Big Ambitions

Learn how Big Ambitions creates insightful project breakdowns to exceed client expectations 

“BasicOps is a project management system that’s easy to use, easy to understand, and well integrated.”

– Steph Reinstein, Digital Marketing & Dev Director

Meet Big Ambitions:

• Industry: Public Relations and Communications Services

• Location: Cape Town, South Africa

• Users: 54

True to their namesake, Big Ambitions has big ambitions – and they need an intuitive project management system to keep up with their intense, fast-moving workload. Located in Cap South Africa, Big Ambitions is a travel communications, content, and marketing agency that works with many clients. “We have six teams with five or six clients each,” explains Steph Reinstein, Digital Marketing & Dev Director. “All of the teams use BasicOps.”

Each team member at Big Ambitions plays an important role that fits precisely into the grand scheme of operations. To ensure campaigns continue without a hitch, the teams at Big Ambitions must be organized, efficient, and prompt. With BasicOps, they’re able to manage and coordinate their tasks seamlessly, so that they can complete projects on time and exceed client expectations. 

“If there’s something that needs to be done, it’s in BasicOps,” says Steph.

How did Big Ambitions get started with BasicOps?

“Covid was the catalyst,” explains Steph. When the pandemic struck, Big Ambitions shifted to a remote working model – and immediately realized they needed to rethink how they managed projects. “We needed to change the way we were working. We needed a new platform.” 

Big Ambitions first tried Asana, only to switch platforms within a few months. “We outgrew Asana very quickly, and the pricing model of Asana didn’t work for a growing company like us,” explains Steph. Next, they explored ClickUp but reported that it did not fulfill their company’s needs. “It was a very short trip with ClickUp, because we wanted something more user-friendly.”

Then, Big Ambitions signed up for BasicOps – and found that it surpassed their expectations. “It had all the features we wanted. It was simple, it was logical, and we didn’t need to start from scratch,” says Steph. The straightforward layout in BasicOps made it easy for the Big Ambitions team to import their projects, and they kickstarted their workflows smoothly. 

For a company that handles multiple clients like Big Ambitions, BasicOps helps simplify complex operations and provide clear workload breakdowns. Big Ambitions designates a project for every client, with each project divided into sections that have their own set of tasks and subtasks. For tasks like blog posts or social media content, they use BasicOps automations to request reviews.

The team also uses BasicOps to work closely with hands-on clients, who often want to view project processes and monitor overall progress. “The ability to bring clients into a specific project or task is quite useful,” explains Steph. “They can drop in and see what’s happening on a day-to-day account.”

What are their favorite BasicOps features?

• Calendar and due dates. Big Ambitions produces content with an 80/20 strategy, where 80% of the content is planned, and 20% is impromptu, like newsjacking. The social media team transfers their client content calendars into BasicOps by choosing the respective client’s project, creating the tasks, and setting the appropriate due dates. They can then view their BasicOps calendar to organize and coordinate tasks, ensuring everyone stays ahead of deadlines.

• Board views.  For teams that use a large number of tasks – and subtasks – board view helps team members stay updated on project progress. “My team has been using board view to put bigger projects together with tasks and subtasks,” remarks Steph. By visually separating the tasks by status, the team can access a clear overview of their remaining tasks and allocate their time effectively.  

• User interface. The BasicOps interface is simple and intuitive – which makes onboarding new members a painless experience. Steph says, “I don’t have to go through hours of explaining how things work, because it’s very intuitive. Users adopt it easily and quickly.”

• Tagging. Big Ambitions handles countless ongoing projects, and the tagging feature makes it easy to share important updates and request reviews. “I’ve seen 55 tags today. We’re quite busy, and this helps us filter through the noise,” says Steph. Tagging also guarantees team members can navigate to the correct task or subtask, which helps operations run smoothly. 

How does BasicOps fit into their workflow?

To keep their projects moving, Big Ambitions uses multiple BasicOps integrations, including Figma and Zoom. They also use the Microsoft Office integration to work with Teams and quickly create tasks. “I create tasks via email very often,” says Steph. 

BasicOps helps with accountability too, because it keeps a record of everyone’s tasks and subtasks. With all project information stored in BasicOps, teams can easily track tasks, review updates, and work with clients. Steph says, “If something needs to be done, then there will be a record of it in BasicOps. There’s no way around it.”

He encourages companies to use the BasicOps 30-day free trial and see for themselves. “If you’re considering BasicOps, you should definitely try it. It doesn’t shy in comparison to the bigger names out there.”

Overall, Big Ambitions expertly oversees a wealth of clients and must break down intricate workloads into clearly organized tasks and dependencies. With BasicOps, Big Ambitions can easily manage their continuously evolving projects and handle any influx of tasks. It’s absolutely indispensable to them.

Start your free BasicOps trial today.

“BasicOps is a very user-friendly platform altogether.”

– Steph Reinstein, Digital Marketing & Dev Director