Practical Case Studies for Effective Project Management to Optimise SME Operations
Explore practical case studies demonstrating effective project management strategies tailored for SMEs. Learn how to streamline operations and enhance efficiency with real-world examples and actionable insights.
Project Management Case Studies: Insights for Success
Understanding project management through case studies is vital for SMEs. These real-world examples offer invaluable insights into overcoming challenges, managing resources efficiently, and achieving project objectives within budget and time constraints. By studying successful and unsuccessful projects, SMEs can identify best practices, avoid common pitfalls, and refine their project management strategies. Whether it's streamlining processes, enhancing collaboration, or optimizing resource allocation, learning from case studies empowers SMEs to navigate complexities, minimize risks, and deliver successful outcomes. Gain practical knowledge, enhance decision-making, and elevate your project management prowess with targeted case study analysis tailored for SMEs.
Project management case studies

Written by: Malose Makgeta
MBA with 20+ years experience in SME development and funding. LinkedIn Profile
Project Management Entrepreneurship Lessons from Movies The Founder, War Dogs and Moneyball
- The Founder (McDonald's): The McDonald's story, from its origins with the McDonald brothers to its success under Ray Kroc, offers valuable project management lessons. Initially, the meticulous system created by the brothers exemplifies the importance of a well-defined and efficient project structure. The emphasis on standardized processes and continuous improvement showcases the significance of adaptability and innovation in project management. Ray Kroc's role in expanding McDonald's highlights the critical aspect of strategic vision and effective leadership in scaling projects. Moreover, the success of McDonald's underscores the significance of customer-centric approaches, market understanding, and the ability to identify and capitalize on opportunities. Overall, the McDonald's narrative underscores the importance of a solid foundation, adaptability, strategic leadership, and customer focus as key pillars in successful project management and business growth.
- War Dogs (AEY): The AEY case underscores critical project management lessons, emphasising the imperative of a robust and comprehensive approach. First and foremost, meticulous project definition and planning are paramount, as evidenced by AEY's failure to conduct a thorough supplier analysis, leading to adverse consequences. The lack of a systematic risk management strategy further highlights the importance of identifying and mitigating potential risks early in the project lifecycle. AEY's misguided decision to repackage Chinese ammunition underscores the repercussions of compromising on ethical considerations. Ultimately, this scenario serves as a stark reminder that successful project management requires a careful balance between strategic planning, risk mitigation, and ethical practices to navigate the challenges of complex and high-stakes ventures.
- Moneyball (Oakland A's): In Moneyball, the Oakland A's revolutionised baseball by embracing an analytical and data-driven approach to player recruitment, challenging conventional wisdom. The project management lessons gleaned from this narrative emphasize the significance of strategic decision-making based on data and metrics rather than relying solely on traditional methods. The A's demonstrated the importance of aligning strategies with data insights, optimising resource allocation, and challenging entrenched norms. The project management takeaway lies in the power of leveraging analytics to drive informed decisions, enhance efficiency, and achieve remarkable outcomes, even in industries where innovation and unconventional thinking are not the norm. Moneyball serves as a compelling reminder that embracing data-driven decision-making can lead to disruptive success and reshape industries.
CONTEXT
Business plan development is the process of creating a business strategy and plan to help a business implement its vision and achieve its goals over time. The primary goal of business plan development is to create a strategy for moving a business from its current state to its desired state through a series of business actions. The skills programme provides entrepreneurs and business managers with a platform and tools for business strategic planning.
Click here and draft your business plan in minutes
To request tailored accredited training and enterprise development services, contact us at businessplan@superdealmaker.com.
Get List for Funding Opportunities in Minutes, Click Here
To request tailored investment banking services, contact us at businessplan@superdealmaker.com.
