project case study questions

Top 20 Project Management Case Studies [With Examples]

Project management case study analyses showcase and compare real-life project management processes and systems scenarios. These studies shed light on the common challenges that project managers encounter on a daily basis. This helps project managers develop effective strategies, overcome obstacles, and achieve successful results. 

By leveraging project management case studies , organisations can optimise their operations by providing insights into the most effective approaches. With effective implementation of these case studies, strategies, and methodologies, ensuring successful project completion is achievable.

Criteria for Selection of Top 20 Case Studies

The top 20 case studies are selected based on significance, impact, challenges, project management strategies, and overall success. They provide diverse insights and lessons for project managers and organisations.

1. The Sydney Opera House Project

The Sydney Opera House Project is an iconic example of project management case studies as it faced multiple challenges during its construction phase. Despite facing leadership changes, budget overruns, and design failures, the project persevered and was completed in 1973, a decade later than planned. The Opera House stands as a symbol of perseverance and successful project management in the face of humankind.

2. The Airbus A380 Project

The Airbus A380 Project is a project management case study showcasing the challenges encountered during developing and producing the world’s largest commercial aircraft. The project experienced massive delays and impacted costs of more than $6 billion, with several issues arising from the manufacturing and delivery process, outsourcing, and project coordination. 

However, the Airbus A380 was successfully launched through carefully planned project management strategies, delivering a world-class aircraft that met customer expectations.

3. The Panama Canal Expansion Project 

The Panama Canal Expansion Project serves as a compelling case study, illustrating the management’s encounters in expanding the capacity of the Panama Canal. The project included multiple stakeholders, technological innovations, environmental concerns, and safety challenges. 

4. The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project

The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project serves as a project management case study of a large-scale underground tunnel construction project. It successfully addressed traffic congestion and was completed in 2007. The project was completed in 2007, with numerous hurdles delaying progress like complexity, technology failure, ballooning budgets, media scrutiny, etc.

5. The London 2012 Olympics Project

The London 2012 Olympics Project stands as a successful project management case study, showcasing the management of a large-scale international sporting event. This project involved the construction of a new sports infrastructure, event logistics and security concerns. The project was successfully accomplished, delivering a world-class event that captivated the audience.

6. The Hoover Dam Bypass Project

The Hoover Dam Bypass Project was a construction project in the United States of America that intended to alleviate traffic from the Hoover Dam by building a new bridge. Completed in 2010, the bridge spans across the Colorado River, connecting Arizona and Nevada and offers a safer and more efficient route for motorists.

7. The Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project

The Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project is a case study example constructed in San Francisco, California. Its objective was to enhance the bridge’s resilience against earthquakes and aftershocks. Completed in 2012, the project included the installation of shock absorbers and other seismic upgrades to ensure the bridge’s safety and functionality in the event of a major earthquake.

8. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Project

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Project is a massive case study that intends to connect Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau with a bridge-tunnel system of 55 kilometres. Completed in 2018, the project required massive funds, investments and innovative engineering solutions, providing a new transport link and boosting regional connectivity.

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9. The Panama Papers Investigation Project

The Panama Papers Investigation Project is a global case study of journalistic investigations into offshore tax havens. It involved leaked documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm. Coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the project resulted in major political and financial repercussions worldwide, garnering widespread media attention.

10. The Apple iPhone Development Project

The Apple iPhone Development Project started in 2004, aiming to create a groundbreaking mobile device. In 2007, the iPhone transformed the industry with its innovative touchscreen interface, sleek design, and advanced features. This project involved significant research, development, marketing, and supply chain management investments.

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11. The Ford Pinto Design and Launch Project

The Ford Pinto Design and Launch Project was a developmental project intended to create an affordable, fuel-efficient subcompact car. Launched in 1971, because of its fuel tank design, it became infamous for safety issues. The project was rigged for ethical and safety concerns, lawsuits, and recalls.

12. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response Project

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response Project was a response to the largest oil spill in US history, caused by an offshore drilling rig explosion in 2010. This crisis response project utilised a waterfall project management approach, where the project team followed a pattern of planning, executing, monitoring, and closing phases. 

13. The NASA Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster Project

  The NASA Challenger Disaster Project was a tragic space exploration mission in 1986, resulting in the loss of all seven crew members. Extensive investigations revealed design and safety flaws as the cause. This disaster prompted NASA to address decision-making processes and improve safety cultures.

14. The Three Gorges Dam Project

  The Three Gorges Dam Project was a large-scale infrastructure project developed in China that aimed to build the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River. Completed in 2012, it encountered environmental, social, and engineering challenges. The dam currently offers power generation, flood control, and improved navigation, but it has also resulted in ecological and cultural consequences.

15. The Big Dig Project in Boston

The Big Dig Project was a transportation infrastructure project in Boston, Massachusetts, intended to replace an old elevated highway with a newer tunnel system. Completed in 2007, it serves as one of the most complex and costly construction endeavours in US history. Despite facing many delays, cost overruns and engineering challenges, the project successfully improved traffic flow and urban aesthetics but also resulted in accidents, lawsuits, and financial burdens.

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16. The Uber Disruptive Business Model Project

  The Uber Disruptive Business Model Project was a startup that introduced a new ride business model that disrupted the taxi-cab industry by connecting riders with drivers via a mobile app. Launched in 2010, this project required innovative technology, marketing and regulatory strategies and faced legal actions and ethical challenges related to labour, safety, and competition. Uber has since then dominated the market with its ride-sharing business plan.

17. The Netflix Original Content Development Project

The Netflix Original Content Development Project was an initiative created to launch its original content for its platform. This launch by the online streaming giant in 2012 was a huge success for the company. The project required huge investments in content creation, distribution and marketing and resulted in award-winning shows and films that redefined the entire entertainment industry’s business model.

18. The Tesla Electric Car Project

The Tesla Electric Car Project was a revolutionary project that aimed to compete for its electric vehicles with gasoline-powered vehicles. The project required a strong project management plan that incorporated innovation, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement, resulting in the successful launch of the Tesla Roadster in 2008 and subsequent models. Tesla has one-handedly revolutionised the entire automobile industry on its own. 

19. The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis Management Project:

The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis Management Project was a case study in crisis management in 1982. The project required quick and effective decision-making skills, stakeholder communication, and ethical leadership in response to the tampering of Tylenol capsules that led to deaths. 

20. The Airbnb Online Marketplace Platform Project  

The Airbnb Online Marketplace Platform Project was a startup that created an online platform which connected travellers with hosts offering short-term rental accommodations in flights. The project required innovative technology, user experience design and stakeholder management. Airbnb’s success has led to the disruption of the hospitality industry and inspired many other project case study examples of sharing economy platforms.

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Future developments in project management.

Future developments in project management include all the insights on the increased use of artificial intelligence, agile methodologies, hybrid project management approaches, and emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, along with many more developing ideas that will address the evolving market innovations. 

Key Takeaways from the Case Studies

The project management case study examples illustrate real-life examples and the importance of project management in achieving project success. The cases show the use of innovative technologies, tools, techniques, stakeholder engagement, crisis management, and agile methodologies. 

Project Management also highlights the role of ethical leadership and social responsibility in project management. To learn more and more about case studies, upGrad, India’s leading education platform, has offered an Advanced General Management Program from IMT Ghaziabad that will equip you with in-demand management skills to keep up with the changing trends!

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Project Management is extensive planning, executing, monitoring and closing of a project before its deadline. Project management ensures accuracy and efficiency across all organs of a project, right from its inception to its completion.

Project Management case studies are real-life examples of projects to put an insight into all the tools, techniques and methodologies it provides.

The role of a project manager is to ensure that all day-to-day responsibilities are being met by the resources deployed in a certain project. They have the authority to manage as well as lead the functioning members as well.

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47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

One of the best ways to prepare for   case interviews  at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. 

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

• McKinsey examples
• BCG examples
• Bain examples
• Deloitte examples
• Other firms' examples
• Case books from consulting clubs
• Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

• Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
• Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
• Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
• GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
• National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
• Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
• Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
• Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
• McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

• Foods Inc and GenCo case samples  (BCG website)
• Chateau Boomerang written case interview  (BCG website)
• BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG live case interview with notes (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview with ex-BCG associate director - Public sector case (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview: Revenue problem case (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

• CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
• FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
• Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Written case interview tips (Bain website)
• Bain case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)
• Digital transformation case with ex-Bain consultant
• Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

• Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
• Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
• Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
• Retail Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Finance Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Footloose written case  (by Deloitte)
• Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

• Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
• Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

• Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
• Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

• Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

• Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
• Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
• AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

• Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
• Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough   (L.E.K. website)
• Market sizing case example video walkthrough  (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

• Transit oriented development case webinar part 1  (Roland Berger website)
• Transit oriented development case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• Roland Berger case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough  (Capital One website)
• Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

13. Consulting clubs case interview examples

• Berkeley case book (2006)
• Columbia case book (2006)
• Darden case book (2012)
• Darden case book (2018)
• Duke case book (2010)
• Duke case book (2014)
• ESADE case book (2011)
• Goizueta case book (2006)
• Illinois case book (2015)
• LBS case book (2006)
• MIT case book (2001)
• Notre Dame case book (2017)
• Ross case book (2010)
• Wharton case book (2010)

Practice with experts

Using case interview examples is a key part of your interview preparation, but it isn’t enough.

At some point you’ll want to practise with friends or family who can give some useful feedback. However, if you really want the best possible preparation for your case interview, you'll also want to work with ex-consultants who have experience running interviews at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.

If you know anyone who fits that description, fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

Here's the good news. We've already made the connections for you. We’ve created a coaching service where you can do mock case interviews 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from MBB firms . Start scheduling sessions today!

The IGotAnOffer team

100 Best Case Study Questions for Your Next Customer Spotlight

Published: November 29, 2022

Case studies and testimonials are helpful to have in your arsenal. But to build an effective library, you need to ask the right case study questions. You also need to know how to write a case study .

Case studies are customers' stories that your sales team can use to share relevant content with prospects . Not only that, but case studies help you earn a prospect's trust, show them what life would be like as your customer, and validate that your product or service works for your clients.

Before you start building your library of case studies, check out our list of 100 case study questions to ask your clients. With this helpful guide, you'll have the know-how to build your narrative using the " Problem-Agitate-Solve " Method.

What makes a good case study questionnaire?

The ultimate list of case study questions, how to ask your customer for a case study, creating an effective case study.

Certain key elements make up a good case study questionnaire.

A questionnaire should never feel like an interrogation. Instead, aim to structure your case study questions like a conversation. Some of the essential things that your questionnaire should cover include:

• The problem faced by the client before choosing your organization.
• Why they chose your company.
• How your product solved the problem clients faced.
• The measurable results of the service provided.
• Data and metrics that prove the success of your service or product, if possible.

You can adapt these considerations based on how your customers use your product and the specific answers or quotes that you want to receive.

What makes a good case study question?

A good case study question delivers a powerful message to leads in the decision stage of your prospective buyer's journey.

Since your client has agreed to participate in a case study, they're likely enthusiastic about the service you provide. Thus, a good case study question hands the reins over to the client and opens a conversation.

Try asking open-ended questions to encourage your client to talk about the excellent service or product you provide.

Free Case Study Templates

Tell us about yourself to access the templates..

Categories for the Best Case Study Questions

• Case study questions about the customer's business
• Case study questions about the environment before the purchase
• Case study questions about the decision process
• Case study questions about the customer's business case
• Case study questions about the buying team and internal advocates
• Case study questions about customer success
• Case study questions about product feedback
• Case study questions about willingness to make referrals
• Case study question to prompt quote-worthy feedback
• Case study questions about the customers' future goals

Showcase your company's success using these three free case study templates.

• Data-Driven Case Study Template
• Product-Specific Case Study Template
• General Case Study Template

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business

Knowing the customer's business is an excellent way of setting the tone for a case study.

Use these questions to get some background information about the company and its business goals. This information can be used to introduce the business at the beginning of the case study — plus, future prospects might resonate with their stories and become leads for you.

• Would you give me a quick overview of [company]? This is an opportunity for the client to describe their business in their own words. You'll get useful background information and it's an easy prompt to get the client talking.
• Can you describe your role? This will give you a better idea of the responsibilities they are subject to.
• How do your role and team fit into the company and its goals? Knowing how the team functions to achieve company goals will help you formulate how your solution involves all stakeholders.
• How long has your company been in business? Getting this information will help the reader gauge if pain points are specific to a startup or new company vs. a veteran company.
• How many employees do you have? Another great descriptor for readers to have. They can compare the featured company size with their own.
• Is your company revenue available? If so, what is it? This will give your readers background information on the featured company's gross sales.
• Who is your target customer? Knowing who the target audience is will help you provide a better overview of their market for your case study readers.
• How does our product help your team or company achieve its objectives? This is one of the most important questions because it is the basis of the case study. Get specifics on how your product provided a solution for your client. You want to be able to say "X company implemented our solution and achieved Y. "
• How are our companies aligned (mission, strategy, culture, etc.)? If any attributes of your company's mission or culture appealed to the client, call it out.

How many people are on your team? What are their roles? This will help describe key players within the organization and their impact on the implementation of your solution.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Environment Before the Purchase

A good case study is designed to build trust. Ask clients to describe the tools and processes they used before your product or service. These kinds of case study questions will highlight the business' need they had to fulfill and appeal to future clients.

• What was your team's process prior to using our product? This will give the reader a baseline to compare the results for your company's product.
• Were there any costs associated with the process prior to using our product? Was it more expensive? Was it worth the cost? How did the product affect the client's bottom line? This will be a useful metric to disclose if your company saved the client money or was more cost-efficient.
• What were the major pain points of your process prior to using our product? Describe these obstacles in detail. You want the reader to get as much information on the problem as possible as it sets up the reasoning for why your company's solution was implemented.
• Did our product replace a similar tool or is this the first time your team is using a product like this? Were they using a similar product? If so, having this information may give readers a reason to choose your brand over the competition.
• What other challenges were you and your team experiencing prior to using our product? The more details you can give readers regarding the client's struggles, the better. You want to paint a full picture of the challenges the client faced and how your company resolved them.
• Were there any concerns about how your customers would be impacted by using our product? Getting answers to this question will illustrate to readers the client's concerns about switching to your service. Your readers may have similar concerns and reading how your client worked through this process will be helpful.
• Why didn't you buy our product or a similar product earlier? Have the client describe any hesitations they had using your product. Their concerns may be relatable to potential leads.
• Were there any "dealbreakers" involved in your decision to become a customer? Describing how your company was able to provide a solution that worked within those parameters demonstrates how accommodating your brand is and how you put the customer first. It's also great to illustrate any unique challenges the client had. This better explains their situation to the reader.
• Did you have to make any changes you weren't anticipating once you became a customer? Readers of your case study can learn how switching to your product came with some unexpected changes (good or bad) and how they navigated them. If you helped your client with troubleshooting, ask them to explain that here.

How has your perception of the product changed since you've become a customer? Get the interviewee to describe how your product changed how they do business. This includes how your product accomplished what they previously thought was impossible.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Decision Process

Readers of the case study will be interested in which factors influenced the decision-making process for the client. If they can relate to that process, there's a bigger chance they'll buy your product.

The answers to these questions will help potential customers through their decision-making process.

• How did you hear about our product? If the client chose to work with you based on a recommendation or another positive case study, include that. It will demonstrate that you are a trusted brand with an established reputation for delivering results.
• How long had you been looking for a solution to this problem? This will add to the reader's understanding of how these particular challenges impacted the company before choosing your product.
• Were you comparing alternative solutions? Which ones? This will demonstrate to readers that the client explored other options before choosing your company.
• Would you describe a few of the reasons you decided to buy our product? Ask the interviewee to describe why they chose your product over the competition and any benefits your company offered that made you stand out.
• What were the criteria you used when deciding to buy our product? This will give readers more background insight into the factors that impacted their decision-making process.
• Were there any high-level initiatives or goals that prompted the decision to buy? For example, was this decision motivated by a company-wide vision? Prompt your clients to discuss what lead to the decision to work with you and how you're the obvious choice.
• What was the buying process like? Did you notice anything exceptional or any points of friction? This is an opportunity for the client to comment on how seamless and easy you make the buying process. Get them to describe what went well from start to finish.
• How would you have changed the buying process, if at all? This is an opportunity for you to fine-tune your process to accommodate future buyers.
• Who on your team was involved in the buying process? This will give readers more background on the key players involved from executives to project managers. With this information, readers can see who they may potentially need to involve in the decision-making process on their teams.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business Case

Your case study questions should ask about your product or solution's impact on the customer's employees, teams, metrics, and goals. These questions allow the client to praise the value of your service and tell others exactly what benefits they derived from it.

When readers review your product or service's impact on the client, it enforces the belief that the case study is credible.

• How long have you been using our product? This will help readers gauge how long it took to see results and your overall satisfaction with the product or service.
• How many different people at your company use our product? This will help readers gauge how they can adapt the product to their teams if similar in size.
• Are there multiple departments or teams using our product? This will demonstrate how great of an impact your product has made across departments.
• How do you and your team currently use the product? What types of goals or tasks are you using the product to accomplish? Get specifics on how the product actively helps the client achieve their goals.
• If other teams or departments are using our product, do you know how they're using it? With this information, leads can picture how they can use your product across their teams and how it may improve their workflow and metrics.
• What was the most obvious advantage you felt our product offered during the sales process? The interviewee should explain the benefits they've gained from using your product or service. This is important for convincing other leads you are better than the competition.
• Were there any other advantages you discovered after using the product more regularly? Your interviewee may have experienced some additional benefits from using your product. Have them describe in detail what these advantages are and how they've helped the company improve.
• Are there any metrics or KPIs you track with our product? What are they? The more numbers and data the client can provide, the better.
• Were you tracking any metrics prior to using our product? What were they? This will allow readers to get a clear, before-and-after comparison of using your product.
• How has our product impacted your core metrics? This is an opportunity for your clients to drive home how your product assisted them in hitting their metrics and goals.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Buying Team and Internal Advocates

See if there are any individuals at the customer's company who are advocates for your product.

