## Effective Planning Tool

Microsoft Project proved to be an ideal planning design tool for the marketing group’s training procedures. Microsoft Project’s modular file structure was easily adapted to fit each of the three steps of the client company’s marketing model.

The marketing model is used by the company’s brand managers to launch new products and is based on three steps that involve increasingly detailed levels of retail planning. Microsoft Project was powerful enough to document every level of detail from all three steps.

Each step in the marketing model can be represented in Microsoft Project as a subproject with its own tasks and milestones. The first step, called "Basis for Interest," determines whether there is sufficient interest and resources available to move the concept forward to the next step.

The second step, called "Basis for Marketing," identifies the tasks needed to implement a marketing plan for the product. The third and final step of the model is "Basis for National Rollout of Product," which is the most detailed picture of a product marketing plan. Microsoft Project effectively outlined the sequence of tasks required by the model and the resources needed for each step.

Dr. Fennig observed that Microsoft Project’s flexible output options enabled him to show any level of detail for the marketing model. This allowed him to present views that thoroughly explain the model and met the needs of everyone in the class.

Microsoft Project was valuable for improving training procedures that ensured employees had a solid understanding of the company’s primary planning vehicle for introducing new products.

©1996-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.