hot” today may easily not be popular tomorrow, which makes it very difficult to plan for very long periods in the future. Still, this industry needs people who know how to manage all its aspects and we can only admire them for their skills.

What people see are models showing the latest fashion trends on the runway. Some are relatively conventional, while others are quite eccentric and we enjoy looking at these works of art, but we probably don’t know what is going on behind the scenes of a fashion show. Instead, we simply admire the final result. For this result to be achieved, teams of people have worked tirelessly for months to prepare such an event and they had to be managed properly. To help you understand what happens behind the scenes, we’re prepared this list of the crucial project management strategies for succeeding in the fashion industry.

Stakeholder management

This refers to your knowledge of the market and customers, as well as your ability to successfully deal with a number of stakeholders who have an impact on your company. The list is quite long and includes, among others, trade organizations, suppliers, sponsors, partners, buyers ad distributors. If you want your company to grow and be successful, you have to establish a transparent collaboration, which facilitates excellent communication with all of them.

Planning

There are many different types of projects in fashion. They range from opening a shop (physical and/or online) to product launch, organizing a fashion show or entering a new market. Each project requires a plan that will turn your vision into reality. You need to have a plan that factors in all the vital steps to reach your goals. This is one of the trickiest things, since the fashion industry is moving fast, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan. Actually, it means you have to devote more attention to planning, because you want your company to produce new fashion items as successfully as possible. With the fierce competition in the industry, this task is harder than ever, which only makes it more important.

 

KPIs

Each process needs to be analyzed to ensure the project is efficient. However, knowing what, when and how to analyze is quite a challenge. The key is analyzing relevant aspects, eliminating human bias and producing actionable data that can be used for preparing, planning and managing projects. Choose the minimum of indicators that reflect crucial parameters and trends, such as time, cost & revenue, work efficiency and work quality to get a clear picture of the direction your project is heading. Forward-thinking companies are now using a digital marketing dashboard to automate the process of data collection and processing, thus saving a lot of time.

 

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Risks and changes

With changes happening constantly in the business, it’s vital you stay on top of your game at all times. No matter how long your company has been successful, it you fail to anticipate future trends and identify challenges, you won’t stand very good chances of surviving. That’s why fashion companies have to identify possible risks (production failures, supply chain errors, etc.) and be prepared for sudden changes (demand change, regulatory changes etc.). Also, they should be aware that customers are much more conscious of the social impact of fashion’s pursuit of producing clothes as fast as possible. It’s true that producing cost-efficient items is important, but negative media coverage can have a devastating impact on any business and ruin a brand’s image. Hence, you need to wage the risks and benefits carefully and balance them out.

 

Agility

It’s very important that a fashion company and its management are agile and flexible. This means that processes, such as sales, customer management or supply chain management will be more efficient, i.e. lead to higher and faster turnover of products and better position on the market. Agility also encompasses the notion that project teams work and collaborate more efficiently. All this is eventually translated in boosted reputation and improved business results, which are the goals of every company in the world. Going by what a new Bachelor of Arts in fashion design at Raffles Milan teaches its students, the fashion system is a huge, articulated, often unpredictable territory, where a sense for the classics manages to find common ground with the extremes of experimentation.

Teamwork

A lot has been said about the importance of teamwork, and fashion companies should know it better than most other businesses. Any misunderstanding or problem in communication can have detrimental effects on the outcome. That’s why it’s important to have regular review meetings to discuss decisions and analyze processes. Every team member needs to know exactly what their responsibilities are. We can’t stress enough how crucial communication and collaboration are in the fashion industry. The ultimate goal of producing a clothing line as efficiently and quickly as possible can’t be reached unless everyone involved works together effectively.

These strategies are very important for most industries, but when it comes to the fashion industry their role simple gets more important. That’s why every project manager should be aware of them and apply them in such a way that they help the company reach its goals.

Things to Help You Effectively Manage Digital Projects

The increasing importance of digital projects and their impact on business results have led to a rise in the level of responsibility of those in charge of these endeavours.

This is quite logical and if you’re one of those managing digital projects, you’re probably quite familiar with it. Your task is, simply put, to make stuff happen in the digital world, but very few people actually understand what kind of knowledge and skillset is required to do this job properly.

You need to understand things from a strategic perspective (as any other great manager) and know what technology is available to you. Finally, you need to be familiar with the whole process and have a very clear picture of how it can be delivered. To help you cope with the increasing pressure, we’ve singled out some of the most important elements for a successful execution of digital projects.

Focusing on main duties

The types of digital projects are really varied. Your work might be related to web, mobile, videos, games, events, content, e-commerce, social media, advertising, search engine optimization and you need to get things done before the set deadline. To do that, you really need to remember your general duties, such as drafting meeting agendas, assigning and scheduling project tasks, leading project meetings, directing project team members, preparing project schedules and budgets, etc. That’s the only way to lay solid foundation for the project.