• Are there any additional team members you consider to be advocates for our product? For example, does anyone stick out as a "power user" or product expert on your team? You may want to interview and include these power users in your case study as well. Consider asking them for tips on using your service or product.
• Is there anyone else on your team you think we should talk to? Again, the more people can share their experience using your product, the better.
• Are there any team members who you think might not be the biggest fans of our product or who might need more training? Providing extra support to those struggling with your product may improve their user experience and turn into an opportunity to not only learn about their obstacles but turn them into a product fan
• Would you share some details about how your team implemented our product? Get as much information as possible about the rollout. Hopefully, they'll gush about how seamless the process was.
• Who from your company was involved in implementing our product? This will give readers more insight into who needs to be involved for a successful rollout of their own.
• Were there any internal risks or additional costs involved with implementing our product? If so, how did you address them? This will give insight into the client's process and rollout and this case study question will likely provide tips on what potential leads should be on the lookout for.
• Is there a training process in place for your team's use of our product? If so, what does it look like? If your company provided support and training to the client, have them describe that experience.
• About how long does it take a new team member to get up to speed with our product? This will help leads determine how much time it will take to onboard an employee to your using your product. If a new user can quickly get started seamlessly, it bodes well for you.
• What was your main concern about rolling this product out to your company? Describing their challenges in detail will provide readers with useful insight.

Case Study Interview Questions About Customer Success

Has the customer found success with your product? Ask these questions to learn more.

• By using our product can you measure any reduced costs? If it has, you'll want to emphasize those savings in your case study.
• By using our product can you measure any improvements in productivity or time savings? Any metrics or specific stories your interviewee can provide will help demonstrate the value of your product.
• By using our product can you measure any increases in revenue or growth? Again, say it with numbers and data whenever possible.
• Are you likely to recommend our product to a friend or colleague? Recommendations from existing customers are some of the best marketing you can get.
• How has our product impacted your success? Your team's success? Getting the interviewee to describe how your product played an integral role in solving their challenges will show leads that they can also have success using your product.
• In the beginning, you had XYZ concerns; how do you feel about them now? Let them explain how working with your company eliminated those concerns.
• I noticed your team is currently doing XYZ with our product. Tell me more about how that helps your business. Illustrate to your readers how current customers are using your product to solve additional challenges. It will convey how versatile your product is.
• Have you thought about using our product for a new use case with your team or at your company? The more examples of use cases the client can provide, the better.
• How do you measure the value our product provides? Have the interviewee illustrate what metrics they use to gauge the product's success and how. Data is helpful, but you should go beyond the numbers. Maybe your product improved company morale and how teams work together.

Case Study Interview Questions About Product Feedback

Ask the customer if they'd recommend your product to others. A strong recommendation will help potential clients be more open to purchasing your product.

• How do other companies in this industry solve the problems you had before you purchased our product? This will give you insight into how other companies may be functioning without your product and how you can assist them.
• Have you ever talked about our product to any of your clients or peers? What did you say? This can provide you with more leads and a chance to get a referral.
• Why would you recommend our product to a friend or client? Be sure they pinpoint which features they would highlight in a recommendation.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. Your interviewee may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• What is your advice for other teams or companies who are tackling problems similar to those you had before you purchased our product? This is another opportunity for your client to talk up your product or service.
• Do you know someone in X industry who has similar problems to the ones you had prior to using our product? The client can make an introduction so you can interview them about their experience as well.
• I noticed you work with Company Y. Do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.
• Does your company participate in any partner or referral programs? Having a strong referral program will help you increase leads and improve customer retention.
• Can I send you a referral kit as a thank-you for making a referral and give you the tools to refer someone to us? This is a great strategy to request a referral while rewarding your existing customers.
• Are you interested in working with us to produce additional marketing content? The more opportunities you can showcase happy customers, the better.

Case Study Interview Questions About Willingness to Make Referrals

• How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or client? Ideally, they would definitely refer your product to someone they know.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Again, your interviewee is a great source for more leads. Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. They may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• I noticed you work with Company Y; do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.

Case Study Interview Questions to Prompt Quote-Worthy Feedback

Enhance your case study with quotable soundbites from the customer. By asking these questions, prospects have more insight into other clients and their success with your product — which helps build trust.

• How would you describe your process in one sentence prior to using our product? Ideally, this sentence would quickly and descriptively sum up the most prominent pain point or challenge with the previous process.
• What is your advice to others who might be considering our product? Readers can learn from your customer's experience.
• What would your team's workflow or process be like without our product? This will drive home the value your product provides and how essential it is to their business.
• Do you think the investment in our product was worthwhile? Why? Have your customer make the case for the value you provide.
• What would you say if we told you our product would soon be unavailable? What would this mean to you? Again, this illustrates how integral your product is to their business.
• How would you describe our product if you were explaining it to a friend? Your customers can often distill the value of your product to their friends better than you can.
• What do you love about your job? Your company? This gives the reader more background on your customer and their industry.
• What was the worst part of your process before you started using our product? Ideally, they'd reiterate how your product helped solve this challenge.
• What do you love about our product? Another great way to get the customer's opinion about what makes your product worth it.
• Why do you do business with us? Hopefully, your interviewee will share how wonderful your business relationship is.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customers' Future Goals

Ask the customer about their goals, challenges, and plans for the future. This will provide insight into how a business can grow with your product.

• What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for your industry? Chances are potential leads within the same industry will have similar challenges.
• What are your goals for the next three months? Knowing their short-term goals will enable your company to get some quick wins for the client.
• How would you like to use our product to meet those challenges and goals? This will help potential leads understand that your product can help their business as they scale and grow.
• Is there anything we can do to help you and your team meet your goals? If you haven't covered it already, this will allow your interviewee to express how you can better assist them.
• Do you think you will buy more, less, or about the same amount of our product next year? This can help you gauge how your product is used and why.
• What are the growth plans for your company this year? Your team? This will help you gain insight into how your product can help them achieve future goals.
• How can we help you meet your long-term goals? Getting specifics on the needs of your clients will help you create a unique solution designed for their needs.
• What is the long-term impact of using our product? Get their feedback on how your product has created a lasting impact.
• Are there any initiatives that you personally would like to achieve that our product or team can help with? Again, you want to continue to provide products that help your customers excel.
• What will you need from us in the future? This will help you anticipate the customer's business needs.
• Is there anything we can do to improve our product or process for working together in the future? The more feedback you can get about what is and isn't working, the better.

Before you can start putting together your case study, you need to ask your customer's permission.

If you have a customer who's seen success with your product, reach out to them. Use this template to get started:

Thank you & quick request

Hi [customer name],

Thanks again for your business — working with you to [solve X, launch Y, take advantage of Z opportunity] has been extremely rewarding, and I'm looking forward to more collaboration in the future.

[Name of your company] is building a library of case studies to include on our site. We're looking for successful companies using [product] to solve interesting challenges, and your team immediately came to mind. Are you open to [customer company name] being featured?

It should be a lightweight process — [I, a product marketer] will ask you roughly [10, 15, 20] questions via email or phone about your experience and results. This case study will include a blurb about your company and a link to your homepage (which hopefully will make your SEO team happy!)

In any case, thank you again for the chance to work with you, and I hope you have a great week.

[Your name]

If one of your customers has recently passed along some praise (to you, their account manager, your boss; on an online forum; to another potential customer; etc.), then send them a version of this email:

Hey [customer name],

Thanks for the great feedback — I'm really glad to hear [product] is working well for you and that [customer company name] is getting the results you're looking for.

My team is actually in the process of building out our library of case studies, and I'd love to include your story. Happy to provide more details if you're potentially interested.

Either way, thank you again, and I look forward to getting more updates on your progress.

You can also find potential case study customers by usage or product data. For instance, maybe you see a company you sold to 10 months ago just bought eight more seats or upgraded to a new tier. Clearly, they're happy with the solution. Try this template:

I saw you just [invested in our X product; added Y more users; achieved Z product milestone]. Congratulations! I'd love to share your story using [product] with the world -- I think it's a great example of how our product + a dedicated team and a good strategy can achieve awesome results.

Are you open to being featured? If so, I'll send along more details.

Case Study Benefits

• Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.
• Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.
• Case studies are easily sharable.
• Case studies build rapport with your customers.
• Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

1. Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.

If you haven't noticed, customers aren't always quick to trust a brand's advertisements and sales strategies.

With every other brand claiming to be the best in the business, it's hard to sort exaggeration from reality.

This is the most important reason why case studies are effective. They are testimonials from your customers of your service. If someone is considering your business, a case study is a much more convincing piece of marketing or sales material than traditional advertising.

2. Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.

Your business isn't the only one that benefits from a case study. Customers participating in case studies benefit, too.

Think about it. Case studies are free advertisements for your customers, not to mention the SEO factor, too. While they're not promoting their products or services, they're still getting the word out about their business. And, the case study highlights how successful their business is — showing interested leads that they're on the up and up.

3. Case studies are easily sharable.

No matter your role on the sales team, case studies are great to have on hand. You can easily share them with leads, prospects, and clients.

Whether you embed them on your website or save them as a PDF, you can simply send a link to share your case study with others. They can share that link with their peers and colleagues, and so on.

Case studies can also be useful during a sales pitch. In sales, timing is everything. If a customer is explaining a problem that was solved and discussed in your case study, you can quickly find the document and share it with them.

4. Case studies build rapport with your customers.

While case studies are very useful, they do require some back and forth with your customers to obtain the exact feedback you're looking for.

Even though time is involved, the good news is this builds rapport with your most loyal customers. You get to know them on a personal level, and they'll become more than just your most valuable clients.

And, the better the rapport you have with them, the more likely they'll be to recommend your business, products, or services to others.

5. Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

Data is the difference between a case study and a review. Customer reviews are typically based on the customer's opinion of your brand. While they might write a glowing review, it's completely subjective and there's rarely empirical evidence supporting their claim.

Case studies, on the other hand, are more data-driven. While they'll still talk about how great your brand is, they support this claim with quantitative data that's relevant to the reader. It's hard to argue with data.

An effective case study must be genuine and credible. Your case study should explain why certain customers are the right fit for your business and how your company can help meet their specific needs. That way, someone in a similar situation can use your case study as a testimonial for why they should choose your business.

Use the case study questions above to create an ideal customer case study questionnaire. By asking your customers the right questions, you can obtain valuable feedback that can be shared with potential leads and convert them into loyal customers.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Showcase your company's success using these free case study templates.

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• Project Managment

Project Manager Case Study Interview Questions And Answers

Introduction.

Project Manager Case Study Interview Questions And Answers is a comprehensive guide to help you prepare for a project manager case study interview. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the types of questions you may be asked during a project manager case study interview, as well as tips and strategies for answering them. It also includes sample questions and answers to help you practice and prepare for your interview. With this guide, you will be able to confidently and effectively answer any project manager case study interview questions you may be asked.

How to Prepare for a Project Manager Case Study Interview

Preparing for a project manager case study interview can be a daunting task. However, with the right preparation, you can ensure that you are well-equipped to answer any questions that may arise. Here are some tips to help you prepare for a project manager case study interview:

1. Research the Company: Before the interview, take the time to research the company and the project you will be discussing. This will help you to understand the company’s goals and objectives, as well as the challenges they are facing.

2. Understand the Case Study: Read the case study carefully and make sure you understand the problem and the proposed solution. Take notes and think about how you would approach the problem.

3. Practice Your Answers: Once you have a good understanding of the case study, practice your answers to potential questions. This will help you to be more confident and articulate during the interview.

4. Prepare Questions: Have a few questions prepared to ask the interviewer. This will show that you are engaged and interested in the project.

5. Be Professional: Make sure to dress professionally and arrive on time. Be polite and courteous throughout the interview and make sure to thank the interviewer for their time.

By following these tips, you can ensure that you are well-prepared for a project manager case study interview. Good luck!

Common Project Manager Case Study Interview Questions and Answers

1. Describe a project you managed from start to finish.

I recently managed a project for a large retail chain that involved the implementation of a new inventory management system. My role was to coordinate the efforts of the IT team, the store managers, and the corporate office to ensure that the project was completed on time and within budget. I worked closely with the IT team to develop a timeline for the project, and I coordinated with the store managers to ensure that they had the necessary resources and training to use the new system. I also worked with the corporate office to ensure that the project was properly funded and that all stakeholders were kept informed of progress. In the end, the project was completed on time and within budget, and the new system has been a great success.

2. What challenges have you faced while managing a project?

One of the biggest challenges I have faced while managing a project is dealing with stakeholders who have conflicting interests. For example, I recently managed a project for a large manufacturing company that involved the implementation of a new production system. The IT team wanted to move quickly to get the system up and running, while the production team wanted to take their time to ensure that the system was properly tested and implemented. I had to find a way to balance the needs of both teams and ensure that the project was completed on time and within budget.

3. How do you ensure that a project is completed on time and within budget?

When managing a project, I ensure that it is completed on time and within budget by setting realistic timelines and budgets, and then closely monitoring progress. I also make sure to communicate regularly with all stakeholders to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that any potential issues are addressed quickly. Finally, I make sure to have contingency plans in place in case of any unexpected delays or issues.

Tips for Answering Project Manager Case Study Interview Questions

1. Prepare thoroughly: Before the interview, research the company and the project you will be discussing. Make sure you understand the project’s scope, timeline, and budget.

2. Be organized: Have a clear structure for your answers. Start by introducing the project, then discuss the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

3. Showcase your problem-solving skills: Demonstrate how you identified and solved problems during the project.

4. Highlight your communication skills: Explain how you kept stakeholders informed and managed expectations.

5. Demonstrate your leadership skills: Describe how you motivated and managed your team.

6. Showcase your results: Explain how you achieved the project’s goals and objectives.

7. Be honest: Don’t be afraid to admit mistakes and discuss how you learned from them.

8. Ask questions: Show that you are engaged and interested in the project.

What to Expect During a Project Manager Case Study Interview

A project manager case study interview is an opportunity for a potential employer to assess your skills and knowledge in the field of project management. During the interview, you will be asked to demonstrate your ability to analyze a project and develop a plan to complete it.

The interviewer will likely present you with a case study that outlines a project and its objectives. You will be asked to analyze the project and develop a plan to complete it. This plan should include a timeline, budget, and resources needed to complete the project. You should also be prepared to discuss any potential risks or challenges that may arise during the project.

The interviewer may also ask you to explain how you would handle certain situations that may arise during the project. This could include how you would handle a conflict between team members or how you would manage a budget that is overrunning.

The interviewer may also ask you to provide examples of projects you have managed in the past and how you handled them. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your experience and knowledge in the field of project management.

Finally, the interviewer may ask you questions about your communication and leadership skills. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to effectively communicate with team members and stakeholders, as well as your ability to lead a team.

Overall, a project manager case study interview is an opportunity to demonstrate your skills and knowledge in the field of project management. Be prepared to discuss the project, analyze potential risks and challenges, and provide examples of projects you have managed in the past. Additionally, be prepared to discuss your communication and leadership skills.

How to Demonstrate Your Project Management Skills During a Case Study Interview

When participating in a case study interview, it is important to demonstrate your project management skills in order to stand out from the competition. Here are some tips to help you showcase your project management skills during a case study interview:

1. Prepare: Before the interview, take the time to research the company and the project you will be discussing. This will help you to understand the context of the case study and be able to answer questions more effectively.

2. Listen: During the interview, make sure to listen carefully to the questions and take notes if necessary. This will help you to understand the problem and provide a more comprehensive solution.

3. Analyze: After listening to the problem, take the time to analyze the situation and think of potential solutions. This will demonstrate your ability to think critically and come up with creative solutions.

4. Structure: When presenting your solution, make sure to structure your answer in a logical way. This will show that you are organized and can effectively communicate your ideas.

5. Detail: Provide as much detail as possible when discussing your solution. This will demonstrate your understanding of the project and your ability to think through the details.

By following these tips, you can demonstrate your project management skills during a case study interview and stand out from the competition.

Strategies for Acing a Project Manager Case Study Interview

1. Prepare thoroughly: Before the interview, research the company and the project you will be discussing. Familiarize yourself with the project’s timeline, budget, and scope. Additionally, review the job description and the skills and qualifications required for the role.

2. Practice: Practice answering questions related to the project and the role. Consider potential questions related to the project’s timeline, budget, and scope. Additionally, practice responding to questions about your experience and qualifications.

3. Be organized: During the interview, present your ideas in an organized and logical manner. Use diagrams and charts to illustrate your points.

4. Demonstrate problem-solving skills: During the interview, demonstrate your problem-solving skills by providing solutions to potential issues that may arise during the project.

5. Show enthusiasm: Show enthusiasm for the project and the role. Demonstrate your commitment to the project and your ability to work as part of a team.

6. Ask questions: Ask questions about the project and the role. This will demonstrate your interest in the position and your ability to think critically.

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• Sample Page

Business growth

Marketing tips

16 case study examples (+ 3 templates to make your own)

I like to think of case studies as a business's version of a resume. It highlights what the business can do, lends credibility to its offer, and contains only the positive bullet points that paint it in the best light possible.

Imagine if the guy running your favorite taco truck followed you home so that he could "really dig into how that burrito changed your life." I see the value in the practice. People naturally prefer a tried-and-true burrito just as they prefer tried-and-true products or services.

