How to Write Impactful Project Case Studies

Project case studies help A/E/C firms demonstrate their capabilities and expertise and can be leveraged in proposal responses and as compelling content marketing pieces. They also allow firms to build credibility in the industry, especially when backed up with client testimonials. With so many technical details, stakeholders, and potentially years of information to sift through, A/E/C marketers may feel intimidated by writing project case studies. Fortunately, we’re sharing a five-step approach to developing impactful project case studies in an efficient and professional way.

Step 1: Seek Preliminary Client Approval

Before putting company time and resources towards developing a project case study, it’s best to get preliminary client permission. This also helps protect your client relationship, which is in the best interests of your company. Here’s a message template that A/E/C marketers may consider sending directly to the client, or asking the project manager to send on your behalf (depending on the nature of the client relationship):

Hi [Client Name],

[Your Company Name] is deeply proud of the work we’ve done together on [Project Name]. Our marketing team would love to feature a short case study about this project on our website and social media channels. Rest assured we will give you the opportunity to review the exact verbiage and images before publishing; we won’t release anything without your final approval. Please let us know if your organization is comfortable with this request before we move forward.

We look forward to further collaboration with your team! Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

[Your Name]

On occasion, clients will respond that case studies are actually against their policy, and you’ll be happy to know this ahead of time before wasting time on content that you won’t have permission to publish.

Step 2: Facilitate Internal Discussion

Next, it’s essential to get internal buy-in from your company’s subject matter experts (SMEs) and project management team. Consider scheduling a 45-minute to one-hour meeting with the relevant folks; give them a heads up that you’ll be using the following questions as a framework for the discussion, but they are welcome (and encouraged!) to discuss any other key project details, fun facts, or interesting anecdotes. Asking these simple questions establishes a strong foundation for an impactful project case study, and ensures that all your details are correct before getting the client involved.

• What is the official name of the project? (No project nicknames here, unless that’s how the client would refer to it!)

• Where is the project located?

• What type of project is it?

• What is the overall timeline?

• What are the key project stats/metrics?

• Why was this project necessary?

• How does this project solve client problems and/or help them stay ahead of the curve?

• What was our company specifically hired to do/what is our assigned role?

• Why did the client choose to work with us over our competitors?

• What kind of innovations/technology tools were utilized and what were the benefits?

• What expected and/or unexpected challenges did we encounter, and how did we overcome them?

• How has our project management team gone above and beyond?

• Is the client willing to provide a quote about their experience working with our team?

• Are there any special caveats we should be aware of? (confidentiality, community sensitivities, etc.)

• Are there any renderings, photos, videos, and/or other visual resources we can share?

• Is there anything else worth sharing that we haven’t gotten a chance to discuss? (You’ll be shocked by the fun responses to this simple question! I once had a team casually mention that goats were brought to the project site to “landscape.”)

Bonus Tip: If conducting this meeting virtually, don’t forget to record so you can refer back to the transcript if you miss anything in your notes.

Step 3: Write Rough Draft

Once these questions are answered, A/E/C marketers should have everything you need to write a rough draft of your project case study. Set reasonable expectations with everyone involved, and let them know when to expect a first draft that you’d like them to review; ask them to help fill in any content gaps and provide additional technical details where necessary. Consider scheduling a follow-up meeting if your SMEs and project team prefer to review together in real-time.

Tone of voice is very important here; rather than positioning your company as the “hero” of the project case study, it’s better to establish your client as the protagonist of the story. Making your client look good makes your company look good without coming across as too “sales-ey,” and helps bolster your company’s relationship with the client.

Bonus Tip: Storytelling is also a key strategy in differentiating your company. Project case studies can often feel stale and too heavy on scope specifics; while technical details are certainly important, consider weaving in human interest components and unique anecdotes about how project success was achieved. 

Step 4: Secure Final Client Sign-Off

After your internal reviews are complete, it’s time to seek approval from your client. Sometimes the project manager feels comfortable facilitating this conversation based on their existing relationship with the client, or perhaps they would prefer to connect you directly. Either way, make sure to get your client’s written approval to share the project case study on your website, social media, and maybe even industry publications. Although the project manager may have confidence in verbal approval they received, make sure to get it in writing to protect your company.

Bonus Tip: Make sure you are well-versed in your company’s safety policy. Your safety department may also need to review all of the images shared within the project case study, to ensure no unsafe practices are visible.

Step 5: Publish!

Now that you have a fantastic project case study ready to go, it’s time to publish and promote on your company website, social media, and any other appropriate platforms. Ask the SMEs and project team to share to their networks as well, and emphasize how proud they should be of their work. Consider how the case study can be strategically re-purposed for proposals and pursuits. Be sure to send the final version with your client, and encourage them to share on their platforms as well.

Bonus Tip: While including project photos is a great way to supplement written content, if company resources allow, consider developing a short video. Your audience will appreciate a variety of ways to digest the content.

There’s no right or wrong way to approach developing project case studies, but this proven approach will put A/E/C marketers on the right path if you’re feeling stuck or simply stagnant in the process.