Developing the right skills

Time management, resource management, planning, organizing, delegating are just some of the skills needed, but they are not enough. Copywriting and editing, problem-solving, negotiating, reporting, flexibility and adaptability also rank highly when it comes to managing digital projects. So, in order to be on top of your game, make sure you hone these skills constantly.

Setting clear and attainable goals

As a project manager, you need to be realistic about the goals set before you. There should be no ambiguity, nor should you set unrealistic goals. Otherwise, the project will fail at the very beginning. Make sure you don’t give promises just to keep everyone happy at the moment. After all, you’re the one responsible for the final product and if you don’t deliver what you promised, you’ll never be entrusted with a similar task in the future.


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AdWords

No digital project can be a success unless you pay attention to AdWords management. This encompasses a set of activities related to managing your Google AdWords account, which will help you create plan and monitor search campaigns. Focusing on keyword research, analysis and organisation, planning the campaign and its budget, as well as creating and optimising ad text are just some parts of a comprehensive AdWords management strategy, which will help you deliver results that will rank your product higher in search, regardless of the competition.

Not missing a single deadline

Every person involved in the project should know exactly what their task is and by what time they should complete it. Naturally, many tasks depend on other tasks being previously completed, which only makes the planning phase more vital. You and your team need to stick to deadlines. Otherwise, delays will start accumulating and your targets won’t be met. To prevent that from happening, make sure you follow up on those deadlines daily and deal with any potential hold-ups before a problem arises.

Empowering your team

A great manager is a person who can bring out the best in each team member. This is done if different ways, one of which is definitely empowering team members to make their own decisions. Naturally, it doesn’t mean they should exercise their free will, but simply showing trust and creating conditions in which every team member can shine.

Communicating with your team and client

As a project manager, you are in charge of establishing good communication both within the team and externally, with your client. It’s very important that everyone has all the necessary information from day one and that both the team and client’s objectives are aligned and agreed upon. When it comes to your team, they need to communicate with you and among themselves regularly, so that everyone is up to date with what’s happening.

In your communication with the client, the idea is to pull them a bit closer by showcasing how you prefer working on your ongoing projects. In a way, they could be treated as a team-member. If you manage to establish great communication with them, the decision making process will be much smoother and you’ll be able to work towards you common goal in a much better atmosphere.

Needless to say, this list of tips doesn’t include all the important items, but it should give you an idea about how difficult it is to manage digital projects. Not only will you appreciate the job more, but you’ll also get a clearer picture of what it includes.

Project Management Strategies for Succeeding in the Fashion Industry

The fashion industry is one of the fastest-growing ones and it’s probably more unpredictable than any other.

What is “hot” today may easily not be popular tomorrow, which makes it very difficult to plan for very long periods in the future. Still, this industry needs people who know how to manage all its aspects and we can only admire them for their skills.

What people see are models showing the latest fashion trends on the runway. Some are relatively conventional, while others are quite eccentric and we enjoy looking at these works of art, but we probably don’t know what is going on behind the scenes of a fashion show. Instead, we simply admire the final result. For this result to be achieved, teams of people have worked tirelessly for months to prepare such an event and they had to be managed properly. To help you understand what happens behind the scenes, we’re prepared this list of the crucial project management strategies for succeeding in the fashion industry.

Stakeholder management

This refers to your knowledge of the market and customers, as well as your ability to successfully deal with a number of stakeholders who have an impact on your company. The list is quite long and includes, among others, trade organisations, suppliers, sponsors, partners, buyers ad distributors. If you want your company to grow and be successful, you have to establish a transparent collaboration, which facilitates excellent communication with all of them.

Planning

There are many different types of projects in fashion. They range from opening a shop (physical and/or online) to product launch, organising a fashion show or entering a new market. Each project requires a plan that will turn your vision into reality. You need to have a plan that factors in all the vital steps to reach your goals. This is one of the trickiest things, since the fashion industry is moving fast, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan. Actually, it means you have to devote more attention to planning, because you want your company to produce new fashion items as successfully as possible. With the fierce competition in the industry, this task is harder than ever, which only makes it more important.

KPIs

Each process needs to be analysed to ensure the project is efficient. However, knowing what, when and how to analyse is quite a challenge. The key is analysing relevant aspects, eliminating human bias and producing actionable data that can be used for preparing, planning and managing projects. Choose the minimum of indicators that reflect crucial parameters and trends, such as time, cost & revenue, work efficiency and work quality to get a clear picture of the direction your project is heading. Forward-thinking companies are now using a digital marketing dashboard to automate the process of data collection and processing, thus saving a lot of time.


