Case Study De Beers Group:
Process optimization for the visual merchandising team

For De Beers, a global company in the diamond business, the job of the Visual Merchandising team is a figurehead. To optimize the communication processes, BridgeFlow supports the company with an analysis of the workflows and the customized use of Asana tools. Their success is reflected by the impressive results: 53% of the projects were completed in just 6 months.

Quick Check

Facts:

Workflow optimization
Analysis phase
Comprehensive Asana training
Support during the transformation

Goals:

Determine lead times and communicate bottlenecks in time
Coordinate deadlines and make them transparent
Bundle communication and information
Launch of Asana as a new work and project management tool

Timeframe:

4 months in 2021

Results:

Easy management of the projects’ complexity
Optimized planning
Easier interdepartmental communication
Reduced time spent on status updates

The challenge

De Beers Group is considered the world’s leading diamond company and employs 20,000 people. Visual merchandising is a core competency for the visual presentation of luxury items to ensure the ultimate diamond jewelry shopping experience. The team manages retail openings as well as creative development and the global roll-out of all consumable-oriented materials, including new packaging. The challenge to be solved with the help of BridgeFlow was to optimize the work processes of the Visual Merchandising team. The main concern was to identify lead times and communicate them transparently to other teams, with the aim of making bottlenecks in time visible and managing complex projects effectively.

Smooth communication

The operations of the visual merchandising team are so complex in terms of planning and execution that everyone involved needs absolute transparency and control in order to be able to supply and open business premises worldwide on time. Due to the lack of coordination with other team members in the marketing department, problems arose in these workflows.

This was manifested in missed deadlines, project delays, and an excessive amount of time spent communicating status updates in interdepartmental meetings. Communication was scattered across emails, team messages, and Excel spreadsheets, and was not consolidated in one place. So, the search for an optimized workflow was on. The solution was to use Asana as a new work and project management tool.

„Portfolios from Asana – this tool has been a game changer for us. It actually adds value instead of more work.“

Lihsia Jiang, Purchasing Manager

The solution

Working with BridgeFlow’s experts, the department took a structured approach to the transformation. An in-depth analysis phase involving more than 25 members of the marketing team at De Beers. The goal was to efficiently organize and manage more than 50 projects, as well as provide insight into project progress and workload to management and the various teams within the department.

Step 1: Analysis and onboarding

The analysis phase spanned several weeks and various departments. Proven methods, such as interviews with stakeholders, yielded deep insights into the previous working methods of the visual marketing team at De Beers. As a result, with BridgeFlow’s support during the onboarding process, stakeholders gained key insights into:

The effectiveness of portfolios for project organization,
The use of workload for capacity estimation, and
The use of timelines for project lead times.

Step 2: Creating positive experiences with training

The rollout of Asana was characterized by clear lines of communication and efficient implementation. The adaptation of the BridgeFlow platform to De Beers’ needs and the coordination processes went without complications or delays. The team’s experience with the changes in the work process was exclusively positive. This was ensured by comprehensive training and continuous support from the BridgeFlow team.

Step 3: Efficient processes thanks to optimized communication

Previously, it was a challenge to keep track of the complexity of projects, but now, thanks to Asana, this task is easily managed by the visual merchandising team. Employees are able to define their deadlines with timelines and milestones. Thanks to workload and portfolios, team members can better assess and manage their individual workloads and keep their projects consistent. Even with a standardized application, the flexibility of the tool allows individuals to adapt work to their preferred style.

The result

Work more efficiently, create more

Overall, the transformation process was a complete success. Team members can better perceive responsibilities, optimize planning and simplify cross-divisional communication. With impressive results! The Visual Merchandising team at De Beers has

Reduced the time required for status updates,
Optimized market briefings and
Increased the efficiency of work, enabling us to complete more projects in less time.

Recommendation

De Beers Group was more than satisfied with the success achieved and is ready to recommend BridgeFlow to other companies. The tools, methods and supportive guidance provided by BridgeFlow during the transformation process played a decisive role in the remarkable results.

De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in diamond exploration, mining, grading, marketing and trading. Together with its joint venture partners, the company employs more than 20,000 people in diamond production worldwide, many of them in the source countries of Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. www.debeersgroup.com

Curious?

Arrange an exclusive Discovery Call today.

Paper & Tea

Transparenz bei Verantwortlichkeiten und Überblick über Deadlines ist eine Grundvoraussetzung für die Koordination aller Stores. Wir leisteten bei der Einführung von Asana Unterstützung und passten das Tool flexibel an die speziellen Needs an.

Helm

Wir halfen dabei, die Synergien für die länder- und funktionsübergreifenden Teams zu schärfen. Der Beratungsansatz bei der Einführung von Asana und die Abbildung der eigenen Prozesse sorgte für eine schnelle Adaption des Tools bei den Teammitgliedern.

Case Study De Beers Group: Process optimization for the visual merchandising team