Project Management Is About People, Not Process

Project management can often be mistaken for the mechanics of scopes and timelines. But for Kimmy Harvey, head of creative operations at adam&eveDDB US, the role is more about people.

Since moving from London to New York in 2017 to help establish the agency’s US presence, she’s been at the centre of shaping culture, building the initial office from two people to over 50, guiding the merger between adam&eveNY and DDB New York, and building the conditions for creativity to thrive amidst change. Since July 2025, Kimmy's role has been expanded to oversee all US offices, leading creative operations and project management.

Protecting time and space for ideas, mentoring teams, and driving collaboration across continents is what operational excellence really means to Kimmy. “The PM role is so important because you really are the driving force,” she says. “You’re herding cats a lot of the time, and you’ve got to have that sort of personality where you can flex to different types of people and personalities, and understand how to get the best out of each person with no ego.”

Kimmy first joined adam&eve in London not long after its merger with DDB London. She arrived without a project management function to slot into, becoming part of the team tasked with building it. Having previously helped set up operations at McCann London, she brought experience of designing processes from scratch, balancing the need for structure with the agency’s creative spirit. Those early lessons, she says, still inform her approach today.

“Every single time you go through that kind of growth [of a merger], you realise project management is more than just creating timelines and processes,” she says. “It’s about building relationships, ensuring everyone comes together, being on the same page, and having the passion to create the best work.”

Having built teams on both sides of the Atlantic, Kimmy is equally focused on the people she brings in, and the qualities she believes make a great project manager. “When I’m hiring now, I look for passionate and creative thinkers – people who will sit in meetings and actually have a voice and an opinion on the creative work,” she explains. “I don’t want people to sit there without saying anything, just taking notes.

“We’re driving the entire process internally and acting as the connection between the account team, the strategy team, the creatives, the leadership, and the designers. You have to understand every part of the process and what each person needs to make sure we get to the right places with the best people.”

That’s why she bristles at the common misconception that project management is purely administrative. “One misconception I found when I came to America is that the project management role can be seen as very straightforward – booking meetings, writing timelines, doing scopes, taking notes,” says Kimmy. “You can teach anyone to do that. What you can’t teach are interpersonal skills. That’s something often overlooked when it comes to project management – how important relationships and human interaction skills are. Those are the biggest things.”

That belief in relationships also extends to how Kimmy sees her role as a protector of creative time. “I feel like creatives have less time and space,” she says. “It constantly gets smaller and smaller, so finding that space for them is more and more important.”

The challenge lies with the well-known fact that work today isn’t limited to traditional campaigns with standard timelines. “We might do a big TV shoot,” she says, “but then have extensions coming off it, like a worldwide activation, something social-forward. Budgets are changing too, and the way you’re able to craft timelines and processes around that depends on having the right time to do it. It can be tricky at times, but it can also be fun. You’ve got to find smarter ways of working together.”

Asked what this looks like in practice, Kimmy points to a 2024 campaign for the International Paralympic Committee as something she's particularly proud of. “We sometimes get briefs that we open up to the entire creative department, which is such an amazing opportunity for teams. I love it when we do that, giving everybody equal opportunity.”

She describes how she ran the project: giving everyone a shot at ideas, then identifying the right people to bring in at the right moment across TV and digital. “Across North America, we’ve got such amazing talent in different offices, so it’s about identifying the right skill sets, sometimes bringing people in from San Francisco, Chicago or Miami. I do a lot of connecting between offices, and with London as well,” she says.

“As a PM, you work with so many different creative talents from across the network, running the day-to-day creative process and then the production part too,” she adds. “We oversee design development, so it’s a close relationship with designers - making sure they’re involved at the right time and have the right tools. The same goes for things like editing and animation.”

This all feeds into Kimmy’s conviction that, above all else, relationships are what matter. “If you can see someone, go and talk to them. Have the conversation, because it’s so important to build those relationships,” she says. “I’m a big believer that some of the best conversations can happen outside the office - whether it's down the pub, at the park or over lunch. Understanding where and how people work best is an important part of the role, and how we get the best work out of everyone at the agency"

When she first arrived in New York, one of her earliest moves was to introduce Friday lunches to bring the small office together. That ethos continues today. “That’s how we built really strong relationships,” she says. “On pitches, I’m not going to walk out the door and leave everyone to it. I’m always there, and I encourage my team to be there too. We’re in it together with the creatives, creating that support network, and letting people know that if they need something, we’ll help them.”

So, with all of that fresh in mind, what makes an outstanding project manager in Kimmy’s eyes? “Strong communication, flexibility, no egos, and being entrepreneurial,” she says firmly. “You need to be adaptive, a fast thinker, and able to leave stress behind, because things change constantly. It’s about thinking quickly, being on your feet, and not being afraid to ask for help if you don’t know the answer.

“You need to be inquisitive, creative, and a go-getter – but most importantly, you’ve got to have a laugh. You’re at work five days a week, so having a sense of humour is essential.”