Plant Pals

Desk-friendly plants for businesses

As part of the Google Project Management Professional Certificate Program

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash and used only for display purposes.

Context

Office Green, LLC, a commercial landscaping company specializing in plant decor for offices, launched Plant Pals—a new service offering small, low-maintenance desk plants (cacti, ferns) to high-volume business customers. As project manager, I oversaw the complete service rollout, including product design, packaging, marketing strategy, team development, and pre-launch testing. The project aimed to increase Office Green’s revenue by 5% while boosting brand awareness and customer retention through efficient operational systems and employee training programs.

Note: In this coursework scenario, I assumed the role of project manager to apply PM principles in a realistic business context.

Methodology

The project followed a waterfall methodology with sequential phases: initiation, planning, execution, and closing. This structured approach suited the project’s clear deliverables, fixed timeline, and need for comprehensive planning before execution. Each phase was completed fully before progressing to the next, ensuring systematic coordination across marketing, operations, and training workstreams.

Process

The project launched with defining SMART goals and conducting stakeholder analysis to align internal teams (marketing, sales, operations, training) with project objectives. I developed an Operations and Training plan focused on sustainable fulfillment practices and employee readiness.

During execution, the team achieved several key milestones over six months: reduced delivery costs by $0.50 per unit through optimized logistics, implemented supply chain management software to accelerate procurement, and trained 75% of employees before launch. We sent test batches to customers, gathering feedback through ongoing surveys that drove a 10% improvement in on-time deliveries and 42% increase in customer service satisfaction.

Challenges emerged including 10% of plants incorrectly potted due to unclear protocols—resolved by standardizing procedures—and software issues affecting customer service, which our IT Specialist quickly fixed. I tracked progress through status reports and used ROAM analysis to categorize and address ongoing issues. When critical problems arose, I escalated to senior stakeholders with proposed solutions.

The service launched successfully, meeting project objectives despite finishing slightly over budget. I closed the project with a comprehensive report documenting outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for continued improvement.

Artifacts

Initiation Phase:

SMART Goals – Revenue, brand awareness, and retention targets defined with project sponsor.
Stakeholder Analysis & Power Grid – Identified key stakeholders and their influence levels.
RACI Charts – Responsibility matrices for Phase 1 (marketing/sales) and Phase 2 (landing page development).
Project Charter – Operations and Training plan objectives and scope.

Planning Phase:

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – Brainstorm diagram and spreadsheet detailing tasks, milestones, and owners.
Gantt Chart – Visual project timeline with dependencies.
Project Budget – Comprehensive cost estimates across all workstreams.
Statement of Work (SOW) – Vendor contract specifications.
Risk Management Plan – Identified risks with mitigation strategies.
Communication Plan – Training session protocols and stakeholder updates.
Comprehensive Project Plan – Master document consolidating all planning artifacts.

Execution & Closing Phases:

Project Status Reports – Progress tracking during test launch phase.
ROAM Analysis – Issue categorization (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated) with action plans.
Escalation Email – Senior stakeholder communication addressing critical issues with proposed solutions.
Customer Survey Results Presentation – Six-slide data visualization of customer feedback.
Meeting Agenda & Invitation – Survey results review session with stakeholders.
Project Closeout Report – Final outcomes, lessons learned, and improvement recommendations.