To help you showcase your success and flesh out your burrito questionnaire, I've put together some case study examples and key takeaways.

What is a case study?

A case study is an in-depth analysis of how your business, product, or service has helped past clients. It can be a document, a webpage, or a slide deck that showcases measurable, real-life results.

For example, if you're a SaaS company, you can analyze your customers' results after a few months of using your product to measure its effectiveness. You can then turn this analysis into a case study that further proves to potential customers what your product can do and how it can help them overcome their challenges.

It changes the narrative from "I promise that we can do X and Y for you" to "Here's what we've done for businesses like yours, and we can do it for you, too."

16 case study examples 

While most case studies follow the same structure, quite a few try to break the mold and create something unique. Some businesses lean heavily on design and presentation, while others pursue a detailed, stat-oriented approach. Some businesses try to mix both.

There's no set formula to follow, but I've found that the best case studies utilize impactful design to engage readers and leverage statistics and case details to drive the point home. A case study typically highlights the companies, the challenges, the solution, and the results. The examples below will help inspire you to do it, too.

1. .css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class]{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentColor;cursor:pointer;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class]{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentColor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='ocean']{color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='ocean']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='ocean']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='white']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='white']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='white']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='primary']{color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='primary']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='primary']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='secondary']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='secondary']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='secondary']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} Volcanica Coffee and AdRoll

People love a good farm-to-table coffee story, and boy am I one of them. But I've shared this case study with you for more reasons than my love of coffee. I enjoyed this study because it was written as though it was a letter.

In this case study, the founder of Volcanica Coffee talks about the journey from founding the company to personally struggling with learning and applying digital marketing to finding and enlisting AdRoll's services.

It felt more authentic, less about AdRoll showcasing their worth and more like a testimonial from a grateful and appreciative client. After the story, the case study wraps up with successes, milestones, and achievements. Note that quite a few percentages are prominently displayed at the top, providing supporting evidence that backs up an inspiring story.

Takeaway: Highlight your goals and measurable results to draw the reader in and provide concise, easily digestible information.

2. Taylor Guitars and Airtable

This Airtable case study on Taylor Guitars comes as close as one can to an optimal structure. It features a video that represents the artistic nature of the client, highlighting key achievements and dissecting each element of Airtable's influence.

It also supplements each section with a testimonial or quote from the client, using their insights as a catalyst for the case study's narrative. For example, the case study quotes the social media manager and project manager's insights regarding team-wide communication and access before explaining in greater detail.

Takeaway: Highlight pain points your business solves for its client, and explore that influence in greater detail.

3. EndeavourX and Figma

My favorite part of Figma's case study is highlighting why EndeavourX chose its solution. You'll notice an entire section on what Figma does for teams and then specifically for EndeavourX.

It also places a heavy emphasis on numbers and stats. The study, as brief as it is, still manages to pack in a lot of compelling statistics about what's possible with Figma.

Takeaway: Showcase the "how" and "why" of your product's differentiators and how they benefit your customers.

4. ActiveCampaign and Zapier

Zapier's case study leans heavily on design, using graphics to present statistics and goals in a manner that not only remains consistent with the branding but also actively pushes it forward, drawing users' eyes to the information most important to them. 

The graphics, emphasis on branding elements, and cause/effect style tell the story without requiring long, drawn-out copy that risks boring readers. Instead, the cause and effect are concisely portrayed alongside the client company's information for a brief and easily scannable case study.

Takeaway: Lean on design to call attention to the most important elements of your case study, and make sure it stays consistent with your branding.

5. Ironclad and OpenAI

In true OpenAI fashion, this case study is a block of text. There's a distinct lack of imagery, but the study features a narrated video walking readers through the product.

The lack of imagery and color may not be the most inviting, but utilizing video format is commendable. It helps thoroughly communicate how OpenAI supported Ironclad in a way that allows the user to sit back, relax, listen, and be impressed. 

Takeaway: Get creative with the media you implement in your case study. Videos can be a very powerful addition when a case study requires more detailed storytelling.

6. Shopify and GitHub

GitHub's case study on Shopify is a light read. It addresses client pain points and discusses the different aspects its product considers and improves for clients. It touches on workflow issues, internal systems, automation, and security. It does a great job of representing what one company can do with GitHub.

To drive the point home, the case study features colorful quote callouts from the Shopify team, sharing their insights and perspectives on the partnership, the key issues, and how they were addressed.

Takeaway: Leverage quotes to boost the authoritativeness and trustworthiness of your case study. 

7 . Audible and Contentful

Contentful's case study on Audible features almost every element a case study should. It includes not one but two videos and clearly outlines the challenge, solution, and outcome before diving deeper into what Contentful did for Audible. The language is simple, and the writing is heavy with quotes and personal insights.

This case study is a uniquely original experience. The fact that the companies in question are perhaps two of the most creative brands out there may be the reason. I expected nothing short of a detailed analysis, a compelling story, and video content. 

Takeaway: Inject some brand voice into the case study, and create assets that tell the story for you.

8 . Zoom and Asana

Asana's case study on Zoom is longer than the average piece and features detailed data on Zoom's growth since 2020. Instead of relying on imagery and graphics, it features several quotes and testimonials. 

It's designed to be direct, informative, and promotional. At some point, the case study reads more like a feature list. There were a few sections that felt a tad too promotional for my liking, but to each their own burrito.

Takeaway: Maintain a balance between promotional and informative. You want to showcase the high-level goals your product helped achieve without losing the reader.

9 . Hickies and Mailchimp

I've always been a fan of Mailchimp's comic-like branding, and this case study does an excellent job of sticking to their tradition of making information easy to understand, casual, and inviting.

It features a short video that briefly covers Hickies as a company and Mailchimp's efforts to serve its needs for customer relationships and education processes. Overall, this case study is a concise overview of the partnership that manages to convey success data and tell a story at the same time. What sets it apart is that it does so in a uniquely colorful and brand-consistent manner.

Takeaway: Be concise to provide as much value in as little text as possible.

10. NVIDIA and Workday

The gaming industry is notoriously difficult to recruit for, as it requires a very specific set of skills and experience. This case study focuses on how Workday was able to help fill that recruitment gap for NVIDIA, one of the biggest names in the gaming world.

Though it doesn't feature videos or graphics, this case study stood out to me in how it structures information like "key products used" to give readers insight into which tools helped achieve these results.

Takeaway: If your company offers multiple products or services, outline exactly which ones were involved in your case study, so readers can assess each tool.

11. KFC and Contentful

I'm personally not a big KFC fan, but that's only because I refuse to eat out of a bucket. My aversion to the bucket format aside, Contentful follows its consistent case study format in this one, outlining challenges, solutions, and outcomes before diving into the nitty-gritty details of the project.

Say what you will about KFC, but their primary product (chicken) does present a unique opportunity for wordplay like "Continuing to march to the beat of a digital-first drum(stick)" or "Delivering deep-fried goodness to every channel."

Takeaway: Inject humor into your case study if there's room for it and if it fits your brand. 

12. Intuit and Twilio

Twilio does an excellent job of delivering achievements at the very beginning of the case study and going into detail in this two-minute read. While there aren't many graphics, the way quotes from the Intuit team are implemented adds a certain flair to the study and breaks up the sections nicely.

It's simple, concise, and manages to fit a lot of information in easily digestible sections.

Takeaway: Make sure each section is long enough to inform but brief enough to avoid boring readers. Break down information for each section, and don't go into so much detail that you lose the reader halfway through.

13. Spotify and Salesforce

Salesforce created a video that accurately summarizes the key points of the case study. Beyond that, the page itself is very light on content, and sections are as short as one paragraph.

I especially like how information is broken down into "What you need to know," "Why it matters," and "What the difference looks like." I'm not ashamed of being spoon-fed information. When it's structured so well and so simply, it makes for an entertaining read.

Takeaway: Invest in videos that capture and promote your partnership with your case study subject. Video content plays a promotional role that extends beyond the case study in social media and marketing initiatives .

14. Benchling and Airtable

Benchling is an impressive entity in its own right. Biotech R&D and health care nuances go right over my head. But the research and digging I've been doing in the name of these burritos (case studies) revealed that these products are immensely complex. 

And that's precisely why this case study deserves a read—it succeeds at explaining a complex project that readers outside the industry wouldn't know much about.

Takeaway: Simplify complex information, and walk readers through the company's operations and how your business helped streamline them.

15. Chipotle and Hubble

The concision of this case study is refreshing. It features two sections—the challenge and the solution—all in 316 words. This goes to show that your case study doesn't necessarily need to be a four-figure investment with video shoots and studio time. 

Sometimes, the message is simple and short enough to convey in a handful of paragraphs.

Takeaway: Consider what you should include instead of what you can include. Assess the time, resources, and effort you're able and willing to invest in a case study, and choose which elements you want to include from there.

16. Hudl and Zapier

I may be biased, but I'm a big fan of seeing metrics and achievements represented in branded graphics. It can be a jarring experience to navigate a website, then visit a case study page and feel as though you've gone to a completely different website.

The Zapier format provides nuggets of high-level insights, milestones, and achievements, as well as the challenge, solution, and results. My favorite part of this case study is how it's supplemented with a blog post detailing how Hudl uses Zapier automation to build a seamless user experience.

The case study is essentially the summary, and the blog article is the detailed analysis that provides context beyond X achievement or Y goal.

Takeaway: Keep your case study concise and informative. Create other resources to provide context under your blog, media or press, and product pages.

3 case study templates

Now that you've had your fill of case studies (if that's possible), I've got just what you need: an infinite number of case studies, which you can create yourself with these case study templates.

Case study template 1

If you've got a quick hit of stats you want to show off, try this template. The opening section gives space for a short summary and three visually appealing stats you can highlight, followed by a headline and body where you can break the case study down more thoroughly. This one's pretty simple, with only sections for solutions and results, but you can easily continue the formatting to add more sections as needed.

Case study template 2

For a case study template with a little more detail, use this one. Opening with a striking cover page for a quick overview, this one goes on to include context, stakeholders, challenges, multiple quote callouts, and quick-hit stats. 

Case study template 3

Whether you want a little structural variation or just like a nice dark green, this template has similar components to the last template but is designed to help tell a story. Move from the client overview through a description of your company before getting to the details of how you fixed said company's problems.

Tips for writing a case study

Examples are all well and good, but you don't learn how to make a burrito just by watching tutorials on YouTube without knowing what any of the ingredients are. You could , but it probably wouldn't be all that good.

Writing a good case study comes down to a mix of creativity, branding, and the capacity to invest in the project. With those details in mind, here are some case study tips to follow:

Have an objective: Define your objective by identifying the challenge, solution, and results. Assess your work with the client and focus on the most prominent wins. You're speaking to multiple businesses and industries through the case study, so make sure you know what you want to say to them.

Focus on persuasive data: Growth percentages and measurable results are your best friends. Extract your most compelling data and highlight it in your case study.

Use eye-grabbing graphics: Branded design goes a long way in accurately representing your brand and retaining readers as they review the study. Leverage unique and eye-catching graphics to keep readers engaged. 

Simplify data presentation: Some industries are more complex than others, and sometimes, data can be difficult to understand at a glance. Make sure you present your data in the simplest way possible. Make it concise, informative, and easy to understand.

Use automation to drive results for your case study

A case study example is a source of inspiration you can leverage to determine how to best position your brand's work. Find your unique angle, and refine it over time to help your business stand out. Ask anyone: the best burrito in town doesn't just appear at the number one spot. They find their angle (usually the house sauce) and leverage it to stand out.

In fact, with the right technology, it can be refined to work better . Explore how Zapier's automation features can help drive results for your case study by making your case study a part of a developed workflow that creates a user journey through your website, your case studies, and into the pipeline.

Case study FAQ

Got your case study template? Great—it's time to gather the team for an awkward semi-vague data collection task. While you do that, here are some case study quick answers for you to skim through while you contemplate what to call your team meeting.

What is an example of a case study?

An example of a case study is when a software company analyzes its results from a client project and creates a webpage, presentation, or document that focuses on high-level results, challenges, and solutions in an attempt to showcase effectiveness and promote the software.

How do you write a case study?

To write a good case study, you should have an objective, identify persuasive and compelling data, leverage graphics, and simplify data. Case studies typically include an analysis of the challenge, solution, and results of the partnership.

What is the format of a case study?

While case studies don't have a set format, they're often portrayed as reports or essays that inform readers about the partnership and its results. 

Related reading:

How Hudl uses automation to create a seamless user experience

How to make your case studies high-stakes—and why it matters

How experts write case studies that convert, not bore

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Hachem Ramki

Hachem is a writer and digital marketer from Montreal. After graduating with a degree in English, Hachem spent seven years traveling around the world before moving to Canada. When he's not writing, he enjoys Basketball, Dungeons and Dragons, and playing music for friends and family.

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Blog Graphic Design

15+ Professional Case Study Examples [Design Tips + Templates]

By Alice Corner , Jan 12, 2023

Have you ever bought something — within the last 10 years or so — without reading its reviews or without a recommendation or prior experience of using it?

If the answer is no — or at least, rarely — you get my point.

Positive reviews matter for selling to regular customers, and for B2B or SaaS businesses, detailed case studies are important too.

Wondering how to craft a compelling case study ? No worries—I’ve got you covered with 15 marketing case study templates , helpful tips, and examples to ensure your case study converts effectively.

Click to jump ahead:

• What is a Case Study?

Business Case Study Examples

Simple case study examples.

• Marketing Case Study Examples

Sales Case Study Examples

• Case Study FAQs

What is a case study?

A case study is an in-depth, detailed analysis of a specific real-world situation. For example, a case study can be about an individual, group, event, organization, or phenomenon. The purpose of a case study is to understand its complexities and gain insights into a particular instance or situation.

In the context of a business, however, case studies take customer success stories and explore how they use your product to help them achieve their business goals.

As well as being valuable marketing tools , case studies are a good way to evaluate your product as it allows you to objectively examine how others are using it.

It’s also a good way to interview your customers about why they work with you.

Related: What is a Case Study? [+6 Types of Case Studies]

Marketing Case Study Template

A marketing case study showcases how your product or services helped potential clients achieve their business goals. You can also create case studies of internal, successful marketing projects. A marketing case study typically includes:

• Company background and history
• The challenge
• How you helped
• Specific actions taken
• Visuals or Data
• Client testimonials

Here’s an example of a marketing case study template:

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, business case studies can be a powerful resource to help with your sales, marketing, and even internal departmental awareness.

Business and business management case studies should encompass strategic insights alongside anecdotal and qualitative findings, like in the business case study examples below.

Conduct a B2B case study by researching the company holistically

When it comes to writing a case study, make sure you approach the company holistically and analyze everything from their social media to their sales.

Think about every avenue your product or service has been of use to your case study company, and ask them about the impact this has had on their wider company goals.

In business case study examples like the one above, we can see that the company has been thought about holistically simply by the use of icons.

By combining social media icons with icons that show in-person communication we know that this is a well-researched and thorough case study.

This case study report example could also be used within an annual or end-of-year report.

Highlight the key takeaway from your marketing case study

To create a compelling case study, identify the key takeaways from your research. Use catchy language to sum up this information in a sentence, and present this sentence at the top of your page.

This is “at a glance” information and it allows people to gain a top-level understanding of the content immediately. 

You can use a large, bold, contrasting font to help this information stand out from the page and provide interest.

Learn  how to choose fonts  effectively with our Venngage guide and once you’ve done that.

Upload your fonts and  brand colors  to Venngage using the  My Brand Kit  tool and see them automatically applied to your designs.

The heading is the ideal place to put the most impactful information, as this is the first thing that people will read.

In this example, the stat of “Increase[d] lead quality by 90%” is used as the header. It makes customers want to read more to find out how exactly lead quality was increased by such a massive amount.

If you’re conducting an in-person interview, you could highlight a direct quote or insight provided by your interview subject.

Pick out a catchy sentence or phrase, or the key piece of information your interview subject provided and use that as a way to draw a potential customer in.

Use charts to visualize data in your business case studies

Charts are an excellent way to visualize data and to bring statistics and information to life. Charts make information easier to understand and to illustrate trends or patterns.

Making charts is even easier with Venngage.

In this consulting case study example, we can see that a chart has been used to demonstrate the difference in lead value within the Lead Elves case study.

Adding a chart here helps break up the information and add visual value to the case study. 

Using charts in your case study can also be useful if you’re creating a project management case study.

You could use a Gantt chart or a project timeline to show how you have managed the project successfully.

Use direct quotes to build trust in your marketing case study

To add an extra layer of authenticity you can include a direct quote from your customer within your case study.

According to research from Nielsen , 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer and 70% trust recommendations even if they’re from somebody they don’t know.

So if you have a customer or client who can’t stop singing your praises, make sure you get a direct quote from them and include it in your case study.

You can either lift part of the conversation or interview, or you can specifically request a quote. Make sure to ask for permission before using the quote.

This design uses a bright contrasting speech bubble to show that it includes a direct quote, and helps the quote stand out from the rest of the text.

This will help draw the customer’s attention directly to the quote, in turn influencing them to use your product or service.

Less is often more, and this is especially true when it comes to creating designs. Whilst you want to create a professional-looking, well-written and design case study – there’s no need to overcomplicate things.

These simple case study examples show that smart clean designs and informative content can be an effective way to showcase your successes.

Use colors and fonts to create a professional-looking case study

Business case studies shouldn’t be boring. In fact, they should be beautifully and professionally designed.

This means the normal rules of design apply. Use fonts, colors, and icons to create an interesting and visually appealing case study.