Project management case studies lessons from case studies:
Lessons from The Founder - McDonalds

Movie Description
The Founder is one amazing movie and is a must watch for every entrepreneur. It not only gives you life lessons and but also few path breaking business lessons. The Founder is story of Ray Crock. How a 52-year-old sales man turned two brothers (McDonald Brothers) small eatery into the world’s biggest restaurant business. McDonald brothers had invented the speedy system a process to deliver food in seconds but couldn’t develop business beyond their one restaurant. This is Ray Crock comes re-imagines the whole fast food business and created the McDonald Corporation we see today.
Expected Outcomes
The Founder is jam-packed with practical business advice. It pulls back the curtain to reveal the secrets of Ray Krocs transformation of McDonalds into one of the worlds largest fast food restaurants. Entrepreneurs and business owners will discover: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent wont; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius wont; unrewarded genius is practically a cliché. Education wont; the world is full of educated fools. The purpose of this case study is to provide a practical case study on how to build a business in the manufacturing sector—that is, a business that takes raw materials and adds value to them to produce a product.
Rational
Ray Kroc, a 52-year-old over-the-hill salesman struggling to sell multimixers, turned two brothers innovative fast food eatery, McDonalds, into the worlds largest restaurant business through a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness. If you are a small business owner looking to learn about scaling, franchising, and brand building, McDonalds is the one business to look to as a reference, as they have done this incredibly well. They are a true American business success story and icon. The story of how McDonalds came to be is told in a new film, The Founder, and we learn the true story of Ray Kroc, the traveling salesman who is credited with making McDonalds what it is today, and its original founders, Richard and Maurice McDonald.
Key Lesson
None
Click here and draft your business plan in minutes
To request personalised accredited training and enterprise development services, contact us at businessplan@superdealmaker.com.
Project Management Lessons from McDonald's
Project Management Lessons from the Movie "The Founder"
1. Clear Project Vision: In the movie, Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, has a clear vision of creating a fast-food empire. He envisions standardized processes, quality food, and fast service. This emphasises the importance of having a clear project vision to guide the team and stakeholders.
2. Strategic Planning: Ray Kroc meticulously plans the expansion of McDonald's by identifying potential locations and developing a franchise model. This highlights the significance of strategic planning in project management to ensure a systematic and well-thought-out approach.
3. Collaboration and Teamwork: The success of McDonald's was not solely attributed to Ray Kroc but to the collaborative efforts of the entire team. Cooperation, effective communication, and teamwork play a vital role in achieving project success.
4. Adaptability to Change: Throughout the movie, Ray Kroc encounters various challenges and setbacks but remains flexible and adaptive. He embraces change, modifies strategies, and capitalises on emerging opportunities. Project managers should be prepared to adapt to changes and make necessary adjustments to keep the project on track.
5. Risk Management: The movie depicts the risks involved in scaling a business and the importance of managing them. Ray Kroc takes calculated risks, conducts due diligence, and learns from failures. Project managers should identify, assess, and mitigate risks to minimise their impact on the project's success.
6. Stakeholder Management: Ray Kroc engages with stakeholders, including franchisees, suppliers, and investors, to build relationships and ensure their support. Effectively managing stakeholders' expectations and fostering positive relationships is crucial for project success.
7. Continuous Improvement: McDonald's constant pursuit of improvement, from menu innovations to operational efficiencies, reflects the concept of continuous improvement. Project managers should encourage a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and refinement throughout the project lifecycle.
8. Ethical Considerations: The movie also highlights ethical considerations in business practices. Ray Kroc faces moral dilemmas and ethical challenges, underscoring the importance of conducting projects with integrity, transparency, and ethical behavior.
9. Persistence and Resilience: Ray Kroc faces numerous rejections and obstacles but maintains persistence and resilience in pursuing his goals. Project managers should possess similar qualities to overcome hurdles, maintain focus, and drive the project forward.
10. Celebrate Achievements: Recognising and celebrating milestones and achievements, as depicted in the movie, boosts team morale and motivation. Project managers should acknowledge and celebrate successes, fostering a positive project environment.
