Have you ever led a project that's so exciting that you want to tell everyone about it? Whether you're seeking internal or external recognition, case studies are an extremely effective way to spread the good news about successful projects. When you know the right questions to ask, and how to assemble the information into an attractive format, you can generate case studies easily and affordably.

The Value of Case Studies

Case studies are a perfect way to demonstrate how your organization is striving to improve quality, benefit the environment, develop innovative strategies, etc. Who are you trying to convince? Your customers, for one. Potential customers, too. And stockholders are always interested in what your company is doing. A case study doesn't just tell them, it shows them what you're doing by weaving the details into a story.

If you're concerned about revealing trade secrets to competitors, or the project is under wraps publicly, you can still derive benefits from generating case studies that are used internally. Case studies are an excellent way to generate positive buzz about new or unpopular projects.

Plus, a case study can be a reward for people who were involved in the project. It's easy to get lost in the details and lose sight of the big picture, especially if you have team members who have already moved on to other projects. A case study reminds them of the good work they have already accomplished.

Elements of a Successful Case Study

A good project case study typically features a compelling story that answers these questions:

- What was the business problem addressed?

- What methodology or approach was employed to get to the root of the problem?

- What was the solution and how was it implemented?

- What was the benefit?

Note that the benefit is not the same as the solution. Benefits can be financial savings or revenue increases, or other positive outcomes such as new products or services, enhanced employee retention, reduced service times, increased capacity, etc. Ideally, at least one benefit will have baseline and post-project metrics that that can be disclosed as a specific number or as a percentage (e.g., reduce call hold time from six minutes to three minutes, or improve production line capacity by 50 percent.)

Keep in mind that to demonstrate benefits, the project needs to be mature enough to have reached a critical mass of results. This equates to at least one month of validated results that you can annualize.

Formatting the Final Product

Your case study can be as succinct or as detailed as you want it to be. If you limit it to a few paragraphs, include a high-level description of the business problem, solution and benefits. If it's 1-2 pages, you can include graphics (before and after images or graphs), quotes from team members or customers, lessons learned, and a more in-depth discussion of the specific approaches used.

As far as the final product, you can format case studies in a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect, or get fancy with a desktop publishing program such as Adobe InDesign. Alternatively, an application like Microsoft PowerPoint can be used to make a less content-driven case study that uses bullets for key points.

Either way, you should export the case study as a PDF to protect the formatting and content. (You may want a PDF even if you include the case study on your website so people can download the file and read it at their leisure.)

A consistent format for every case study is nice, but not required. As long as the final product looks professional, free of typos and grammatical errors, the important thing is to get the word out about the project.

Sharing the Case Study

Before you publish or share the case study, make sure you have the required approvals. First, provide a copy to anyone who was quoted in the case study to make sure they are ok with what they said and the context in which it's placed. Even if the person said it, sometimes they change their mind when they see it in print!

Depending on your organizational policies, you'll also need to get approvals from your manager, marketing, communications or public relations, and the legal department. It's usually a good idea to make sure you understand your company's policies on written materials before you start working on the case study.

Note that if an outside agency is writing the case study, you should always have final approval. After all, a case study isn't straight journalism; it's supposed to make your company look good. Although it highlights the positives, the write-up should include coverage of some of the struggles and issues along the way. If it doesn't, no reader will believe it. So, if the case study writer asks about these struggles, be as candid as possible, knowing that you'll be able to review and make adjustments prior to publication.

Once you're ready to share the case study with the world, you can post it on the project or company website, include it in newsletters, print handouts, even print and frame copies for those who were quoted or were involved with the project.

Many companies send out press releases about their case studies that get picked up by the media. You may also consider sending the case study to an industry-specific publication or Web site that accepts such submissions. Keep in mind, each of these organizations have their own requirements, so you may have to work with them to edit the case study per their guidelines.

Just remember, people may not know about the good work you and your organization are doing unless you tell them. So get out there and share your story!