In this case study example, we can see how multiple fonts have been used to help differentiate between the headers and content, as well as complementary colors and eye-catching icons.

Marketing case study examples

Marketing case studies are incredibly useful for showing your marketing successes. Every successful marketing campaign relies on influencing a consumer’s behavior, and a great case study can be a great way to spotlight your biggest wins.

In the marketing case study examples below, a variety of designs and techniques to create impactful and effective case studies.

Show off impressive results with a bold marketing case study

Case studies are meant to show off your successes, so make sure you feature your positive results prominently. Using bold and bright colors as well as contrasting shapes, large bold fonts, and simple icons is a great way to highlight your wins.

In well-written case study examples like the one below, the big wins are highlighted on the second page with a bright orange color and are highlighted in circles.

Making the important data stand out is especially important when attracting a prospective customer with marketing case studies.

Use a simple but clear layout in your case study

Using a simple layout in your case study can be incredibly effective, like in the example of a case study below.

Keeping a clean white background, and using slim lines to help separate the sections is an easy way to format your case study.

Making the information clear helps draw attention to the important results, and it helps improve the  accessibility of the design .

Business case study examples like this would sit nicely within a larger report, with a consistent layout throughout.

Use visuals and icons to create an engaging and branded business case study

Nobody wants to read pages and pages of text — and that’s why Venngage wants to help you communicate your ideas visually.

Using icons, graphics, photos, or patterns helps create a much more engaging design. 

With this Blue Cap case study icons, colors, and impactful pattern designs have been used to create an engaging design that catches your eye.

Use a monochromatic color palette to create a professional and clean case study

Let your research shine by using a monochromatic and minimalistic color palette.

By sticking to one color, and leaving lots of blank space you can ensure your design doesn’t distract a potential customer from your case study content.

In this case study on Polygon Media, the design is simple and professional, and the layout allows the prospective customer to follow the flow of information.

The gradient effect on the left-hand column helps break up the white background and adds an interesting visual effect.

Did you know you can generate an accessible color palette with Venngage? Try our free accessible color palette generator today and create a case study that delivers and looks pleasant to the eye:

Add long term goals in your case study

When creating a case study it’s a great idea to look at both the short term and the long term goals of the company to gain the best understanding possible of the insights they provide.

Short-term goals will be what the company or person hopes to achieve in the next few months, and long-term goals are what the company hopes to achieve in the next few years.

Check out this modern pattern design example of a case study below:

In this case study example, the short and long-term goals are clearly distinguished by light blue boxes and placed side by side so that they are easy to compare.

Use a strong introductory paragraph to outline the overall strategy and goals before outlining the specific short-term and long-term goals to help with clarity.

This strategy can also be handy when creating a consulting case study.

Use data to make concrete points about your sales and successes

When conducting any sort of research stats, facts, and figures are like gold dust (aka, really valuable).

Being able to quantify your findings is important to help understand the information fully. Saying sales increased 10% is much more effective than saying sales increased.

While sales dashboards generally tend it make it all about the numbers and charts, in sales case study examples, like this one, the key data and findings can be presented with icons. This contributes to the potential customer’s better understanding of the report.

They can clearly comprehend the information and it shows that the case study has been well researched.

Use emotive, persuasive, or action based language in your marketing case study

Create a compelling case study by using emotive, persuasive and action-based language when customizing your case study template.

In this well-written case study example, we can see that phrases such as “Results that Speak Volumes” and “Drive Sales” have been used.

Using persuasive language like you would in a blog post. It helps inspire potential customers to take action now.

Keep your potential customers in mind when creating a customer case study for marketing

82% of marketers use case studies in their marketing  because it’s such an effective tool to help quickly gain customers’ trust and to showcase the potential of your product.

Why are case studies such an important tool in content marketing?

By writing a case study you’re telling potential customers that they can trust you because you’re showing them that other people do.

Not only that, but if you have a SaaS product, business case studies are a great way to show how other people are effectively using your product in their company.

In this case study, Network is demonstrating how their product has been used by Vortex Co. with great success; instantly showing other potential customers that their tool works and is worth using.

Related: 10+ Case Study Infographic Templates That Convert

Case studies are particularly effective as a sales technique.

A sales case study is like an extended customer testimonial, not only sharing opinions of your product – but showcasing the results you helped your customer achieve.

Make impactful statistics pop in your sales case study

Writing a case study doesn’t mean using text as the only medium for sharing results.

You should use icons to highlight areas of your research that are particularly interesting or relevant, like in this example of a case study:

Icons are a great way to help summarize information quickly and can act as visual cues to help draw the customer’s attention to certain areas of the page.

In some of the business case study examples above, icons are used to represent the impressive areas of growth and are presented in a way that grabs your attention.

Use high contrast shapes and colors to draw attention to key information in your sales case study

Help the key information stand out within your case study by using high contrast shapes and colors.

Use a complementary or contrasting color, or use a shape such as a rectangle or a circle for maximum impact.

This design has used dark blue rectangles to help separate the information and make it easier to read.

Coupled with icons and strong statistics, this information stands out on the page and is easily digestible and retainable for a potential customer.

Case Study Examples Summary

Once you have created your case study, it’s best practice to update your examples on a regular basis to include up-to-date statistics, data, and information.

You should update your business case study examples often if you are sharing them on your website .

It’s also important that your case study sits within your brand guidelines – find out how Venngage’s My Brand Kit tool can help you create consistently branded case study templates.

Case studies are important marketing tools – but they shouldn’t be the only tool in your toolbox. Content marketing is also a valuable way to earn consumer trust.

Case Study FAQ

Why should you write a case study.

Case studies are an effective marketing technique to engage potential customers and help build trust.

By producing case studies featuring your current clients or customers, you are showcasing how your tool or product can be used. You’re also showing that other people endorse your product.

In addition to being a good way to gather positive testimonials from existing customers , business case studies are good educational resources and can be shared amongst your company or team, and used as a reference for future projects.

How should you write a case study?

To create a great case study, you should think strategically. The first step, before starting your case study research, is to think about what you aim to learn or what you aim to prove.

You might be aiming to learn how a company makes sales or develops a new product. If this is the case, base your questions around this.

You can learn more about writing a case study  from our extensive guide.

Related: How to Present a Case Study like a Pro (With Examples)

Some good questions you could ask would be:

• Why do you use our tool or service?
• How often do you use our tool or service?
• What does the process of using our product look like to you?
• If our product didn’t exist, what would you be doing instead?
• What is the number one benefit you’ve found from using our tool?

You might also enjoy:

• 12 Essential Consulting Templates For Marketing, Planning and Branding
• Best Marketing Strategies for Consultants and Freelancers in 2019 [Study + Infographic]

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14 Best Case Study Questions to Ask Your Top Customers

If you want to show interested leads that you can put your money where your mouth is, case studies are a good way to go. They’re a valuable form of content that can even be used as lead magnets under the right conditions, and they have a singular purpose: To show how your clients achieved specific, significant results with your product or service. 

Knowing how to write a great case study is an important part of success, but there’s a part of the process that comes before that: Knowing which questions to ask, which you’ll determine when you’re preparing for a case study interview. 

The questions you ask can make the difference between a case study that feels like it’s been churned out by a low-quality AI machine compared to one that feels actionable, engaging, and high-stakes to your readers. 

In this post, we’re going to go over the 14 best case study questions to ask, along with discussing some tips to improve the results you’ll get. 

How to Structure Your Case Study Questions

Before we dive in, we want to talk about how to structure your questions in the interview.

In this post specifically, we’re going to look at individual questions you should ask around pointed topics, like about the client’s brand, solutions they’ve tried already, and their results. 

It’s best to stick close to the progression outlined here because it will give you the basic information you need at every level of the case study interview . You can’t ask what solutions they’ve tried before when you don’t even understand their brands’ needs. 

And keep in mind that when you’re asking users to provide specific information about a topic up front, they’ll often reference it later, strengthening the overall case study and sometimes encouraging them to share information they may not have thought to share otherwise. 

That being said, let’s go ahead and start to dive in to the best case study questions you should ask. 

Questions About Their Brand 

The best case studies will have some information about the brand they’re featuring and not just about how the brand uses their product. Information about the brand size, industry, and unique selling propositions (USPs ) can all play a valuable part in building a strong case study. 

These are a few important case study questions to consider asking about branding: 

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your brand? 

This is a great way to start the interview off strong. Ask the client to tell you about the brand, plain and simple. See what they have to say; they may share information about their product or service, how they fit into their industry, what differentiates them, and more. 

Leaving this first question relatively vague and open-ended helps them feel more comfortable while giving you some good ideas for where to go. 

If they’re stumped, ask them to provide a brief description of what their company does.

2. Can you tell me about your business’s structure, including industry, company size, or years in business? 

While this may feel technical, it can be exceptionally valuable to readers of the case study to help them relate or get a good understanding of who is using your products. 

3. An industry-relevant question 

SaaS tools that help with ad management may ask clients about their total monthly ad spend, for example. An eco-friendly company may ask clients what their “green goals” are or their previous carbon emissions. 

Think about what would benefit you to have in the case study, and ask it here if possible. 

Questions About Their Challenge & Pain Points 

We know that all great case studies will highlight the challenges that clients have before finding your product or service as their solution, exacerbated by key pain points. 

It’s so important to get enough information that these challenges feel real and significant in the case study; if you neglect to explain why a challenge was an actual obstacle, it can come across as seeming trivial. That can make your solution seem trivial, too.

These are the best case study questions to ask for this stage of the interview.   

4. What were the challenges you needed to solve before finding our product? 

This is a specific, pointed question, which helps make it effective. 

If I ask my content marketing clients this question, for example, they might say, “we didn’t know how to create content that ranked well” or “we needed help creating content at scale.” 

You can dive deeper by asking pointed questions about their key problems, which brings us to the next question. 

5. Why did this challenge have such a significant impact on your business?

This is the golden ticket right here, because it’s about pain points. 

Say you’re selling marketing services, and the client’s challenge is that they wanted help with lead generation . 

The pain points of “organic channels were too slow in driving customer acquisition, and our churn rates were eviscerating our client numbers” or “we tried to run ads ourselves but ended up losing hundreds of dollars to no avail.” 

Wasted money. Bleeding clients. Too-slow organic channels. These are pain points that make the case study feel real, and that other customers will connect to.  

6. What other solutions had you tried before and why didn’t they work? 

While it’s best to skip out on trash-talking competitors in the case study, asking this question during the interview can give you valuable context and a lot to work with. 

If, for example, I’m a weight loss coach, my clients may have tried the keto diet and Weight Watchers to no avail. Knowing that the keto diet made them feel queasy and that they found the point-tracking Weight Watchers to be too much work can be useful information for the study, even if you don’t ever name the alternatives.

These are pain points in their own right, and can be utilized like the following: 

 “The client had tried different solutions before but found that the diets either made them sick or were too much work to maintain.” It positions your solution to be the winning option. 

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Questions About How They Discovered You 

While it may seem irrelevant, information about how customers discovered you and why they decided to work with you can actually become compelling parts of a case study— even if only mentioned in brief. 

Here’s an example of how you can use this information in the case study: 

“We found Breadcrumbs after our business partner mentioned it to us, and after reading about their easy-to-use interface and accessible lead scoring , we decided to give it a try.” 

You’ve got social proof (business partner referred them) and a promo for a unique feature that made them convert. 

Here are the case study questions you can ask to get this information:

7. How did you find out about our brand? 

It’s a simple question, and it will likely be a simple answer. Nice and easy. 

8. What made you decide to try our product over other solutions? 

This essentially gets the customer to sell your product back to you, which is phenomenal. And someone reading the case study might think, “They’re right; I’ve also looked for a lead scoring tool with a great interface, I’d try that.” 

Questions About How They Used The Product or Service 

This will likely be one of the meatier parts of the case study interview because this is where some of the actionable information comes into play. How did your clients use your product or service, what steps did they take, and how can others use this to replicate the eventual results we’ll discover? 

These are the case study questions to ask: 

9. Which specific products and product features did your team use? 

Say you’re selling invoicing software to small businesses. Not all clients will use every feature.

Graphic designers, for example, may take advantage of project estimates for upfront deposits more than a copywriter who only works for flat fees. That copywriter, however, might be more likely to use invoice templates for retainer clients or automated billing features. 

Ask about the products and services the team used. 

10. How did your team use our products and services to meet their needs? 

You know what products or services were used, but now it’s time to ask how they were used.

Project estimates, for example, allowed graphic designers to send more professional-looking invoices to clients, who could pay upfront deposits through credit card, check, or bank deposit. This helped that designer weed out clients who had no intention of paying and gave them the funds they needed to secure the supplies to begin working.

And for the copywriter who used automated billing, it saved her an exceptional amount of time and ensured she got paid on time because she sent those invoices on time. 

11. How was your experience? 

Was the SaaS tool user-friendly? Did your clients take advantage of a free demo program or the option to have an account manager get their entire account up and running?

Ask about their specific transition process using the tool and what made the experience a more positive one. 

Questions About Their Results 

Last but not least… the results. Believe it or not, some case studies skip this part of the interview, but you definitely want to include hard, quantifiable data in as many case studies as possible. 

12. What end results did you get after using our product? 

Ask for the results your clients achieved. If they’re comfortable sharing the information, ask for KPIs. 

How did using our social media marketing software increase message response rates? 

How did our marketing service improve lead generation efforts, and customer acquisition costs? 

How did our lead scoring software reduce the contact-to-close period for leads or increase the overall financial value of leads acquired? 

Be as specific as the client will allow. The more definitive the data you can share, the better. 

13. What impact did these results have on your business? 

While this may seem self-explanatory, this is a great final question that again helps the impact of your product or service really stand out.

We saw customer satisfaction increase and sales go up by about 15% by improving message response rates on social media. 

Or, by getting more leads at lower costs, our business was able to reinvest those accelerated profits into additional campaigns to scale exponentially at an unprecedented rate, and now we’re opening two new branches. 

This can be a combination of data-focused or story-driven impacts. Either (or both!) works well. 

14. Is there anything else we should know? 

Anything else you want to share? This is a short but powerful question, and while some clients will say, “nope, that’s it,” you may be surprised what some other people share with you. 

There may be something they’ve been excited to talk about that hasn’t come up in the questions yet, or something may pop into mind to elaborate on something you’d discussed earlier.

Give them the floor, and see what they have to say. 

Final Thoughts 

If you’re going to take the time needed to conduct and write up a case study (both your own time and the client’s), you want to get it right. Coming prepared with a list of strong case study questions can help you create content that will be highly effective at generating leads and converting customers for a long time to come. 

Want to speed up the lead conversion funnel with lead scoring software? Create a Breadcrumbs account for free here ! 

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Project Case Study

Who wouldn’t want to bask in the glory of success and sit at the top of one’s chosen trade? We can put too much emphasis on the results that we tend to neglect the arduous process that comes with the glitz and glitters. Overnight success will not stand the rigors of long term subsistence. Stories of toils and triumph against adversity are what make our achievement motivating and noteworthy to the rest of the industry. That is why a project case study showing how you overcame ordeals from day zero tells more than the product will of your competency in your chosen field. 

Case studies provide in-depth treatment of a subject matter because of the extensive reporting and comprehensive writing style they entail. They put the spotlight on how a team made a project a success despite the challenges and how it is making strides in the industry. Project case studies are a useful project management apparatus for documenting initiatives, programs, and strategy for future reference of the company and concerned entities. Instead of using hard-sell strategies on marketing your craft, let project case studies make the case for you.

End Game Goggles

We don’t just tune in to the recognition of the Olympic gold medalists, Nobel Prize winners, and Pulitzer Prize awardees for their crowning moments. We listen to their backstories, their journey of getting to where they are now. It could be that we find comfort in knowing that the prominent personalities in different world arenas are also humans, that they, too, face adversities. We may be seeking motivation in our own lives in knowing that others made it to greatness so we can, also. Success stories sell for many reasons, but not all generate the same effect in us. 

“Powerball” Success

The problem with instant success is that it skips the phenomenon of delayed gratification. When it bypasses the hard work that is equivalent to working for an equivalent prize, people tend to put less value on the amount. In other words, money is worth less when earned with a lottery ticket. This isn’t meant to poke fun on lottery winners nor devaluate what they have done to win. The point is that, in general, it is easier to spend money when you didn’t shed blood and tears to earn every penny.

On Reporting the Process 

Although the end product is the biggest tell-tale of the success of a project, it doesn’t paint a complete picture. There is a chasm between the start to finish of a project. When you keep the two detached from each other, you lose valuable information that you can use for future ventures. You also keep up this erroneous image that success comes easy. One, that misleads an audience that you might not even know you have. Forget about inspiring a new batch of leaders, world changers, and entrepreneurs. Two, it is difficult to sustain a pristine and perfect image. It will always crumble sooner than convenient.

Where Pragmatism Fails

On the other hand, veiling the work that came with your success is counterintuitive in making your mark in the field. Achievement is not handed out on a silver platter. Case studies show the rest of the industry how you accomplished a project. It shows your capability in marketing project strategy and management. It tells of your expertise and your work ethic in handling the tasks and meeting strict deadlines. It boasts of your prowess in getting the job done. For a company, project case studies tell the clients how professional you are in meeting their expectations and demands. It tells of your command of the trade and skill in the craft.

It’s time to take off the end game goggles and gain a new perspective on how you should measure success.

10+ Project Case Study Examples

The success of an endeavor takes a stroke of brilliance, perseverance, and hard work. Illustrate for your and the rest of the world’s benefit how you made a project successful against the odds through publishing case studies. Because each study is a detailed accomplishment and  performance report on how you went above and beyond what’s good enough for clients, your portfolio and business library will certainly benefit from these documents. With the world becoming aware of the usefulness of case studies, be at the top of your game and tell your success story differently. Look into the following case study templates and samples from different fields and improve your storytelling.