By drawing lessons from "The Founder," project managers can gain valuable insights and apply them to their own projects, enhancing the chances of success.
Franchising McDonalds and Capital Raising
We have identified the following project from the movie:
- Franchising McDonalds - Ray began working on the project after reaching an agreement with the McDonald brothers to franchise the concept.
- Capital raising project - Ray and Harry are fundraising to expand the franchise.
Project to franchise McDonald's
Start of the project - Ray approached McDonald's with the idea of franchising the concept, but they told him they weren't interested in doing it themselves. As a result, Kroc offered to do it for them. The brothers agreed, and Kroc was given exclusive rights to market the McDonald's method.
Execution - Ray opened his first McDonald's in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines in April 1955. He used the immaculately clean and efficient restaurant to sell McDonald's franchises to the rest of the country.
Then Kroc met Harry Sonneborn, a financial genius who taught Kroc how to make money by selling real estate rather than hamburgers. Kroc established a company to buy or lease the land on which all McDonald's restaurants would be built under Sonneborn's plan. Franchisees then paid Kroc a fixed monthly rent or a percentage of their sales, whichever was greater. Kroc was guaranteed a profit by owning the land on which the franchises were built rather than just the franchises themselves. With his real-estate formula in place, Kroc set out to achieve his goal of opening 1,000 McDonald's across the country.
However, there were issues. Kroc was constantly at odds with the McDonald brothers over changes he wanted to make to their original formula. Kroc became increasingly frustrated and decided he wanted sole control of McDonald's. So, in 1961, he bought out the McDonalds for $2.7 million in cash.
Kroc was free to run the company as he saw fit now that the McDonald brothers were out of the way. He had opened over 700 restaurants in 44 states by 1965. McDonald's became the first fast-food company to go public in April of that year. The stock was priced at $22 per share. Within weeks, it had risen to $49 per share, making Kroc a multimillionaire. Kroc had met and exceeded his goal by the end of the decade, with nearly 1,500 McDonald's operating worldwide.
Ray Kroc, like many of the twentieth century's most influential entrepreneurs, was not a creator. When Kroc arrived on the scene, convenience food was already available in a variety of forms, ranging from local diners to hot dog stands. But it was Kroc who was able to grasp all of the complexities of the fast-food concept and deliver it in the best way possible.
Capital raising project
Some believe that what transformed McDonald's into a money machine had nothing to do with Ray Kroc, the McDonald brothers, or the popularity of McDonald's hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes. His name was Harry J. Sonneborn. McDonald's real money-making engine was its little-known real estate business, Franchise Realty Corporation, which was envisioned and created by Harry Sonneborn. Sonneborn's unique, even lesser known financial formula served as the foundation for the obscure McDonald's alter ego company."
Ray wasn't going to become wealthy by selling burgers. Harry devised the solution. Purchasing real estate and leasing it to franchisees. They earned revenue from the monthly rent while also keeping a percentage of the franchise's revenue. When one of your income streams suffers a downturn, diversifying your sources of income allows your business to thrive.
Project Management Summary
- Objective - to raise capital to buyout the McDOnalds brothers and expand the business.
- Project team - it was mainly Ray and Harry
- Key Stakeholders: Project key stakeholders were McDonalds brothers, Franchisees and Investor.
- Key risk - failure to raise the funding
- Execution activities - listed below.
- Closure - Successfully closed the capital raising
Ray and Harry completed the following project activities in order to complete the above project:
- Finalise Pitch Deck - In the film, we see Harry and Ray presenting to potential investors using a pitch deck and presentations.
- Marketing - Harry was a finance professional with contacts and a network who could pitch the investment opportunity.
- Follow-up calls and emails - Although it is not clear from the film, it is clear from the book Grinding it Out that Harry and Ray had regular debriefing sessions and follow-up meetings.
- Organising introduction calls with the CEO and investors - In the film, we see Ray and Harry giving presentations to potential investors, negotiating, facilitating due diligence, and accepting offers.
