A Real Smart Working Experience: Interning at Cantiere Creativo

The health emergency put companies in front of new challenges, first and foremost digital innovation. No one could have predicted the spread of a virus, but some organizations managed risk with preventive measures rather than reactive ones.

Because of the epidemic curve, universities could only offer remote internships. A stressful setting with endless video calls and a disorganized flood of emails: that's how a student imagines smart working.

Having had the opportunity to experience the work environment at Cantiere Creativo, I can debunk this myth. The company was already working remotely before the pandemic, and this allowed me to appreciate the countless benefits of a new, fully flexible way of working.

Cantiere Creativo's virtual office is on Basecamp, a project management and team communication tool. 

From the first login, it's clear that its highly intuitive layout is its main strength. 

Basecamp lets you picture your company as a puzzle dashboard where each piece is a team or a project. 

For each of them, you can plan monthly and weekly tasks . Through the design studio, the team's weekly tasks are set. Each team member can view the to-do list of activities, setting a deadline and estimating the effort for each. 

A bell curve gives a visual summary of how the work is progressing. 

As soon as the collaboration with Cantiere Creativo begins, the client gets access to Basecamp as the preferred channel for communicating with the company. The client is therefore kept constantly up to date on the team's work and on how the budget agreed at the quoting stage is being spent. 

This is where the revolution in doing business lies: in building a genuine relationship of trust with the client, based on total transparency. Clients also feel much freer in managing their schedule, without compulsively checking smartphone notifications.

Using Basecamp as the primary channel also keeps files from getting scattered , since they can be organized into folders : customizable, color-coded and inside each project. 

Documents uploaded to folders can be editable files directly through Google Drive or Dropbox Paper, so you always have the latest version. These tools have made collaborative work accessible to everyone, anywhere, from any device and asynchronously. 

Communication is very effective thanks to full-fledged built-in messaging systems. For more urgent, one-to-one messages, you can use Pings; updates on meetings or work progress are shared on the Message Board; finally, clients can also be reached through Campfire, the project chat for team members, call requests or quick updates.

Actually, the point isn't to stop having calls, but to schedule them with respect for time and the agenda. 

At Cantiere Creativo, team members' commitments are organized and synced through Google Calendar, and essential meetings take place on Google Meet. 

Every week, stand-ups are scheduled with clients and with colleagues on the same team or project.

At the start of each week, the whole Cantiere Creativo team meets in the Rummata, where each team member estimates and shares the hours they will dedicate to each project they follow. If someone has a lighter load at the start of the week and their role is needed, colleagues can bring them into other projects. 

The Rummata is shown visually as a list of team members and projects, identified by colored tiles.

Thanks to its notificationsettings, Basecamp gives people full control over their own time , balancing work, personal life and focus on a project. You can mute notifications, keep only those where you're mentioned, or put Basecamp in focus mode for as long as you want to avoid distractions. 

The Basecampapp and itsmobile optimization let you work on the go, on any device and from anywhere.  

Your time is the most important resource for you and your company. Knowing how to manage it is key to reaching your goals without losing yourself in work.

My experience at Cantiere Creativo gave me a broader view of the working world. Besides the chance to learn many marketing tools and strategies and get trained on new market trends, I had the opportunity to challenge myself in a truly innovative and dynamic work environment. I began to understand what it means to set measurable, achievable goals, meet deadlines and work as a team, especially with professionals whose roles differ from mine but complement my work. 

I'm grateful to this experience for teaching me the importance of listening to and learning from others, becoming more adaptable and developing new skills.