1. Project Case Study Template Example

• Google Docs

Size: 79 KB

2. Design Project and Case Study Example

Size: 815 KB

3. Construction of Highway Project case Study Example

Size: 390 KB

4. Primary School Pilot Project Case Study Example

5. Funded Project Case Study Example

6. Phono-Post Project case study Example

Size: 116 KB

7. Formal Project Case Study Example

Size: 299 KB

8. Water Quality Project Case Study Example

Size: 927 KB

9. Educational Project Case Study Example

10. Project Agreement Case Study Example

Size: 417 KB

11. Bridges Project Case Studies Example

Size: 217 KB

12. Project Case Study in DOC

Size: 11 KB

How To Make A Project Case Study

Success stories are not made equal. Revamp your or your business’s portfolio with project management case study that shows why you are trustworthy and reliable in a competitive industry. Keeping case studies in your library will also guide your next decisions. This is how you design your success story that converts audience into clients.

1. Identify a Highlight

Of the projects that you have worked on, which ones would you consider your best? List your top contenders and indicate a summary why you think it so. Perhaps you can ask a colleague to help you identify which of these are your best. Make each study caption concise, detailed, and interesting.

2. Tell it Effectively

Make the format easier to understand on the first reading. Include the description of the client and their problem, the project’s objectives, how you came about the case, and the results. Indicate the challenges and your solutions, and how the project was received by the clients. You should explain how you made the project a success. Remember, even if it was successful, there is a lot going in the background that will put off any interested client, may that be internal team tension or terrible work ethic.

3. Credit All Involved

Most likely, you worked with a team for the project. Therefore, you have to give them credit for what they have accomplished. You should also explain your role in the project and how you contributed to its success. When your client knows how you are involved instead of just your work title in the project, it will help you gain their trust.

4. Describe Project’s Impact

Although case studies are about the process of success, don’t forget to make it clear how the project wasn’t just a money-making scheme. It helps your image if you communicate that you also care for your clients. Write about how the project made or will make a significant difference in the community. Describe how it affected the people involved and its benefactors. Show your heart by including societal and environmental responsibility in your business ventures.

How the work is done is part of the success and should be given a huge chunk of the performance indicator pie. The glorious end of any successful endeavor is only half the picture. Build a respectable career on stable and dependable work that gives importance to the laborious grind as it does the trophy at the end.

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Project Management Scenario Interview Questions and Answers Project Management

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Project management scenario is an explanation of what proposals will look like once it's completed. A project management scenario helps planners identify potential problems that might take place in the process so they can be taken care of in the project planning for a smooth outcome. Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate or experienced in creating project management scenarios, this write-up will aid you in increasing your knowledge of project management scenario. The questions below are broken down into several topics. You can find step-by-step explanations for each question and understand the concept in detail. With Project Management Scenario interview questions, you can be confident about your preparation for the upcoming interview.

Basic & Advance

1. how will you initiate your new project.

Knowledge Area:Project Integration Management

As a PM, I need to understand the objectives and the goals of the project clearly. I need to establish a formal understanding with my sponsor and other key stakeholders about the project needs to be fulfilled, objectives and final goals to be achieved. I will seek formal authorization for starting the new project. I also need to start identifying all the stakeholders of the project, both within our organization and also from the client side.

Two documents namely project charter and stakeholder register are prepared during project initiation.

• Project charter is initiated by the sponsor to officially appoint the PM and also to establish the agreed project objectives and goals.
• Stakeholder register is prepared to capture the detailed list of all project stakeholders, with all relevant information about the stakeholders.

2. Will you need more information about the project? If yes, how will you find out more details of the project at this stage?

Knowledge Area:Project Integration Management  

Since this is the initial stage of the project, I will seek more information about the project from the sponsor and business development team of our organization. If needed, I will also plan discussions with other key stakeholders to understand the reasons for doing this project and to understand the business needs and expected outcomes from the project.

3. Which documents you will like to refer to in order to have a clear understanding of the project?

Since this project is to be done for an external client, there must be an agreement/contract already signed between the client and our organization. I will request to get access to a copy of the contract. I will also request to see a copy of our proposal and internal estimation done by our team before signing the contract. The contract/agreement will provide more information about the expected goals of the customer. From the contract I can understand about the scope of the project, and other constraints such as time and cost which are being agreed.

4. What will be your expectations from your sponsor at this stage, which will facilitate a smooth initiation of the new project?

As a PM, I will need support from senior management from time to time with regards to mobilising resources, getting the funding in time, coordinating with other functional groups for project work and making various project decisions in a timely manner etc. I will look forward to my sponsor for his/her support on above matters as needed. I will explain about the importance of his/her timely and unstinted support for the project success and request for the same.

5. Will you need to know who all will be your stakeholders?

Knowledge Area: Project Stakeholder Management

Yes, very much. I will need to know about all the stakeholders in the project in hand.

6. Why you need to know about the stakeholders?

Knowledge Area: Project Stakeholder Management  

Stakeholders are the real people or groups or organizations whose interests have to be fulfilled through the project. Project is being undertaken to fulfil stakeholder expectations and needs. Hence knowing them and engaging them through the project right from initiation will be critical for project success.

7. How will you identify your stakeholders?  Who are they?

Stakeholders are all the people or organizations or groups who are directly involved in the project, whose interests may be positively or negatively impacted by the outcome of the project, who can influence and impact the project with their power and money.

A stakeholder register is prepared. We can identify the stakeholders by asking the following questions to ourselves –

• Who will use the end product/solution created from the project
• Who will help with their skills and knowledge in developing the final product of the project
• Who will give the requirements for the project
• Who will provide funding for the project
• Who will provide other kind of support
• Who will provide resources for the project
• Who will provide any kind of special guidelines or regulations to be followed/complied to while working in the project

8. What is a stakeholder analysis and Power-Interest Grid used for?

We need to make an exhaustive list of all stakeholders who will be somehow connected with the project. Once the list of stakeholders is prepared, there is a need to prioritize the stakeholders in terms of their significance in the project.

One of the practical and popular methods for analysing the stakeholders is analysing and assessing their level of power and interest in the project. The stakeholders are classified into different groups such as:

• How Power – High Interest,
• High Power – Low Interest,
• Low Power – High Interest and
• Low Power – Low Interest groups.

This helps in prioritizing their positions in the project, which in turn will be helpful in devising appropriate stakeholder engagement strategies for each group.

For more detailed understanding about stakeholder management, refer: Stakeholder Management

9. What do the following documents contain and what is the significance of these documents during project initiation?

• Business case document:

Understanding the financial feasibility and reasons of doing a new project is important. Business case provides a detailed financial analysis of investments to be made and benefits to be reaped from the project with a final justification either to do or not do a project. Business case document is one of the first documents to be referred for an internal project to be initiated.

A document which is a contract siged with an external customer and is used for initiating a new project. This document will lay the boundaries of the new project with regard to the scope, time and cost and the agreed terms and conditions between the requesting organization and performing organization. It is one of the initial documents the project manager will like to refer to understand about the project.

• Project charter:   

This is the very first initial document of any new project getting initiated. Project charter establishes the formal authorization for the new project. This document will lay down the objectives of the project, the name of the PM and will be approved by the initiator/sponsor. The business case and/or the agreement will be referred while preparing the project charter document.

Please refer to the link for more details on this: Project Charter

• Stakeholder register:

This is a very important document which is used to list all the stakeholders and all the relevant information about each stakeholder. This document is also used to include the information about their interest and power towards the project, their current levels of engagement such as resistor, neutral or supporter of the project. This is one of the first documents created during the project initiation. This is a live dynamic document. As new stakeholders are identified through the project life cycle, their relevant information will be added into the stakeholder register.

10. Understanding detailed requirement is fundamental to a successful project. How will you collect requirements for the project?  From whom will you collect requirements?  List few techniques you will use for collecting requirements. Different classification of requirements

Knowledge Area:  Project Scope Management

• The detailed project requirements will have to be collected from the various stakeholders. In the case of an ERP, we need to collect requirements from all levels of stakeholders. We need to understand the expectations of CXO level stakeholders, department head level stakeholders, departmental experts, end users of the solution in each department, from their IT department who later on will own the solution.
• The requirements will have to be collected and understood through different mode of interaction with the stakeholders. Stakeholders initially may not know very clearly about all their requirements. Some cases stakeholders may find it difficult to explain and articulate their requirements. The project manager and the team will have to drive this process of requirements gathering by facilitating and driving the process.
• Data Gathering (Brainstorming, Benchmarking, Focus Groups, Interviews, Questionnaires and Surveys)
• Data Analysis (Analysing various existing documents of the project such as business case, agreement, regulatory documents, proposals etc.)
• Observation (Shadowing and observing how people are working)
• Categorizing and grouping of ideas and requirements (Affinity Diagram)
• Prioritizing the requirements (Nominal Group Technique – Voting with the group. Using MuScoW and other techniques of prioritization )
• Prototyping
• A detailed requirement document is prepared using the above techniques as applicable. The requirements thus gathered can further be classified in various categories such as functional, non-functional, reliability, security, user interface related, quality, and regulatory, transition etc. Such classification will make it easier for the team to visual different aspects of the requirements and accordingly give appropriate focus in addressing them.
• For more detailed understanding of this process, please refer: Requirement collection

11. What is a requirement traceability matrix? What is the utility and significance of maintaining a requirement traceability matrix?

Knowledge Area:  Project Scope Management  

The requirements are collected in consultation with various stakeholders. Once the requirements are agreed, the project team will have to develop the end product/solution and make sure that all the requirements are fulfilled and nothing is missed.

When the project team is finally ready with the product and will be seeking final acceptance from stakeholders, it is often observed that few requirements may be missing. Having missing requirements at this stage will become a serious issue. The missing requirement will have to be immediately addressed and completed. It may require huge amount of rework in some cases and lot of unnecessary embarrassment for the team.

A requirement traceability matrix is used to address this phenomenon of missing requirements. Mostly requirements may be missing because of human error and oversight. A well designed traceability matrix will track each requirement in every phase of development. And will ensure a phase cannot be closed unless all the requirements initially collected have been successfully taken care of in the phase. This way, the team will track every requirement before closing each phase. This enables the team to ensure that no requirement misses the attention of the team and goes unnoticed to the next phases.

This is a very simple mechanism, but a powerful and effective mechanism to ensure that every requirement gathered initially gets delivered finally without any miss during the development phase.

12. Developing a comprehensive project management plan is very important. What is a project plan? What do you plan during project planning? What are the details that will be there inside the project management plan? Who will prepare the project management plan? What is a project baseline?

• A project plan is a comprehensive document which contains detailed information about how the project will be executed, how the project will be monitored and finally how the project will be closed. A project plan is similar to a blueprint or a guideline for the team to be followed during the project.
• Project planning is a structured approach to develop an integrated project plan by developing and integrating the subsidiary plans of scope, schedule, cost, resources, quality, communication, risk, procurement and stakeholder.

The final project plan will include the above subsidiary plans. It will also include the detailed project scope, detailed schedule and detailed cost estimates and expenditure plan. These are referred as the scope, schedule and cost baselines.

The project plan also will include the project life cycle and the associated phases, change management plan, configuration management plan etc.

• The project planning will be carried out by the project manager by taking the help of the core team members who will assist in developing the different components of the plan. The core team will also assist in estimating. The team will refer to the project charter document to understand the initial constraints of scope, time and cost as laid down. The detailed plan will be prepared to meet these constraints or goals.

The team will first start with elaborating the project scope, developing estimates for duration, cost and resources for each activity or work package in the project scope. In addition the team will also prepare a risk management plan, risk responses, communication management plan, quality management plan, stakeholder engagement plan, and procurement management plan to complete the overall project plan.

• Once the detailed project plan is prepared by the team, the plan finally gets approved by the sponsor or by the customer. The approved plan will have the scope, time and cost baselines approved. The project baselines will be used as a reference for measuring performance once project execution begins. Any deviation from these baselines will be treated as project variances. These baselines form the boundary of the so called triple constraints.

13. WBS is an important part of the project plan. What is a WBS? How does a WBS help in preparing a good plan?

• WBS (Work breakdown structure) is the most important tool & technique for understanding and organizing the complete project scope. The WBS later is used for developing a more robust and clear project plan.
• The project scope is the most fundamental aspect of the project. During project initiation, the project scope will be defined in very high level as an objective statement such as “Implement the HR, Finance and Inventory modules of ERP within 12 months”.
• It is important to define and refine the project objective and project requirements. Thereafter the team needs to elaborate the project scope in detail. Project scope will include all the deliverables of the project and all the associated work that needs to be done to fulfil all the requirements.
• Estimating the duration, cost and resource for each smaller component with higher accuracy
• Clearly assign roles and responsibilities of different work components among the team members
• Develop an Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS) based on the WBS
• Monitor and track each work package with clarity
• Identify project risk much more comprehensively for each group of work packages
• The above points are the benefits of making a WBS. A good WBS leads to a very credible and accurate project plan, which will facilitate smooth execution of work and meaningful tracking of progress. If there is no WBS, essentially there is no meaningful and credible project management. Hence WBS is the most fundamental part of the overall project management plan.
• For more clear understanding refer: Work breakdown structure
• Also refer to this to know more on scope planning, Project scope definition

14. What is a critical path? Is this important in project planning? How does it help?

Knowledge Area : Project Schedule Management

Once the project scope of work is well understood and captured in the form of a work breakdown structure, then all these work packages will have to be scheduled to complete all the work as per an overall time deadline. All the work packages (which are smaller deliverables) are further decomposed into activities, all the activities are sequenced based on the dependencies between them, duration estimation of each task is done and finally a project schedule is prepared.

The project schedule will look like a network diagram connecting all the activities from the beginning till the end. There will be multiple paths in the network diagram, since there will be many parallel tasks also running (where there is no dependency), with different scheduled activities. Activities in all the paths of the project network will have to be completed to complete the project.

The overall minimum project duration to complete all the work will be the duration of the path having the longest duration. This path with longest duration is the minimum time to complete the project as a whole. This longest path is referred as “critical path”.

“Critical path” is the most important path to monitor. All the activities on the critical path must be completed in time to complete the project in time. Hence the only rational and clear method for completing the project in time is to ensure that all the critical activities (all activities on critical path) must not be delayed and must be completed in time.

Hence identification and management of the “critical path” is a must for completing the project in a timely manner. There is no flexibility as such on the critical path.

For more detailed understanding of critical path, refer to: critical path method cpm

15. What is the difference between cost estimating and cost budgeting?

Knowledge Area: Project Cost Management

Cost estimating is the process of identifying all the cost drivers and arriving at the total monetary amount needed to be provisioned for completing the project. The resources to be used for developing the ERP solution will cost money. Cost estimation will take into account all the resource cost (man power, machine, material, facilities etc.).

Cost budgeting is the process of identifying the cumulative expenditures at major milestones of the project by aggregating the individual cost estimates over a time. This process includes dividing the total project estimate against the project schedule and prepares an expenditure plan and arrives at the funding requirements at different stages of the project. Cost budgeting will help the management to accordingly arrange for funds in a timely manner for the project.

16. What kind of resources you will need for the project?

Knowledge Area:Project Resource Management

The project will require various kinds of resources such as:

• Human resources (Business analysts, Technical Experts, Developers, Testers etc.)
• Machines (Equipment, Hardware, Software etc.) (Development and Test Environment)
• Facilities (Office space, Labs, storage and warehouse etc.)

Resource needed for the project have to be estimated diligently. Typically resource estimation will be done at the activity level and the entire resource requirement for all activities will be aggregated to arrive at the total resource requirement.

Project resource estimate (quantity and duration) will become the major input for completing the project cost estimate.

17. What is a RACI matrix? How does this help in resource management?

Knowledge Area: Project Resource Management 

Once the project execution begins, it will be important to clearly assign roles and responsibilities among the various team members. Multiple people and stakeholders may be involved in every task. Hence clarity on who will be doing what is very important to eliminate all kinds of ambiguity.

RACI is a matrix based responsibility assignment chart for the above purpose. The possible roles include “responsible”, “accountable”, “consult”, and “inform” as per this chart. RACI charts are used extensively as this is one of the most popular matrix based responsibility chart.

For more detailed understanding, please refer: Raci chart tool

18. You are aware that various risks may occur during the project. What are project risks? How do you plan for the project risks? What steps do you take in risk planning?

Knowledge Area: Project Risk Management  

Risks are uncertain events which may occur during the project bringing about a positive or negative impact on the project objectives of scope, time, cost and quality. If the event brings a positive impact, they are referred to as positive risks or opportunities, and if the event brings a negative impact, they are referred to as negative risks or threats.

Risks are potential future events or situations which may occur during the project life cycle. Managing such events proactivel y is critical to manage the project successfully. Risk management will thus include maximising the opportunities and minimising the threats.

Risk management steps will include the following:

• Identify risks
• Analyse risks (their probability and impact)
• Prioritize risks
• Develop risk responses proactively for opportunities and threats

A risk register document is prepared which contains all the risk events, their probability and impact, ranking and response plan for each of the risk event. The risk register document becomes an important reference for completing the overall project schedule and cost estimates.

For better understanding of Project Risk Management, refer: Project risk management

19. What is cost of quality?

Cost of quality includes all the cost incurred to ensure that the customer has a quality product. It includes the cost of conforming to quality and cost not conforming to quality.