- Ray and Harry accepted the final terms from the investors. Ray signed a term sheet with investors, as evidenced by his negotiations with McDonald's brother, in which they agreed to exclude the 1% royalty from the contract.
- Closure - Ray finally obtained the funding he needed to buy out the brothers and expand by purchasing and constructing the store on behalf of the franchisees.
Lessons from War Dogs - AEY

Movie Description
War Dogs is based on one of those true stories that no one would actually believe if it were written as fiction. In the mid-’00s, two kids named Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz managed to secure a $300 million contract with the United States government to supply allied forces in Afghanistan with arms and ammunition. They then embarked on a globetrotting misadventure that saw them dealing with shady crooks and corrupt politicians and dangerous soldiers in the name of making a fortune. Most astonishingly, both men were twenty something stoners with no experience handling anything of this size or scope. As much as the film may diverge from the truth for the sake of cinematic drama, the core story remains jaw-droopingly true.
Expected Outcomes
There are several important lessons that any aspiring new entrepreneur can learn from Hollywoods portrayal of business in these business movies. Two friends embark on that journey, and they do what any excited real entrepreneur or business manager would do: they hustle, work like dogs, read and study all night, and have a do-whatever-it-takes attitude. If a deal is about to fall apart, they hustle even harder and manage to keep it together. The purpose of the case study is to provide a practical case study on how to build a business in the facilitated network sector, which makes money by allowing people to exchange information, products, and services.
Rational
Entrepreneurs are constantly learning on the job, from their peers to their idols, and, most importantly, from their own mistakes—the road to owning your own business is littered with lessons learned. However, learning some of these lessons before embarking on your own journey only makes the process easier. i.e. Cutting corners can be an expensive proposition - Finding the best deals can be wise but make sure that you consider long-term costs and the time that you might have to invest to fix problems.
Key Lesson
None
Project Management Lessons from the Movie "War Dogs"
-
Lesson: Clear Communication and Documentation are Essential
The movie emphasises the importance of clear communication and documentation, particularly when it comes to contracts, agreements, and financial transactions. In one scene (Section: 00:35:12), the protagonists encounter difficulties due to incomplete and inaccurate documentation. This highlights the need for project managers to establish effective communication channels and maintain proper documentation throughout a project.
-
Lesson: Risk Assessment and Management
Throughout the movie, the protagonists encounter various risks associated with their illegal arms trade business. One notable scene (Section: 00:48:29) shows them encountering a risk they did not anticipate, resulting in unexpected consequences. This emphasises the importance of conducting comprehensive risk assessments and implementing robust risk management strategies to identify, analyze, and mitigate potential risks in a project.
-
Lesson: Ethical Considerations
"War Dogs" explores ethical dilemmas faced by the characters, who engage in illicit activities. While project managers may not encounter such extreme situations, it highlights the importance of ethical decision-making. In a particular scene (Section: 01:30:17), the protagonists face the consequences of their unethical choices. Project managers should adhere to ethical standards, ensuring integrity and accountability throughout the project lifecycle.
-
Lesson: Supplier and Vendor Management
The movie showcases the challenges of managing suppliers and vendors in a project. In one scene (Section: 00:59:42), the protagonists face difficulties in delivering on time due to unreliable suppliers. This demonstrates the need for effective supplier selection, regular performance evaluation, and proactive management to ensure timely and quality deliverables.
-
Lesson: Adaptability and Flexibility
Throughout the movie, the characters are forced to adapt to unexpected changes and challenges. This is evident in a scene (Section: 01:19:56) where they have to quickly modify their plans due to unforeseen circumstances. Project managers should be adaptable, ready to pivot and adjust project strategies as needed to ensure successful project delivery.
AEY Inc. is a company that sells weapons to the US government for use in the ongoing war in Iraq, and their mission is simple: deliver what the Pentagon ordered. Failing to deliver the cargo as promised would mean that AEY would be blacklisted from any future contracts.
