Project Management Case Studies

Learn from practical examples and real-world scenarios. These case studies demonstrate how PM concepts, tools, and techniques apply in practice.

Why Case Studies?

Featured Case Studies

Case Study: CRM System Implementation

Background

Company: MidCo Services (fictional) Industry: Professional services Employees: 150 Project duration: 6 months Budget: £250,000

The Challenge

MidCo’s existing customer management was fragmented across spreadsheets, email, and an outdated contact database. They needed a unified CRM to:

• Centralise customer information
• Improve sales pipeline visibility
• Enable better customer service
• Generate management reports

Project Approach

Key Stakeholders

Challenges Encountered

1. Scope Creep

Situation: After initial requirements were signed off, the Sales Director requested additional features for marketing automation.

Impact: Potentially £40,000 additional cost and 6-week delay.

Resolution:

• Documented change request formally
• Assessed impact on scope, time, and cost
• Presented options to steering committee
• Decision: Defer marketing automation to Phase 2
• Lesson: Strong change control prevents project bloat

2. Data Migration Issues

Situation: Legacy data was inconsistent with duplicate records and missing fields.

Impact: Risk of poor data quality undermining the new system.

Resolution:

• Conducted data quality assessment early
• Created data cleansing rules
• Assigned data owners to validate their records
• Built data migration in stages with validation
• Lesson: Never underestimate data migration complexity

3. User Resistance

Situation: Some sales team members were comfortable with spreadsheets and resistant to change.

Impact: Risk of low adoption after go-live.

Resolution:

• Identified and engaged change champions
• Involved users in design decisions
• Provided extensive training
• Celebrated early wins publicly
• Lesson: Change management is as important as technology

Risk Register Extract

Outcome

Lessons Learned

Case Study: Office Relocation

Background

Company: TechStart Ltd (fictional) Employees: 200 Timeline: 3 months Budget: £150,000

The Challenge

TechStart’s lease was expiring, requiring a move to new premises. The project needed to:

• Minimise business disruption
• Complete within lease expiry deadline
• Stay within budget
• Maintain employee satisfaction

Work Breakdown Structure

1.0 Office Relocation
├── 1.1 Project Management
│   ├── 1.1.1 Planning
│   ├── 1.1.2 Stakeholder communication
│   └── 1.1.3 Risk management
├── 1.2 New Office Preparation
│   ├── 1.2.1 Fit-out works
│   ├── 1.2.2 IT infrastructure
│   ├── 1.2.3 Furniture
│   └── 1.2.4 Access and security
├── 1.3 Physical Move
│   ├── 1.3.1 Packing
│   ├── 1.3.2 Transportation
│   └── 1.3.3 Unpacking
└── 1.4 Old Office Closure
    ├── 1.4.1 Cleaning
    ├── 1.4.2 Repairs
    └── 1.4.3 Handover

Critical Path Analysis

Critical path duration: 11 weeks Available time: 13 weeks Float: 2 weeks

Risk Management

Stakeholder Communication Plan

Outcome

The project completed on time and under budget:

• Timeline: Completed 3 days early
• Budget: £142,000 (£8,000 under)
• Disruption: Only 1 day of reduced productivity
• Employee satisfaction: 92% positive

Key Success Factors

1. Early planning - Started 4 months before move
2. Clear ownership - Department champions for each area
3. Regular communication - No surprises for staff
4. Contingency - 2-week buffer proved valuable
5. Weekend move - Minimised business disruption

Mini Case Studies

Scenario 1: The Unrealistic Deadline

Situation: Sponsor demands project completion in 4 weeks when estimates suggest 8 weeks.

What would you do?

Scenario 2: The Absent Sponsor

Situation: Your project sponsor is too busy to attend steering meetings or make decisions.

What would you do?

Scenario 3: Team Conflict

Situation: Two team members have a personal conflict affecting their work and team morale.

What would you do?

Using Case Studies for Learning

For Self-Study

1. Read the scenario and challenge
2. Before reading the solution, write your approach
3. Compare your approach to the case study
4. Note differences and consider why

For Team Learning

1. Present the scenario without the outcome
2. Discuss in groups: What would you do?
3. Share approaches and rationale
4. Reveal the actual approach
5. Discuss what worked and what you’d do differently

For Exam Preparation

• Practice explaining your reasoning
• Reference PM frameworks and techniques
• Consider stakeholder perspectives
• Think about trade-offs and options

Related Resources

• Project Lifecycle - Stages referenced in case studies
• Risk Management - Risk techniques in practice
• Stakeholder Management - Stakeholder approaches
• Change Control - Managing scope changes
• Lessons Learned - Capturing project knowledge