• Cost of conformance includes cost of all the proactive steps taken to ensure quality. It includes prevention and appraisal cost.
• Cost of non-conformance includes all the cost incurred in rework, scrap, replacement, warranty, failure cost etc.
• Cost of conformance is the investments made to ensure the cost of non-conformance to be very minimal.

20. You have to ensure quality of the final deliverables. You have heard about Quality Assurance and Quality Control which are used for managing quality. What is the difference between QA and QC?

Knowledge Area: Project Quality Management

Managing the quality of the project deliverables is extremely important. Quality of the deliverables is ensured by doing both Quality Assurance and Quality Control.

Quality Assurance comes from the laid down processes and standards to do the project work. Adherence to the processes and standards assures that the final deliverables will meet the expected standards of quality. This is done proactively through the execution and development.

Quality Control is the process of monitoring the final deliverables and results created by the team after adhering to the chosen processes and standards. Quality Control uses inspection to check if the final deliverable is correct in all respect and meets all the expected specification or not.

For more detailed understanding on the above topic, refer: Qualty assurance and quality control

21. If your project will require, procuring man power, goods or services or even outsourcing some part of development to third parties.

Knowledge Area:Project Procurement Management

• How do you plan for your procurements?

We will quickly do a make or buy analysis. We check our existing resource pool and capabilities to decide if we can do the entire development or we will need some kind of assistance from third parties. IF we will realize that we need to outsource some development work or if we realize that we may have to augment our team by hiring some expert staff members contractually for the project, we will need to plan for procurement. We need to clearly decide and define what we need to procure.

To know more about procurement management, refer our article at:  procurement management

• What are the different types of bid documents you may be preparing for procurement management?

Once we decide what we need to procure, may it be man power or may it be outsourcing a chunk of work, we will have to develop a statement of work. We also will have to identify other terms and conditions which we expect the suppliers to fulfil. We also need to identify clear criteria for selecting the suppliers. We than need to put all these information in a formal document referred as a bid document.

Some of the popular bid documents include request for proposal (RFP), request for quote (RFQ), request for information (RFI), request for bid (RFB) etc.

The above documents as appropriate then will be floated and shared with prospective bidders/suppliers so that they can understand our requirements and can prepare a proposal for us.

To know more about them, refer our article at: procurement documents

• What contract types you will be using for engaging with suppliers and contractors for different procurements?

There will be a need for getting into a formal agreement with the selected suppliers. These agreements will be legally binding agreements for safeguarding the interests and rights of both sides, while defining the obligations of both sides as well.

There are a number of contract types which exist, and can be appropriately selected in different situations. Broadly the contract types include the following:

• Fixed Price Contract
• Time and Material Contract
• Cost Reimbursable Contract

To know more about contract types, you can refer our article at: project contract types

22. Stakeholder engagement is very important for project success.

Knowledge Area:Project Stakeholder Management

• How do you plan for stakeholder engagement?

Once the stakeholders are identified and listed in the stakeholder register, we also do a stakeholder analysis using power-interest grid to segregate them into different groups so that we can develop appropriate engagement strategies for each group of stakeholders. Below are the high level strategies we adopt to engage them:

• High Power – High Interest -   Manage closely
• High Power – Low Interest  - Keep satisfied
• Low Power – High Interest  - Keep informed
• Low Power – Low Interest  - Monitor

The above helps us to prioritize our attention and efforts accordingly.

• What are a stakeholder engagement matrix and the usage of the same?

While developing the stakeholder engagement strategies, it is also important to quickly check the current level of engagement of each stakeholder and the desired level of engagement of each of them for project success. Once we identify the current level and desired level of engagement for each stakeholder, we can then define very specific actions which will help us to move the stakeholders to the desired level of engagement.

The stakeholders may fall in one of five levels of engagements such as “unaware”, “resistant”, “neutral”, “supportive” and “leading”.

Below is a matrix:

The above matrix once prepared, provides clarity to the team to define right actions and strategies for moving each of the stakeholders from their “ C urrent” level to “ D esired” level of engagement.

23. Communication management is central to project success, ensuring right information flows to each stakeholder for effective engagement.

Knowledge Area: Project Communication Management

How do you plan for communication?

Communication is the only way of engaging with stakeholders. Right information should be sent to the right stakeholder at the right time in a manner preferred by the stakeholder. A communication approach should be developed for effective and efficient information sharing to attain the required level of stakeholder engagement.

There are various types of communication such as written, verbal and non-verbal. Information can be shared using different technologies or medium. Information can be shared using various methods such as interactive, push and pull. Each stakeholder may have specific information need and may have specific preference in terms of how the information should be shared with them. We need to understand their preferences and accordingly prepare a communication plan.

A communication plan will include:

• Who needs information?
• What information do they need?
• When the information is needed including frequency?
• How the information will be sent to them?
• Who in the team will be responsible for sending the needed information?

Please refer this link for more information on communication planning, communication management

24. What are the first few things you will have to do to start project execution?

Once the plan is ready, the immediate first things to be done during execution will be to identify and acquire the right resources for the project and also select the appropriate contractors/suppliers for the project work. It is the team and the suppliers who will be actually doing the project work. Assigning responsibilities to different team members and suppliers for different pieces of the project work is extremely important.

During the project execution, the project manager will have to act as a leader, working closely with the project sponsor, other stakeholders, with team, with other peers in the organization. The project manager will have to use mostly the inter personal skills, communication skills during project execution.

25. What are some of the key activities you will have to do as the PM during project execution? What are your responsibilities as the PM during execution?

During project execution stage, the project manager will be doing the following important activities, which are some of the core responsibilities of the project manager:

• Acquire the right resources for the project
• Select and bring on board the most suitable suppliers and contractors as needed
• Assign roles and responsibilities among the team
• Lay down the Quality Management processes and standards to be followed by the team for creating the final deliverables
• Implement all the risk responses
• Initiate and ensure constant communication with all stakeholders as per the communication management plan
• Start engaging with all stakeholders understanding their needs and expectations and building relationship with them ensuring their support for the project
• Do team building, maintain team motivation
• Ensure that the team is using all existing knowledge and also documenting new lessons learnt through the development of project work
• Keep conducting audits to check process and quality standards compliance

26. You are aware that you will have to acquire various resources (man power and physical resources) for your project. How will you acquire all the necessary resources for project execution?  How project resource acquisition may be influenced depending upon your organization structure (projectized, functional, matrix)?

Knowledge Area:Project Resource Management 

• The project will require both man power and other physical resources to be acquired for the project work. The man power resources will be acquired from within the organization, from different functional groups and common resource pools. If the man power resource needs are completely fulfilled from internal sources, then the PM will have to initiate the process of acquiring them from outside agencies on a contractual basis. The PM will be responsible for actively negotiating with various resource owners within the organization and select the best possible resources for the project. The same selection mechanism should be exercised while selecting man power from outside agencies. The team members possessing the required skills and competencies need to be carefully selected. The project manager will also have to ensure other resources such as material and machines are made available either from internal sources or through procurement. The PM will have to plan really well for procurements by working closely with the procurement department of the organization.
• Resource acquisition first will happen from internal sources and later from external sources. IF the organization is a functional or a matrix organization, resource acquisition from internal sources will be quite challenging for the PM, since the resources by default will be part of other groups. The PM will have to actively negotiate with the functional managers and other resource owners for assigning the right man power resources to the project. The PM may need to take the help of the project sponsor also in this regard. If it is a functional or a weak-matrix organization, the PM will definitely have a challenging task in getting the right resources assigned to the project. If it is strong-matrix organization, the PM will have more authority and will have a stronger say in resource allocation. If it is a projectized organization, then the project manager will have lot of authority to select the resources of choice with full authority and freedom. But in case of projectized organization, most of the resources may have to hired from outside, which may take a good amount of lead time for hiring.  Hence good upfront planning for hiring will have to be put in place to ensure the resources come on board well in time as per the project plan.

27. You are aware that you have to build a new team and also have to manage the team for execution through the project life cycle. What is team building What is managing team? How do you do this?

Project teams are always new teams, as each project is a new project. The PM will start forming the team by selecting and acquiring the right team members, either from internal sources from external sources. It is important for the project manager to ensure that this newly formed team works as a great team, with immense trust and cohesiveness to achieve the project goals. The project manager also have to ensure that each team member is giving 100 % of their efforts to the project work and all are happy and motivated.

When we form a new project team, initially the team will not behave as a great team. The team spirit will not be present initially. It takes time for the team to evolve into a great team. Typically every new team will evolve through the stages of forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning as per Tuckman ladder. This is where the project manager will have to act as a leader helping and guiding the team  to evolve to its peak performance stage. The PM plans various team building activities providing an opportunity to the team members to start knowing each other well and developing a better team spirit and trust.

The project will also have to ensure that each team member is giving his/her best for the project. The PM will have to monitor the performance of each team member, give feedback as needed to ensure their best performance. Ensure that every member in the team is motivated and inspired.

28. Is motivation of the team important during execution? If yes, then how do you motivate your team? What formal techniques and motivation theories you may be making use of for this?

Motivation of the team is one of the most important aspects for project success. The PM will have to ensure that the team as a whole is inspired and motivated. Each team member is also motivated to give his/her best performance for the project success.

Motivation is a psychological phenomenon. Different things may motivate different person. The PM will need have clear understanding about this phenomenon and how motivation works and how we can motivate different individuals.

There are many formal theories on motivation each one explaining a very important aspect of motivation. Generally fulfilling the needs of people, providing them a challenging and invigorating environment to work; providing them appropriate rewards in a timely manner are critical factors in motivating people.

Some of the important theories include Maslow’s Theory, McGregor’s Theory, Hertzberg’s Theory, McClelland’s Theory, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. As a PM one need to understand the underlying concepts and philosophies behind is theories and use them effectively for motivation.

For more information on this, you can refer:  rewards and recognition

29. During project execution, when work will start happening, there will be conflicts between team members and also stakeholders. What is a conflict? What are the reasons of conflict in projects? How will you manage conflicts? What are the different conflict management techniques which are used and their application?

• Conflicts are natural and inevitable when multiple people start working together.
• Conflicts are seen as a means of encouraging diverse views and ideas within the team. Hence they can be constructive too.
• Administrative issues
• Technical opinions
• Personality
• Conflicts can be best resolved by the parties involved in the conflict. The PM should create an environment of trust and respect within the team. The team members should be encouraged to resolve conflicts among themselves.

The manager can intervene if the conflicts are not getting resolved by the team members. While resolving conflicts, the care should be taken not only to resolve the conflict, but also to ensure that the team dynamics and harmony is maintained.

Some of the conflict management techniques used include the following:

• Confront/Problem Solve/ Collaborate (Best method - win – win outcome)
• Compromise (lose-lose outcome)
• Force (win-lose outcome)
• Avoid/Withdraw
• Smoothing/Accommodating

For more detailed information in conflict management, please refer our article: Conflict-management

30. How do you manage geographically distributed virtual or international team? How do you maintain team spirit while you have distributed virtual team at different location?

Knowledge Area:Resource Management 

Virtual teams and international teams are a common phenomenon presently. Projects are global consisting of team members from across the globe. Project teams are geographically distributed, having the members operating from different locations.

Managing such distributed teams, it will be important to use technology effectively. Regular communication will be very important. Communication purpose, frequency and mechanism should be planned upfront. Colocation can also be used effectively as and when needed. These days it is possible to keep the team connected with proper communication planning

31. You will be acting as a leader during execution. What are the different leadership styles you are aware of? What is your leadership style?

The PM also acts as a leader. Leader’s role will be to guide the team, show direction, develop team spirit, motivate to achieve greater performance, help the team in case of adversity etc. There are different leadership styles.  Some of the important leadership styles include:

• Liaises Faire
• Servant leadership

For more details on leadership, please refer: Management styles

32. How will you manage underperforming team members?

Knowledge Area:Resource Management

There will be situations; the PM may find some of the team member’s performance is not up-to expectation and not meeting the expected performance needed for project success. The PM has to keep a very close observation about the performance of each team member. The moment the PM finds any kind of underperformance, the PM needs to immediately have some conversation with the team member. 

The PM needs to be careful and use empathy to understand the reason of underperformance. The PM should first try to provide all kinds of meaningful help, training and encouragement to the team member to improve his/her performance. The PM should also explore the possibility of changing the role of the team member within the project team based on his/her capability to see if that helps the member as well as the project. Initial discussion should be done somewhat informally. 

The PM should be judging the performance of the person, not the person itself. But if the underperformance still persists,  then the project manager may have to have some formal discussion and try to see if the resource can be changed with some other resource and the resource under consideration may be deployed into a more suitable role where his/her capabilities will fit the best. The PM must keep in mind that ultimately project is most important. Hence a delicate balance between ensuring project success and helping the underperforming team member to improve performance has to be done by the PM.

33. During execution you will also have to select contractors and third party suppliers for some part of your project work. How do you select the suppliers?

Knowledge Area:Procurement Management 

For some of the project work, there always may be a need for engaging some third party suppliers, contractors. During planning, the team would have already decided what to procure, and would have developed detailed specification of the procurement item or service. An RFP or RFQ is generally prepared during the procurement planning stage.

Before beginning execution, it will be important to share our detailed requirements through the RFP or RFQ document with potential suppliers. We need to request their response, proposal, and quotations.

Upon receiving the proposal, response and quotation from various suppliers, we need to evaluate their responses in an objective manner. We then need to invite the bidders with best proposals for final negotiation. After negotiation, the best seller/supplier is selected and an agreement is signed with them.

Negotiation is a difficult process. It should be kept in mind to ensure that the negotiations are done in a win-win manner ensuring the considerations and interests of both the sides are equally taken care of. After all, the selected supplier/seller becomes part of you extended team. Hence it should be seen more as a relationship rather than a transaction while negotiating the terms and conditions.

For more details you can refer our tutorial at, procurement management

34. What is Gold Plating and how do you prevent this?

Knowledge Area:Quality Management

Gold plating is a common phenomenon observed during execution. The development team may work on delivering more than what has been asked for or what is actually needed. The general thought behind gold plating is that it will make the customer feel happy since we are delivering more. But in the contrast a matured customer will not be happy. Instead may have doubts on our management capability as to how the team is able or willing to deliver more. In addition to this, gold plating if done, will lead to scope creep, which in turn will impact the project schedule and cost. The whole plan can go awry.

Hence it is highly recommended that the PM should be aware about this phenomenon and tendency of the team, and should discourage and prevent gold plating in a project scenario.

35. How do you assure quality during execution?

During quality management planning, the team decides the relevant standards and processes to be followed during product development including the reviews, testing etc. The PM will have to ensure that the team actually follows the chosen processes and standards for development. The PM also plans for regular quality audits for ensuring process compliance. Complying to the processes and standards ensures the team ends up developing the desired product without any defect. This method of ensuring quality through adherence to standards is known as quality assurance.

36. How do you engage all your stakeholders, especially the ones who hold high interest and high authority?

Knowledge Area:Stakeholder Management

Project stakeholders are identified during the project initiation stage itself. All the identified stakeholders are also analysed in terms of their power and interest with regards to the project in hand. Different strategies are planned for engaging the different groups of stakeholders.

Stakeholders with high authority and high interest in the project such as the sponsor, the customer and may be few other stakeholders need to be “Managed Closely”. The PM need to plan and use more frequent communication and engagement with such stakeholders in order to ensure that their authority is used effectively for the project decision making process and their interests are also best fulfilled.

The PM generally will plan a daily or weekly communication with such stakeholders with different agenda for each such communication. Face-to-face meetings, telephonic conversations are the best. Sharing important project information such as a plan, change requests, project documents and all kind of approvals must be done using formal written communication.

It will be important to ensure that such stakeholders are being constantly and closely managed. The PM will have to use excellent communication and interpersonal skills for such engagement.

37. During project execution, your team will be working on all the work as per the project baseline. But you are aware that, new change requests may keep coming up during the project. What are change requests? Why do we get change requests? What will be the steps and processes for change management? What will be some of the typical challenges you will face in handling change request?

Knowledge Area: Project Integration Management

• Change requests are very common in a project. Change request is a request for changing some aspect of the project plan such as the scope, timeline, cost, resources, technology, requirements etc. Any change to the project baseline, is treated as a potential change request. Change requests in project context are also referred as “CR”. A CR may originate from any of the project stakeholders including the project team and project manager also.

The reasons for change requests in the middle of the project includes below points:

• The stakeholders realize that a new feature or requirement or new technology will be beneficial for the project
• Sometimes new regulatory requirements may come up and the project needs to comply to them leading changes in an already planned project
• Stakeholders may suddenly feel the need for changing the project time lines, project budget leading to change requests.
• Very often in the midst of the project, the team or stakeholders may feel the need for taking up some corrective or preventive actions if variances, issues and problems are faced by the project team. These are recommended for keeping the project on track and ensuring the project’s final outcome will remain relevant.
• Change requests are normal in the project. But it is important to adopt a discipline approach for handling all change requests. For that, a change management plan may be developed which will enlist the change management procedure. This can be shared with all relevant stakeholders. Change management process should be done in the most formal manner. All stakeholders must be educated and informed about the procedure during the project planning stage itself.

A change request can impact the project baselines and various other project documents and already developed project deliverables.