AEY secures larger and more lucrative deals, expanding their operation. "The Afghan deal", their biggest yet: the US government posts a massive order worth $300 million, which requires 100 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition and would net a $100 million profit.
AEY Projects
AEY bid for contracts on fbo.gov, and their project will begin once they are appointed by the Pentagon. David and Efraim then score "The Afghan Deal", which would allow them to supply the Afghan army with a number of weapons and ammunition.
- Objective of the project - deliver goods and services as agreed with the pentagon - deliver 100 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition
- Sourcing supplier - single supplier big enough to meet most of AEY’s demands. The ammunition that AEY had secured in Albania to fulfill the contract had originally come from China, violating the terms of AEY's contract with the US Army, which bans Chinese ammunition. Facing a global shortage of AK-47 ammunition, the duo encounters legendary arms dealer Henry Girard, who has access to massive unused weapon depots in Albania. Needing to dispose of these arsenals—including over 100 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition—in accordance with NATO treaties, and unable to deal directly with the US, Girard offers to make the deal through AEY. Efraim agrees, despite David's discomfort at working with a man on a terrorist watchlist.
- Due diligence -The two go to Albania to test the ammunition and win the contract, though Efraim learns they severely underbid their competitors.
- Logistics - Preparing the shipment in Albania, David discovers virtually all the rounds are Chinese-made and illegal due to a US embargo; to conceal this, Efraim has the ammunition repackaged.
- Repackaging - instructed him to have the rounds repackaged to get rid of any Chinese markings. It was time to circumvent. David hire enough men to repack 100 million rounds of ammunition by taking them out of metal sardine cans and placing them in cardboard boxes.
- Closure - Even though the first load was succesfully delivered - Efraim Diveroli did not pay the repackaging guy and he reported them to the US government and they were arrested.
The lesson from how AEY managed the contract is everything an entrepreneur should avoid.
- Bidding on projects that you do not have the capacity to complete.
- Cutting corners during execution of contracts
- Not paying your suppliers
- Illegal activities
- Not conducting proper supplier due diligence
- Deal partners are being cut out.
Project Management Lesson from Moneyball
One of the project management lessons from the movie "Moneyball" is:
Lesson: Embrace Data and Analytics
In the movie, Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, faces budget constraints and the challenge of building a competitive team. He decides to use data and analytics to evaluate players and make strategic decisions.
This lesson is highlighted in the scene where Billy Beane and his team rely on statistical analysis, rather than traditional scouting methods, to identify undervalued players and create a winning team. They focus on objective data and player performance metrics to drive their decision-making process.
This approach emphasises the importance of leveraging data and analytics in project management. By gathering and analysing relevant data, project managers can make informed decisions, identify patterns and trends, and optimise project outcomes.
Applying this lesson to project management involves:
- Collecting and analysing project data
- Using data-driven tools and techniques
- Making decisions based on objective information
- Continuously monitoring and measuring project performance
By embracing data and analytics, project managers can enhance their decision-making process, mitigate risks, and improve project success rates.
Reference: "Moneyball" (2011)
Peter Brand's Role in the Project
During a scouting trip to Cleveland, Beane meets Peter Brand, a young Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about player evaluation. Beane wonders if Brand would have drafted him out of high school; scouts thought Beane was promising, but his career in the major leagues was disappointing. Brand claims he would have waited until the ninth round to draft him. Beane hires him after being impressed.
Billy Beane's Project Management Philosophy: A Winning Formula
Billy Beane became the General Manager of the Oakland A's after a disastrous start as a major league baseball player for the New York Mets. His team is underfunded, and his best players are lured away by bigger clubs. This forces Billy to rethink his entire strategy in order to stay ahead of his wealthier competitors. He then notices an unfit-looking man working as an adviser for another baseball team. The man turns out to be an economist with a Yale degree. Billy then realises that a team is more than just its stars.