Advertisement
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Risks and changes

With changes happening constantly in the business, it’s vital you stay on top of your game at all times. No matter how long your company has been successful, it you fail to anticipate future trends and identify challenges, you won’t stand very good chances of surviving. That’s why fashion companies have to identify possible risks (production failures, supply chain errors, etc.) and be prepared for sudden changes (demand change, regulatory changes etc.). Also, they should be aware that customers are much more conscious of the social impact of fashion’s pursuit of producing clothes as fast as possible. It’s true that producing cost-efficient items is important, but negative media coverage can have a devastating impact on any business and ruin a brand’s image. Hence, you need to wage the risks and benefits carefully and balance them out.

Agility

It’s very important that a fashion company and its management are agile and flexible. This means that processes, such as sales, customer management or supply chain management will be more efficient, i.e. lead to higher and faster turnover of products and better position on the market. Agility also encompasses the notion that project teams work and collaborate more efficiently. All this is eventually translated in boosted reputation and improved business results, which are the goals of every company in the world. Going by what a new Bachelor of Arts in fashion design at Raffles Milan teaches its students, the fashion system is a huge, articulated, often unpredictable territory, where a sense for the classics manages to find common ground with the extremes of experimentation.

Teamwork

A lot has been said about the importance of teamwork, and fashion companies should know it better than most other businesses. Any misunderstanding or problem in communication can have detrimental effects on the outcome. That’s why it’s important to have regular review meetings to discuss decisions and analyse processes. Every team member needs to know exactly what their responsibilities are. We can’t stress enough how crucial communication and collaboration are in the fashion industry. The ultimate goal of producing a clothing line as efficiently and quickly as possible can’t be reached unless everyone involved works together effectively.

These strategies are very important for most industries, but when it comes to the fashion industry their role simple gets more important. That’s why every project manager should be aware of them and apply them in such a way that they help the company reach its goals.

How to Excel at Managing Multiple Projects

Managing one project at a time can be stressful enough, but try managing several projects simultaneously–

this is where real difficulties start to emerge. Luckily, there are certain steps you can take to help you get more organized and efficient when managing multiple projects. Let’s learn something about them.

Think ahead

The best thing to do, before you start anything else, is to plan ahead. So, take your time, have your morning coffee, tea, whatever you need to fuel your brain, and start planning. Make sure to know your priorities, and how much time you need for each task. For some people, it works the best to deal with the toughest tasks first and save those less demanding for later.

Schedule your time

Make the most of your time. Plan your time ahead, make an appointment with yourself, pick a project and give it your full attention. This will help you stay focused on the chosen task, at least for a short period of time, and it will make you more productive. It’ll help your thoughts stay in one place, and your brain will work better, without having to worry about other projects. So, you should simply block your time for that project and hold on to it.

Stay Focused

Don’t let anything distract you from what you are doing at the moment and stay focused on your current task. For example, listening to your preferred music helps me stay focused on what I am doing. If you love silence, just find yourself a quiet place, or simply do anything that helps you stop racing thoughts and staying on point.

Assess your workload regularly

Follow up on your project plan or time schedule frequently. Consider some unexpected time loss may occur – some projects might take more time then you have predicted, so you will be behind with other tasks. You can avert that by checking up on your to-do list or some other strategy for tracking project progress.


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Entrust responsibilities

Having trouble accomplishing everything? Delegate! Share your workload with your team, or a trusted colleague. Assign them tasks, even the whole projects, but don’t exonerate yourself completely. As IED Barcelona’s current Master Degree in Service Design explains, this field should encourage an exploratory attitude, self-organization and abilities to collaborate in cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary teams. Just make sure you are still involved in the whole decision-making process, and you will be certain that the work will get done

Support the project plans

The best way to do this is by using the project management software. This will help you keeping better track of your project progress. Use milestones to mark the significant dates in your project plan and make sure everything is done and submitted before the deadline. Having this kind of information helps you prevent possible time loss, in addition to lowering your stress level when a busy time comes.

Keep an eye on progress

Many things can go wrong if you have a lot to do, and just not enough hands, eyes or time to keep track of all those things. With this in mind, you should block your time to review all your current projects and make sure everything is going just how you have imagined it would.

Be adaptable

Stay open to embracing change when it comes to your time schedule. Like we said before, some projects are more urgent than others and sometimes, despite your effort to pursue your schedule, you will need to attend some other task and spend unplanned time on it. This is considered inevitable when it comes to managing multiple projects, so just stay flexible and don’t panic if it comes to that.

These tips should help you in managing multiple projects successfully. Even if you encounter certain issues in the process (and, trust me, you will), you should be able to solve them with less stress and worries