Typical steps to be followed will include the following:

• Conduct a thorough impact analysis of the change request.  The impacts could be on multiple aspects of the project.
• The findings from the impact analysis should be presented to the appropriate impacted stakeholders. And a discussion with the appropriate stakeholders which may include the sponsor, customer must be done. Idea is to make all the stakeholders aware about the impact and seek their approval after they understand the impacts.
• IF the stakeholders approve the change request with the impacts, then the project manager need to work on updating the project management plan ensuring the impacts are properly reflected in the updated plan.
• The updated plan should be approved by the sponsor.
• Upon approval of the updated plan, the PM should execute the project as per the updated project plan and should start implementing the change.
• In the process of implementing the change, various existing project artefacts will undergo change. It will be important to maintain the versions of such artefacts to maintain the history of changes in happening in each of the artefacts.  These are known as configurable items and the process is known as configuration management.
• Formal change management plan may not be present
• Stakeholders may tend to raise change requests in an informal manner
• There may be conflict very often. What the project team will say is actually a change request, the customer and stakeholders many times may say that it is part of original scope. The project manager will have to discuss and resolve such situations and bring all stakeholders to a common understanding.
• Frequent changes will be a challenge.
• The project manager and team sometime may find it difficult to say “NO” to a change.
• Accepting or rejecting a change request with their associated impacts will require immense negotiation between the PM, team and other stakeholders including the customer and sponsor.

38. What is project monitoring and controlling mean?

Knowledge Area:Integration Management

Once the project execution begins, the work should progress as per plan. Hence it is important to track and review the progress, compare the actual performance with project baseline and find out the variances, if any.

If variances will be found, then the team needs to look for ways to not only correct the variances and but also see how similar variances will not occur in future.

39. How often project monitoring and controlling should be done? Should this be planned as part of project management plan?

Knowledge Area: Integration Management

Monitoring the progress and checking for variances should be done at a planned interval. The frequency of monitoring is also planned as part of project management plan. Various different kinds of monitoring activities at different levels of project hierarchy can be planned. There may be daily, weekly status meetings within the team planned for clear objectives for each such status meeting. There may be status meetings planned with customer and sponsor also.

40. What is the difference between monitoring and controlling?

Monitoring involves finding variances between actual project performances against the project baseline. Controlling means identifying recommended corrective, preventive actions and defect repairs for managing the variances.

41. What specific aspects of the project will you be monitoring as a project manager?

The project performance will be monitored against the project baseline. Monitoring is done against the project scope baseline, schedule baseline, cost baseline, quality baseline to check if the project performance is matching the planned baseline in these areas.  Variances in scope, schedule, cost and quality are identified. Monitoring is also done to compare actual performance in other areas of the plan such how the communication happening, how the procurement happening, how is the stakeholder engagement, how are the resource performing etc.

The on-going project monitoring will also focus on successful work completion and acceptance of the project work. How much of the project scope of work is getting successfully delivered and accepted is a very important part of the project monitoring. This helps the team to keep checking off the completed work.

42. What are the basic performance reports which will be prepared by the team?

As part of monitoring and controlling, the project team will be preparing various reports. Some of the basic reports which are prepared include:

• Status report
• Progress report
• Forecast report

43. What is the difference between progress report and status report?

Progress report focuses on work completion in the project so far. Status report focuses on variances in project performance so far.

44. What is a forecast? Is this important during monitoring? 

While progress report and status report tell us where the project stands as of now, the Forecast report will tell eth details about the expected completion of the project based on actual performance so far.

Forecast report is very important which keeps informing the stakeholders about the expected completion time, cost of the project.

45. What variance means? What are the different project variances to be measured during the project execution?

Variance is the difference between the actual project performances with the project baseline. Mathematically it can be explained as Plan – Actual.

Variances will be measure for time duration (on schedule, ahead of schedule or behind schedule), cost (on budget, over budget or under budget). These variances can be measured numerically using different techniques. Variances in other knowledge areas can be checked, but may not be measured numerically.

46. Your sponsor mentions that Earned Value Management technique has gained immense popularity in recent years and you should consider using this in the current project. What is Earned Value Management (EVM)? What is the use of EVM?

Knowledge Area: Cost Management

EVM is a technique which is used for numerically calculating the schedule and cost variance in a project. It is used for calculating the schedule and cost performance index of the project. This is also used for creating new cost and performance forecast for the project.

This technique used quantification of planned value (PV) of work at different points in project schedule, earned value (EV) of work (work actually completed) and actual cost (AC) of work completed.

It is simple, yet a very practical and effective technique for ascertaining the variances and performances of the project numerically so that the team can make meaningful forecast and also identify appropriate corrective actions for managing the variances.

47. What is difference between trend analysis and variance analysis?

Knowledge Area: Integration and Cost Management

Variance analysis is the method for calculating the variance between current performances of the project with the baseline. It will be done regularly to keep a track on the variances so that timely corrective actions can be taken.

Trend analysis is also done at regular interval but no so frequently as variance analysis. The idea is to identify if any patterns or trends are emerging in the project performances and variances over time. If trends will be spotted, then we need to understand the reasons for the trends and identify suitable preventive actions.

48. What is the difference between corrective actions and preventive actions? Give example of some corrective actions and preventive actions.

Corrective action is to correct the existing variance.  Preventive action is to ensure that similar current variances should not occur in future.

For example, if we identify that the project is running behind schedule, then the corrective action will be something that can help to expedite the remaining work so that we can make up the schedule variance.

After doing a root cause analysis, if the team realizes that the schedule variance happened because of lack of clear management direction to the team, then the preventive action will include providing clear direction and information to each team member for their corresponding work so that similar variances will not occur in future.

49. What is the difference between project monitoring and project evaluation?

Project monitoring is done by the project manager and the team internally to check periodically how the project is doing.

While project evaluation is done by the project sponsor, customer to check how the project is doing. Evaluation is done by someone from outside the team.

50. While monitoring your project, you discover that your project is behind schedule? What can you do to bring your project back on track with regards to schedule?

Knowledge Area: Schedule Management

If the project is behind schedule, we first need to understand the extent of variance. If the variance is very small and the team will feel this variance can be managed easily without much change, then in that case, we may not do any alteration except keeping a very close watch on further progress.

Project schedule variance means some of the tasks on the critical path are having variances. Some of the critical tasks are running behind. If the variance requires intervention, then the team will identify means to expedite the remaining project work. Priority has to be given on expediting the work on the critical path without unduly neglecting the non-critical tasks.

Some of the common actions may include adding more resources on the critical path tasks appropriately or exploring to do some of the future tasks in parallel which are currently scheduled in sequence. These two methods can help in making up the schedule variance and help in expediting so that the project can be completed as per original timeline.

51. How do you ensure that the project gets delivered as per agreed project timelines?

We know that the critical path duration defines the project completion timelines. Hence if we can monitor the critical path activities more closely and see that they are on time, we can ensure that the project will get completed as per agreed timeline.

More focus has to be given to monitoring the critical tasks and also ensuring that the non-critical tasks are not unduly delayed so that they become critical.

52. How are Fast Tracking and Crashing techniques used for project control? Explain.

Knowledge Area:Schedule Management

Fast tracking and Crashing are techniques for expediting the project activities. They are applied when there is schedule variance observed. As explained in above question, adding more resources is termed as “Crashing” and doing tasks in parallel is termed as “Fast Tracking”.

Crashing may add more cost to the project, whereas Fast Tracking may add additional risk of rework since tasks will be performed in parallel.

53. When can one start closing the phase or the project?

The team will be developing the various project deliverables. When some significant deliverable will be ready by the team, the team will seek acceptance of the completed deliverables from stakeholders. Once the team will receive acceptance of major deliverables, typically at the end of phase or at the end of the project, the team will prepare for logically closing either the phase or the project depending upon where we are.

Hence the pre-condition for initiating phase or project closure is successful acceptance of project deliverables by the customer or stakeholders.

54. Prepare the list of various activities that will have to be performed during closing of phase or project.

Closing of phase or project logically is very important. All loose ends of the project or phase must be closed. Some of the important activities that will happen during closing of phase or project will include the following:

• Analyse and ensure that all the acceptance criteria of the project and product have been met
• Prepare and consolidate the final deliverable for handing over to the appropriate stakeholder or customer.
• Handover all documents such as training manuals etc. to the customer
• Close all financial dealings with suppliers and vendors of the project
• Formal sign off from customer
• Prepare a final project report which should detail out the story of the complete project for future reference
• Consolidate all lessons learnt and ensure that they are shared across the organization
• Archive all project records
• Do appraisal of performance of all team members and provide feedback to their respective functional managers and HR
• Recognize and reward all contributors of the project
• Release all equipment and resources

55. What is the significance of project or phase closing? How does proper closing help the project and the organization?

Closing time is an opportunity for introspection for the project team. All lessons learnt are consolidated. It is ensured that the new learning gets institutionalised. They are used in the current project and also across the organization. We build new process assets for the organization. Proper phase closing helps in deciding to move to the next phase. Project closing brings the project to an orderly end by consolidating all assets & learning.

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23 Case Study Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

December 16, 2022

By Joe Gillespie

Case studies offer one of the most powerful types of content in the inbound marketer’s toolbox.

When done right—with descriptive storytelling and a powerful visual presentation—a case study can deliver a clinching message to leads in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey . Prospects who already know they need a solution to their problems read the case study and see how your company has helped others, which nudges them closer to becoming customers.

That said, case studies are a different animal from other inbound marketing content, such as blogs , e-books, pillar pages, and infographics. Most content in the awareness and consideration stages of the buyer’s journey doesn’t self-promote much but, instead, simply gives the reader information. The decision stage, however, is a chance to persuade leads that your solution is their best option. 

Shifting gears usually isn’t much of a problem for marketers, but switching to the case study format can be. The process is more journalistic—you conduct interviews, gather information, and weave a narrative—and that can be daunting for someone more accustomed to blogging than article writing.

Don’t stress out: Case studies aren’t difficult if you take your time, are diligent about gathering information and writing the content, and ask the right questions. And we can help with the questions! Below are 23 to ask when conducting the interviews.

Case Study Questions to Ask Your Project Manager

Usually, you will interview someone at your company—maybe a project manager, salesperson, client manager, customer liaison, or other colleague who deals with customers—who worked with the client you are profiling for the case study. 

Often, this interview will occur first and give you a good launching point for subsequent interviews with the customer’s representatives. You might already know the answers, but ask these questions anyway. You may get a deeper explanation from your interview subject and something quotable you can use in the case study.

(Note: I’m using product , solution , and service interchangeably throughout these case study questions; simply use the term that best applies to your company during the actual interviews.)

• What initial challenges did you encounter with the client that could be overcome with our product? This question is good to establish what problem the customer was experiencing and how your organization was poised to help.
• What process did you follow during implementation? Again, this may be obvious to you but is worth hearing from the PM. A little bit of process info in your case study can go a long way toward showing leads how you, step by step, can help solve their problem.
• What roadblocks for implementation did you help the client overcome? Highlighting how you assisted shows that no matter how messy a customer’s status with its previous solution is, you are positioned to overcome the hurdles that get in the way.
• How have we helped the client since implementation/introduction? Some customers are good to go after your solution is implemented, but others rely on additional support—be sure to find out what that support entails.
• What kind of success did the client enjoy with our product? Results, results, results!
• Did we go above and beyond with our service? If the answer to this is no, that’s OK, and perhaps you don’t want to set unreasonable expectations—even if you did go above and beyond—with the case study, which is also fine. That said, showing how you went the extra mile or were unusually innovative stands out to readers looking for a company that will take care of its customers.

Case Study Questions to Ask the Client

If a client has agreed to be the subject of a case study, they obviously are happy with the service you provided. Take advantage of this enthusiasm by asking open-ended questions and letting your interviewee gush about your organization and your solution.

Some of the case study questions listed here may seem redundant to the ones you asked internally, but ask them anyway. You want both perspectives, and often, the best quotes you hear and use will be from the client.

• Can you give a brief description of your company? If you aren’t familiar with the client, ask for some basic background. Yes, you usually can find such information online, but this is a good icebreaker to get the interviewee talking.
• How did you first hear about our service? If the client learned about you via other case studies or articles in outside publications or websites—or they simply knew about you by reputation or word of mouth—you definitely want to include that in the case study. For the reader, this info strengthens your industry presence and thought leadership. This question is also a good lead-in to learn about how the deal between the client and your company was finalized.
• What challenges/problems necessitated a change? Listen carefully to the answer to this question. Ideally, the challenges and problems the client was facing are exactly what your organization’s product addresses.
• What trends in your industry drove the need to use our product?
• What were you looking for in a solution?
• What made our solution stand out over others that you researched? Ideally, you want the interviewee to say how great your product is. This and other questions lead them to be your greatest advocate.
• What feature of our product was most appealing?
• How did you implement/introduce our solution? The rollout, and the steps taken to get to that point, can make or break the success of the solution. Ideally, the client will say the process was seamless and that your product and team were the reasons for such ease.
• How did our team help with implementation?
• What was the initial reaction to our product? In other words, how did the client’s users and customers accept and utilize the solution?
• How has our solution helped since implementation? Dig into the success realized by your product. This is important because it provides the basis of the case study: “X Company Used Our Solution and Achieved X Hundred Percent Growth.”
• Has this solution saved money and/or increased productivity?
• Can you share any metrics/KPIs that show the success you have enjoyed with our service? The more hard numbers, the better.
• What have you been most impressed with? Here’s another chance for the client to gush.
• What surprised you about us? Hopefully, the customer will share the positive unexpected—things that make you stand out amid the competition.
• What plans do you have to use our solution in the future? After initial success, many companies expand the use of a product, either to more people or additional applications. This info is also important to include in the case study because it shows that the client is not only sticking with your product but also using it to foster more growth and productivity.
• Is there anything else we should know? If you’ve been thorough, the answer to this is likely no, but the question still offers a chance for the interviewee to conclude.

A case study is a wonderful inbound marketing opportunity for your organization. Ask these questions, and use the answers to write a case study that helps your product and your company shine in the eyes of leads.

This blog was originally published on 2017 and has been updated since. 

Easily craft compelling customer interviews & provide leads with the information they need to make an informed decision.

Case Study Questions Template

About the author

Joe Gillespie is Director of Inbound Copy for SmartBug Media. He graduated from Marquette University with a B.A. in journalism and, before coming to SmartBug, was a two-decade veteran of the newspaper industry. Read more articles by Joe Gillespie .

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Project Management: Notes, Case Studies, Questions and Answers

April 13, 2020 by studymumbai Leave a Comment

Project Management guide for beginners. Learn about important concepts, and Project Management software and tools.

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Project stage Key activities

• Initialisation: Determines the purpose and objectives. Project charter lists goals and scope, participants, success and other factors.
• Planning: Make Project plan, list tasks and deadlines. Create work break down structure
• Execution: Executing stage puts the project plan into action. The various deliverables need to be produced. The project manager role is to track the various tasks, and co-ordinate.
• Controlling: The objective of this stage is to ensure the project is moving along as planned. The deliverable at this stage is the project status report. This lists issues and concerns.
• Closing: The objective of this stage is to get approval on the deliverables. The two key areas are signed off and feedback

Challenges faced by most projects

• Communication
• Lack of Clear Project Goals and Alignment with Business Objectives
• Lack of Accountability
• Unrealistic Deadlines and Planning Fallacies
• Resource Allocation
• Inadequate Project Budget.
• Insufficient Risk Management.

Critical path

The critical path is the sequence of activities with the longest duration. A delay in any of these activities will result in a delay for the whole project. Below are some critical path examples to help you understand the key elements.

When constructing a project network, for every activity, managers assign details like duration, early start and finish date, latest start and finish date so that it becomes easier to do forward as well as backward pass and to calculate the slack values.

Lot of project managers like to start with a sketch that makes it easy to make the full network.

In order to calculate the Critical path, you need to do the following steps:

• Construct a project network
• Perform forward and backward passes
• Determine project completion time
• Calculate Slack values (Early start – Late start or Early finish – Late Finish)
• Finally, find the critical path

Here’s a nice video that shows how to calculate the critical path on a project network.

Lot of students thing project scheduling is very complicated, but it isn’t, as you can see from the video.

Its not that only project managers have to use project management techniques. Lot of Management students who are doing their project are expected to provide the project schedule wherein they are expected to provide the work breakdown structure (WBS) for the various activities and also provide the critical path for those activities.

Hope this article helped you in understanding the critical path.

Academic Questions on Project Management

Questions, assignments and projects on Project Management.

Question: Based on the issue highlighted, suggest a project for the case study company:

Describe the elements of your project process and plan. Project scope, objectives, resources, time scales, stakeholders, triple constraints. Describe key stages of project management using literature on project management.

Discuss how the project you have identified would be managed; how will you ensure that the project is completed as per the plan and achieves its objectives. Using the literature on project management, discuss the possible challenges to the project plan; talk about challenges that most projects generally encounter. Discuss and evaluate the challenges in implementing the project plan; talk about the possible challenges in your project and how will you tackle those challenge. Required: Stakeholder mapping diagram, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Project Schedule and Network Diagram.

Question: Identify a Project based on an issue in Supply chain management or good practices in the industry. Use Triple Constraints and Justify Project in terms of : Quality- Project objectives or Project Deliverables. Time: Start and Finish time of the Project. Cost- Budget Constraint. Stakeholder Mapping/ Matrix. List all direct and indirect stakeholders. Explain how you intend to manage them considering power and influence (Use academicreference to support). Work Breakdown Structure. Allocate time , resources and cost for each activity. Create WBS. Time Management. Use Gantt Chart or Network Diagram. Identify and explain the slack activities and critical path. Write about the sequences tasks and parallel tasks. Risk Management. Identify potential risks for the project. Rank risks as high, medium or low or critical risks. Explain how to mitigate critical and high risks to the project. Project Life Cycle. Phase wise sequence your project and discuss. Critique three to five approaches that would be useful in measuring the project outcomes for your project. Evaluate the challenges/ risks in implementing the project plan.

