Regan Conley Communications
Currents Magazine
Technical writer of an-depth educational article on job planning processes counteracted project pitfalls
Poor up-front planning directly correlated with faltering projects at Kiewit Bridge & Marine, a specialist division of the Fortune 500 construction company. This article for the employee magazine was part of the initiative to make project planning a key focus area for employee learning.
Project Services
Employee communications
Writer & editor
Research
Topic development
& story creation
Markets
CM/GC
Design-build
Fortune 500
Employee communications
Bridge construction
Heavy civil construction
Infrastructure
Light rail
Marine construction
Tunnels
Oil & Gas
Wharves & piers
Approach
The in-depth article addressed big-picture ideal situations, provided step-by-step processes and told stories of on-the-job fumbles and fixes by the company's best project planners.
My work included:
Research, interviewing project planning experts and identifying three contrasting projects to profile
Writing the article
Working with a graphic designer on layout to break the content into more bite-sized pieces
As managing editor, I also had a full range of editorial responsibilities for the entire issue, including topic development and story creation, managing the editorial calendar and publishing schedule, assigning and editing other writers’ work (both professional writers and staff contributors), approving drafts, and ghostwriting articles and the president’s letter.
Results
Breaking the up the 2300-word article meant the separate pieces could be read during small work gaps or breaks, making it more accessible and likely to be read by busy staff.
Staff appreciated that the article wasn’t just “happy highlights,” but also honestly discussed projects where planning had gone wrong. Showing how those jobs were brought back on track gave actionable advice for a variety of situations.