- Project Goal - Billy's goal was to win the league. Leaders push the organisation out of its comfort zone by challenging old mindsets. It necessitates difficult, open discussions with those who do not see or agree with the strategy.
- Project team - Billy and Peter - Your success is dependent on your team. You'll need a team that shares your mindset and is willing to put in the effort to get the job done. Billy was the face of his team in Moneyball, while Peter was the brains behind it. Each of them played an important role. However, Billy required Peter's analytical skills to take his team to the next level.
- Project Risk - if the project had failed, Billy would have been fired - By putting yourself out there, you expose yourself to both good and bad. There would be many disappointments along the way, and Billy was used to them. He had high hopes of playing in the major leagues from the start. His poor performance, however, cut these dreams short. Furthermore, his team was underperforming in the league. Billy took it in stride and continued to pursue his dream. Instead, he attempted to outmaneuver those who had rejected him.
- Key Stakeholders - Team owner, coach, scouts, players and fans
- Project execution - Beane employs Brand's sabermetric method to sign undervalued players like Chad Bradford, Jeremy Giambi, and Scott Hatteberg, as well as trade for David Justice. The Athletics' scouts are opposed to the strategy, and after a heated argument, Beane fires the head scout, Grady Fuson. Beane is also opposed by the Athletics' manager, Art Howe. Howe rejects Beane's and Brand's strategies in favor of a more traditional lineup.
- Project result - Athletics wins their 20th game in a row, a then-record. Beane tells Brand that he will not be satisfied unless they win the World Series and change baseball. The Athletics win the American League West but lose in the American League Division Series to the Minnesota Twins, with an unseen baseball analyst explaining that some other tangibles of a player, such as drive and clutch performance, cannot be measured. John W. Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, recognises that sabermetrics is the future of baseball. He asks Beane to become the Red Sox general manager for a salary of $12.5 million, making him the highest-paid general manager in sports history. Beane discloses the offer to Brand in Oakland and admits that their strategy failed.
- Project closure - The project was never completed because Billy continued to work on it in order to win the league using his method. It is critical to understand what truly meaningful success metrics are. Leading and lagging indicators. Leading indicators forecast where we will end up.
Success and Setbacks: Billy Beane's Unconventional Path
- Embark on projects to improve productive - Moneyball demonstrated how Billy Beane got more for his money by first learning what it means to be productive in baseball and then building and testing models. The lesson learned: Now that we have resources to work with, the question is how do we redesign processes to be more productive.
- Be creative, implement innovative projects - Budgets and constraints are commonly viewed as the enemy of creativity. There is a sense that you need to think big and not be constrained by an accountant watching your back. Moneyball demonstrates that the A's hard budget constraints were the catalyst for creativity, forcing Billy Beane and his managers to come up with new ways to stretch their dollar.
- Make sure you have right team onboard - Grady Fuson, a scout, confronted Billy Beane. He was upset because Billy was dismissing Grady's intuition and 29 years of experience in favor of an unconventional methodology developed by a college graduate - Peter. Grady was fired after Billy mentioned "Adapt or Die," because he was not prepared to adapt to the new approach required in the circumstances. Hiring & Developing the Talent - Leaders are good at recognising the talent in front of them. Spotting and hiring the right talent is a critical skill of leaders.
- Be Ready for Rejections - uncoventional project are generally rejected - Any unconventional idea, no matter how good it is, may face initial rejection. Oakland scouts were initially dismissive, then hostile to Peter Brand's non-traditional sabermetric approach to player scouting. The Athletics struggled early in the season, prompting critics to label the new approach a failure. Furthermore, Billy faced constant opposition from Oakland Athletics manager Art Howe.
- Always be Ready to Learn & Improve : Billy learned new ways to select players from Peter at the same time Peter learned how to fire players from Billy. Players also took their game analysis feedback by Billy and Peter seriously and understood their development areas.
Join the Conversation: Share Your Thoughts on This Article
- No comments yet.
Add Your Comment Now!