Question. Acme Agarbatti Pvt Ltd manufactures and sells incense sticks under the brand name ‘Sugandhi Suman’. It has got 19 plants across western India. It is contemplating the implementation of an open source ERP called ERPNext. You are invited to advise the company on risk management for this project. As a first task, you will need to prepare a list of project risks. Please prepare the one with at least 12 relevant risks possible in this project.

Q. A software services company having a staff of 159 developers, 37 testers, 25 business analysts, 88 support engineers, and 17 project managers is looking for deployment of SEI CMMI model. You are invited to explain five levels of CMMI model to the entire staff in a town hall meeting. How will you explain CMMI model in the context of this company.

Q. 3. “It seems everyone finds me available and dumps work on me. It is so frustrating! I never knew being a project manager would mean so much of work and stress!” Rajashri Gokhale was really stressed out at the cafeteria where she had met her friend from other department for a cup of coffee. “Relax, you may find it stressful but you have earned this promotion with your hard work. Now you have to work harder to grow further.” Her friend, Keshav Kumar tried to cheer up.

“I am not sure whether whatever comes to me is what I am supposed to look into. For example, today morning, Rajan asked me to provide the projected cash flow for my project. And yesterday late evening, I had to resolve the issue in my team which popped up because two of my team members had a breakup!” Rajashri had just started to tell her ordeal.

a. Is Rajashri responsible for preparing projected cash flow? Why or why not? b. Should Rajashri resolve personal problems of team members?

Case Study : Project Management And Next Steps At HP [MBA]

When Hewlett-Packard’s (HP’s) Services division decided to focus more on external IT consulting, Ron Kempf, the director of project management competency and certification at HP, brought together the firm’s various stakeholders to conduct a needs assessment to determine what type of training would be needed to achieve the new goal. HP’s decision to expand its consulting and integration business meant that 2,500 client-focused project managers and support staff around the world would need to improve their skills.

Based on the cost of training and the resources it could provide, ESI International was chosen to train Kempf’s division so employees could achieve the “project management professional” designation. The designation has become a standard in the industry, and clients ask for the certification when requesting project bids. As a result, HP needed its project managers to be certified in order for the company to be competitive. Kempf worked with ESI to provide training in various formats in order to meet the needs of the worldwide workforce. The training methods included using HP’s knowledge management system, networking participants so they could learn from each other, e-learning, self-paced instruction, and formal training conducted at a “project management” university.

The training initiative, which has been refined as needed over the years, has been very successful. Kempf credits it with boosting HP’s profit margins and keeping projects within budget. Now, however, HP needs to decide on the “next steps” to ensure that it doesn’t lose its competitive edge since many other companies have the same certifications for their project managers. Also, about 20% of the first group of employees who were trained will retire in five years.

Answer the following questions by applying the concepts learned in Chapter 8. Also, conduct literature reviews on the subject of discussion and use to support your case study answers:

Discuss the role that a needs assessment played in planning the training program for project management staff. What are the issues HP now faces? What role, if any, will training need to play in addressing those issues? How would you begin the process of creating a new training plan? Who should be involved? What would be the desired outcome of this training? HP is a very large company. How might the planning process for training be different if HP were a much smaller company?

Hewlett-Packard (HP) attempted to make its company competitive on market by receiving certification at HP. An assessment called between various stakeholders suggested expand consulting and integration to focus benefit of clients. Some employees are selected to achieve “Project Management Professional” by taking training and certification. Training is conducted using KMS (Knowledge Management System) from HP, distance learning and instruction of formal training focusing particular section for skill enhancing. They wished to see effectiveness of training measuring performance of employee. HP wish to achieve competitive advantage over other competitors. But the challenge is that 20% of trained employees are retiring in next 5 years so they want to initiative “next steps” in the company to ensure of not losing market position. (Lepak & Gowan, 2010)

Need assessment in planning training program

Need assessment is first step for effective training process that will boost employees’ competency and achieve competitive advantage over other companies. Company should analyse whether employees have required prequalification or not. The director Ron Kempf decides running an assessment to find employees competencies on job. Need assessment finds gap of knowledge they have and they need. The company decides that their managers who are responsible for handling clients need training for performance improvement.

Need assessment plays role in identifying importance of training and the priorities. Need assessment detects who are in need of training, and type of training they need. Need assessment plays role in finding competencies which is to be improved. There are different training methods among which need assessment decides to choose best one. The methods be Job Training, E-learning, and Procedural Manual. With assessment test HP decides using KMS, Self-Placed, instruction and formal training conduction. Need assessment helps estimate effectiveness of training program and expected outcomes.

Issues on HP and roles to address issues

Need assessment shows need of training for supporting staffs for skill improvement. They hired an ESI agency who trains employees receiving “Project Management Professional” certifying course that can deliver needed technical support in market. The main issue is all competitors are also using same certified training management system. So HP need think differently to achieve comparative advantage. Other issue on HP is that 20% of those trained employees are retiring soon letting the skilled position empty. It means HP should plan for Job Rotation and train new employees too. So company should choose employees who are in need of training and the process training is to be conducted. Company should perform task analysis that helps finding gaps between knowledge.

Training plan creation, involvement and desired outcome

Training process determines type of training, trainer, time and place of training. Manger should have clear objective and goal for training plan. Training plan specifies needed competencies achievement for a defined time period. Training being provided is to be focused on company objectives. Training session is followed by need assessment, design, implementation and evaluating those results.

Training plan sets objective of training clearly and being specific. Objective setting analyzes area in need of improvement. Objective setting is followed by lesion planning that roadmaps the topics covered on training session. Lesson plan defines place of training for each session. Manger should improve their project management skill for managing this much training volume. Manager should focus on defining methodology of training and instructions. Methodology depends on size of target group and competency of trainees After all training plan includes selecting and defining participants and location of training In HP Company the new managers who are not trained already are in need of training. So that the gap created by going manpower is fulfilled. Company might face lagging with competitors if the manpower are not fulfilled soon after aged professional retirement. The training session will remove possible threats of frustration on management and staffs too.

Training process on larger and smaller companies

In smaller companies small number of employees are known to each other well and they know others competencies, easier to find who is in need of training. HP company in given case is large having thousands of people involved on it worldwide. It’s hard to find the ability of employees and possible improvement for them. Resources need for conducting training on large company is very high as compared to smaller one. For small companies selecting few employees would count high on percentage of participation but for large one the figure would be very low. Large companies have separate department for training and skill improvement, they could hire consultant before conducting training but for smaller one they could have only few trainers hired for market for conducting training session. In larger companies the coverage being wide is not possible to move same training group or trained employees for training other part but for small companies’ managers take training from outside and train remaining lower level or co-workers.

Conclusion and Recommendations

In the given case director Rom Kempf conducts need assessment on managers needing training. The large volume of mangers are seeking for certification “Project Management Professional”. Training methods followed on HP includes participatory interaction as well as e-learning, self-paced instruction formal sittings etc. The company should make clear vision on “Next Step” to be taken. HP company on other hand need cross cultural training to address problem prevailing on workplace. Company having large number of mangers in need of training should conduct training dividing employees into groups rather than on single. So that training session become more interactive and efficient.

Lepak, D., & Gowan, M. (2010). Human resource management: Training and Development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

Zeromillion.com,. (2015). 4. Employee Training and Development . Retrieved 4 October 2015, from http://www.zeromillion.com/business/personnel/employee-training.html

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BHSE Frequently Asked Questions

Read this along with the Behavioral Health Service Expansion (BHSE) notice of funding opportunity and example forms. Find these and additional technical assistance resources on Apply for FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion .

Patient impact

Budget requirements.

• Allowable use of funds

Minor alteration and renovation (A/R) and equipment

Scope of project, general application.

Why do you require treatment services in the work plan?

For many communities, health centers are the first point of access to any health care service. To support more patients receiving behavioral health services, you must propose at least one mental health treatment activity and at least one substance use disorder (SUD) treatment activity in your BHSE work plan. 

(Added: 4/30/2024)

How can I use health center services to implement recovery and support activities in my project? 

Recovery and support can include enabling services, such as transportation or translation services. It can also be case management services, such as eligibility assistance to support patient access to programs for health-related social needs.

Examples include:

• Working with street medicine groups, housing programs, drop-in centers, and emergency rooms to create a system for referrals to your health center for people who need behavioral health services
• Making your pharmacy an authorized drug collection site for safe disposal of unused or expired medications
• Hiring staff to provide family support such as parenting services, family therapy, or services for children of parents with a mental health condition or SUD
• Developing programs to reduce stigma related to mental health conditions and SUDs

Visit Recovery and Recovery Suppor t for more ideas.

How can I use BHSE funds to increase patients’ access to treatment with medications for opioid use disorder? 

One way to do this is by expanding your pharmacy’s role in administering MOUD (formerly known as medication-assisted treatment or MAT). Your pharmacists may dispense buprenorphine, naltrexone, and naloxone without a prescription from another provider, in accordance with state law. In addition, you can offer patient education and resources to support patients’ consistent engagement in their treatment plans.

Can I apply for BHSE funding if my health center’s 2023 UDS data does not include any mental health, SUD, or MOUD patients?

Yes. We encourage you to apply for BHSE funding to start providing mental health services, SUD services, and MOUD. Your baseline data on the Patient Impact form can be 0 for any or all of these services. 

How will you measure my progress toward the BHSE objectives?

We’ll use UDS data. 

• For mental health services, we’ll use Table 5: Staffing and Utilization, Line 20: Mental Health Services (PDF - 2 MB) .
• Table 5: Staffing and Utilization, Line 21 (PDF - 2 MB) : Substance Use Disorder Services, plus
• Appendix E: Other Data Elements, Question 1b (PDF - 2 MB) : Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)

To decide funding beyond year 2, we’ll use 2025 UDS data showing increases in the number of visits and patients receiving mental health and SUD services, including patients receiving MOUD. 

See Apply for FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion for a sample Patient Impact Form.

Do I need to project a minimum number of patients in my Patient Impact Form?

No. You should estimate patient increases that are realistic and achievable. 

• The number of mental health and SUD services patients in your 2023 UDS report
• The need for services in your service area
• Provider capacity
• Patient increases based on previous service expansions
• Your proposed BHSE activities

Can BHSE affect my H80 patient target?

Yes. We may add your estimated new, unduplicated health center patients to your H80 patient target if your BHSE award continues beyond the 2-year period of performance. 

Do I need to increase both the number of patients receiving mental health services and the number of patients receiving SUD services?

Yes. You must propose activities that will increase both the number of patients receiving mental health services and SUD services, including patients receiving MOUD, even if you already provide one of these services.

How should I present my BHSE budget request on the SF-424A?

You can request up to $600,000 in BHSE funding for year 1 and up to $500,000 for year 2.

In Sections A, B, and C of your SF-424A, record information for year 1. 

In Section E, record information for year 2. 

Leave Section D blank. 

More details:

• Section A: Request year 1 federal funding (up to $600,000) by subprogram: CHC, HCH, MHC, PHPC. List non-federal funding by subprogram, if applicable.
• Section B: Break out year 1 federal (up to $600,000) and non-federal funding by object class category.
• Section C: Break out year 1 non-federal funding by source.
• Section E: Request year 2 federal funding (up to $500,000) in the “first” future year column by subprogram: CHC, HCH, MHC, PHPC. Leave other columns blank.

If funding continues beyond year 2, we’ll base it on your year 2 BHSE funding request (up to $500,000).

What non-federal funding should I include in my BHSE budget?

Include the non-federal funds that will support your BHSE project. Do not duplicate non-federal resources included on your H80 award or any other Health Center Program award. 

Enter non-federal funds in both your SF-424A Budget Information Form and Budget Narrative attachment.

Allowable uses of funds

What are examples of allowable uses of BHSE funds?

You may use BHSE funds to support a variety of costs for your project. 

• Hiring licensed providers, community health workers, peer recovery specialists (PDF - 1 MB) , or case managers to provide counseling and care coordination
• Contracting with a specialist to provide your staff training and technical assistance in evidence-based approaches for treatment with MOUD
• Providing group counseling for patients with post-partum depression.
• Developing a tobacco cessation program for patients receiving MOUD
• Supporting certification, training programs, continuing education, and mentorship opportunities to improve your providers’ capacity to care for patients accessing behavioral health services

May I use BHSE funding to increase the FTE of a staff member who is currently less than 1.0 FTE?

Yes. You may use BHSE funds to increase the FTE of a staff member if the staff member does not exceed 1.0 FTE across all awards. Personnel compensation must align with your existing written policies and procedures and 45 Code of Federal Regulations C.F.R. § 75.430 . 

Can I use BHSE funding for recruitment incentives?

Yes. You may include recruitment incentives in a salary package that you support with BHSE funding. You should cover incentives through your indirect cost rate, if applicable. If you do not have an indirect cost rate agreement, you may charge recruitment incentives as direct costs.

Can I use BHSE funding to pay recruitment agency fees?

Yes. You may use BHSE funding to pay costs or fees for an outside recruitment agency to hire personnel for your BHSE project.

Do I need to add a certain type or number of personnel as part of my BHSE project?

No. We do not require you to add a specific type or number of personnel. You may use BHSE funding to support a range of personnel that will contribute to increasing the number of patients receiving mental health and SUD services, including MOUD.

Can I use BHSE funding for patient incentives?

Yes. You may use BHSE funds for incentives if you need them to meet your project goals.

• Have written policies and procedures for using funds for incentive costs
• Document that you’re following your policies and procedures
• Describe the types of incentives in detail in your budget narrative
• Explain how the cost is reasonable and necessary to encourage patient participation in your BHSE project activities
• Maintain appropriate records and cost documentation as 45 CFR §75.302 requires

You cannot use BHSE funds:

• For cash gift cards, food, or other costs prohibited under 45 CFR 75 or other federal regulations
• To persuade people to select your health center as their provider

You may also use non-grant funds, leverage partnerships with other community organizations, or use donations from local businesses to offer small rewards as incentives. For example, you may offer a nominal gift card to a local store, food, a meal, or a free admission voucher to a local event or attraction.

For questions about the potential impact of incentives and the federal anti-kickback statute, email the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at [email protected] . 

Can I use BHSE funding to support contingency management, such as vouchers or prizes?

HHS considers contingency management an evidence-based intervention for SUDs. You may include contingency management activities and expenses in your BHSE application if you have established policies and procedures and follows all rules and regulations related to incentives. 

Clearly describe the activities and costs in your application. If awarded, you must submit a prior approval request to your Grants Management Specialist before you start your contingency management activity or program.

Follow this guidance:

• You may use incentives to reward treatment compliance.
• The maximum value of each contingency management incentive is $15.
• The maximum value of contingency management incentives per patient per year is $75.

What types of minor A/R projects or equipment purchases align with BHSE funding?

Examples of minor A/R projects include:

• Converting an underused area to a group visit space
• Enhancing exam rooms to optimize privacy and safety
• Adapting a space to help integrate primary care and behavioral health teams

Examples of equipment purchases include:

• Virtual reality headsets and software to help patients change their behavior, develop coping skills, and manage cravings
• Point of care testing systems, such as options to test for stimulants
• Audio-visual systems to support virtual group visits with remotely located patients

If I propose to use BHSE funding for minor A/R, do I have to submit a Landlord Letter of Consent? 

If you do not own the property where the site is located, you must provide a Landlord Letter of Consent signed by the property owner. See the Landlord Letter of Consent Sample on Apply for FY 2024 Behavioral Health Service Expansion .

If I propose to use BHSE funding for minor A/R, what are the environmental and historic preservation requirements?

For information on these requirements, see Environmental and Historic Preservation Technical Assistance . Minor A/R projects typically do not require a full Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

But you may need to comply with other requirements as applicable:

• If your project involves exterior work (for example, windows or signage) or work on a building that is over 50 years old, it may require State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) consultation under Section 106 of NEPA.
• For buildings constructed before 1985, you may need to submit a hazmat study and abatement plan.
• If your site is in a coastal state, your project may require you to comply with the Coastal Zone Management Act.
• If your project is in a 100- or 500-year floodplain, it may require you to comply with E.O. 11988, Floodplain Management.

If I use BHSE funds to purchase a mobile unit, can I also use the mobile unit for other purposes?

Yes. But the primary purpose of the mobile unit must be to provide mental health and SUD services, including MOUD. 

How do I know if my BHSE project will require a change in scope?

Use the materials on Scope of Project to assess your scope of project (Form 5A: Services Provided and Form 5B: Service Sites). Contact your H80 program specialist for additional guidance. 

Can I make changes to my scope of project through the BHSE application?

No. However, you may submit a change in scope (CIS) or scope adjustment request through the Electronic Handbooks (EHBs). We recommend that you submit such requests 60 days before making the change. You may submit a CIS before receiving your BHSE award.

Will my application be competitive if I do not currently provide behavioral health services?

Yes. We encourage health centers that do not currently provide behavioral health services to apply. In fact, the review criteria support health centers that propose to use BHSE funds to start providing one or more behavioral health services for the first time.

Your application will receive 5 points if your 2023 UDS report included 0 mental health patients, 0 SUD patients, or 0 patients who received MOUD. Applicants with numbers greater than 0 in all of these categories will not receive these points.

How do I complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)?

For detailed instructions, see Section 5.1 of the Two-Tier Application Guide (PDF - 704 KB) . This table includes information on how to respond to specific sections.

How do I make changes to my application once I submit in EHBs?

Your authorizing official (AO) can reopen and edit your application any time before the EHBs deadline. For additional details and step-by-step instructions, refer to Reopen Submitted Applications . The AO must resubmit the reopened application in EHBs by 5 p.m. ET on the EHBs due date for us to consider your application.