Demystifying the value of operations and project management for your business.

When we talk to clients about their expectations working with a marketing agency, they often think about the end product first: launching the big campaign, redesigning the website, or breaking through the noise with more aligned content. But what you don’t always see is the engine at work: operations and project management.

And yet, that’s where magic happens.

At a glance, project management might seem like busywork, scheduling, or task tracking. In reality, it’s the strategic foresight and discipline that hold your investment together. Smart project management goes beyond overhead, it acts as a safeguard for your time, budget, and sanity.

At Frankel, we have an approach to project management and account oversight that results in a higher-than-average rate of on-time project completions that most agencies cannot claim. Let’s take a look at how our approach to project management shows up in practice and can secure you a successful investment in marketing.

1. We Make Complexity Manageable

Most large-scale projects, especially in industries like higher education or financial services, involve multiple stakeholders, approval layers, and shifting priorities. Without structure, even the most strategic work can veer off track.

Take one of our higher ed partnerships. For all intents and purposes, we’ll use the fake name Blue University. What began as a comprehensive engagement effort for Blue University, from research to creative development and implementation, nearly derailed when leadership shifted midway through.

The transition came without a formal handoff, backgrounding, or a clear internal process for keeping the project on track. At that point, we were managing more than deliverables—we were managing reorganization and continuity.

“On time and within budget” is a gold standard in business because if a project stalls, spirals, or shifts off-scope, it costs money and opportunities. Smart project management helps prevent that drift. As a marketing team that invests upfront in strategic documentation, thorough stakeholder alignment, and clear decision records, it allowed us to:

1. Represent the strategy and creative work in a way that made sense to new leadership.
2. Re-establish alignment on project goals and next steps.
3. Lead the client through a re-onboarding process to keep the project moving.

Blue University’s internal disorganization could have created costly delays, but our operational rigor steadied the project and kept it moving forward. The lesson? You can’t control change, but you can control how ready your agency partner is to adapt.

A disciplined approach gives you flexibility without chaos, and it shows up in our metrics. Frankel delivers over 70% of projects on time, experiences fewer surprise pivots, and creates faster paths to launch.

What it means for you: Faster time to market, fewer delays, and confidence that your project won’t go dark midstream.

2. Frankel Builds in Flexibility, Without Losing Focus

Ideas evolve. Priorities shift. And sometimes, the best solutions emerge mid-project. It happens. But it’s only sustainable if there’s someone keeping an eye on how those changes ripple out.

Our project managers act as a filter and a guide, not a roadblock. We make sure that the scopes of work are clearly defined ahead of time, or changes are weighed thoughtfully instead of added to the pile. We’re not fans of nickel-and-diming, and we won’t run to you with a change order every time something small shifts. 

We have the bigger-picture conversations when they matter because it’s our job to protect both your vision and your investment. If priorities shift, we won’t just manage the scope—we will equip you with the context and rationale to bring others along, whether it’s your VP, a department lead, or the finance team. We help make the case internally, so you’re not carrying that alone.

In the day-to-day or week-to-week, this can look like regular status updates, standing check-ins, and upfront conversations that clarify the new ideas so they don’t derail the work or the budget. In Blue University’s case, we shared in conversations with new leadership about their own visions and goals to ensure alignment and the success of the continuing project.

Our project managers balance flexibility with accountability. We keep new ideas or new teams from derailing the scope when it comes to timelines or resources. We utilize that open line of communication to discuss trade-offs and effectively align on next steps.

What it means for you: Clear expectations, aligned priorities, and no sticker shock when the final invoice comes in.

3. Translating Strategy Into Action Without Losing Momentum

Projects often involve multiple departments, including marketing, leadership, communications, enrollment, and more, each with their own timelines and priorities. Our project managers serve as the connective tissue between those groups, ensuring decisions are made, context is shared, and no one is left in the dark.

Our process includes coordinating cross-functional teams, facilitating approvals, and maintaining momentum so that every stakeholder knows who’s doing what, by when, and why.

It’s not just about handing off the deliverable. It’s about closing the loop, too. Our process includes project closures: account reviews that monitor profitability, client satisfaction, and efficiency. We discuss what went well, what could be better, and what we learned because there’s always room to reflect and grow.

We encourage feedback and discussion from clients on reaching goals or adjusting priorities throughout the term of the contract. 

Our measurement of success boils down to these five criteria:

1. Preparation
2. Presentation
3. Issue resolution
4. Efficiency
5. Ease of interactions

An open, communicative, and transparent relationship between client and agency truly fosters the best work and opportunity for success.

What it means for you: Less time spent chasing updates, more time making informed decisions.

4. We Keep Everyone Moving Toward the Same Goal (So You Don’t Have To)

You’ve probably sat in a room where one stakeholder says, “I didn’t approve this.” That’s what we avoid.

Consider our project management team the extension of your internal team. Behind the scenes, they represent the work so you don’t have to. The team prepares materials, represents the strategy to leadership, and reinforces the “why” behind decisions.

We bring the right people in at the right time and document what matters, so decisions stick and progress doesn’t stall. Our project managers stay one step ahead—tracking updates, managing revisions, and championing the work internally so you don’t have to.

From the beginning, we take the time to identify all relevant stakeholders across different layers of the organization. We discuss needs, timelines, and the approval process, so we’re not guessing who needs to weigh in, when, or what they want to see out of the project.

With Blue University, once we engaged new leadership, we then facilitated alignment sessions to bring them up to speed and translate prior work into actionable next steps. That’s not just administration—that’s strategic guidance.

Our stakeholder communication plan is as follows:

1. Develop a schedule for key milestones to include relevant stakeholders at the right times.
2. Identify key approvals for milestones that require buy-in from multiple layers of the organization.
3. Communicate the criteria for moving to the next phase or obtaining approval.
4. Provide regular updates, highlight progress, challenges, and upcoming milestones.
5. Customize communication for different layers and emphasize relevant details.

Building shared visibility and tracking decisions helps keep teams aligned when it’s time to roll out the work.

What it means for you: Fewer miscommunications, more productive collaboration, and a smoother internal approval process.

5. Solving Problems Before They Become Problems

Time is money, and so is miscommunication. When feedback loops are unclear or approvals are delayed, costs spiral. Every project hits bumps. The difference is how quickly they’re spotted and resolved. That’s why flexibility is a virtue. 

Our project managers bring urgency and structure to every phase, minimizing risk and maximizing output. They are trained to anticipate challenges, flag risks early, and troubleshoot efficiently. We often become the go-between for leadership and marketing, translating strategy into language and priorities that resonate across teams, reducing the back-and-forth for you.

We don’t believe in “set it and forget it,” either. We stay engaged, adaptable to our clients’ current needs, and communicative through project completion. We support clients at every step, evolving our processes to work for you. 

Project management isn’t just about keeping a project alive; it’s about making it thrive, no matter what comes up and adjusting to your needs along the way.

What it means for you: Fewer fire drills, less stress, and a partner who’s always a step ahead.

Final Thought: You’re Not Just Hiring for Creativity, You’re Hiring for Follow-Through

Don’t get us wrong, creative ideas are worth getting excited about, and it’s what we excel at for our clients. But execution is where the value lives.

When you work with an agency that invests in strong operations and project management, you’re not just buying deliverables, you’re investing in a process that respects your time, team, and goals. Frankel provides smart project management to make those creative ideas thrive.

If your next big initiative matters, work with a partner who thinks ten steps ahead instead of by the minute. Talk with our team today.