Balancing Structure and Flexibility in the Project Process - A Case Study of Project Management at Where Is My Pony

Abstract: The practice of project management has been used by organizations for many years and different philosophies have emerged. Among the philosophies is both traditional and modern project management as well as project management practices integrating sustainability. However, its implications for smaller and creative organizations are limited in research. Advertising agencies are creative organizations that primarily work project-based, and the use of project management practices have been identified important for project success. Nonetheless, how project management is used within advertising agencies has been poorly identified and how they can implement sustainability into these practices is non-evident. The aim of this research is therefore to investigate how an advertising agency works in their project process. Looking into the Gothenburg-based organization Where Is My Pony and how their projects process is constructed and how sustainability is integrated in it, gives empirical evidence to how smaller creative organizations work in projects. By further investigating improvement areas it gives implications both to theory and practice in how to successfully manage projects as an advertising agency. To conduct this research a case study was performed by interviewing all employees at Where Is My Pony along with some of their clients. The empirical findings are analyzed in combination with the literature on the topic and aid in demonstrating how an advertising agency can construct and improve their project process while integrating sustainability as a foundation. This study establishes that there is a gap in the literature as well as in practice in how to best integrate sustainability into projects for small creative organizations. Nevertheless, it is concluded that it is paramount that the project process at Where Is My Pony balances a distinctive project process, that includes sustainability in every step and guides the framework for the creative work, while still enable a flexible element to be able to meet the clients need. Thereby this research gives contributions both to practice and theory, by creating an understanding how advertising agencies could design their project management process while integrating sustainability.