How Planetum is managing a 350 million renovation, exhibitions, camps and public procurement from one place

CallThree centres, rapid growth, no system

Planetum brings together three historical sites under one organisation. As the number of staff and activities grew, four recurring problems were encountered.

• Link failure between centres Joint projects were the exception, most of the work was siloed
• Duplicate work One center produced the exhibit, the other purchased the same equipment
• Marathon of advice Dealing with shortcomings in meetings where half the agenda was off-topic for those involved
• Last-minute burning action Untimely unprepared events were increasingly common

A previous attempt with Trello ended in failure - it was too complicated for many employees and was not in Czech.

SolutionFreelo, staggered boarding and clear rules

Planetum chose Freelo because it is easy to use and runs in Czech. They drew inspiration for the deployment from the Foto Skoda case study.

• First quarter just broader guidance. Around 10 people first tried Freelo on model situations to make it clear that this was a priority project for the whole organisation.
• External sponsor from the same world. Jan Tichý (CPO at Taste, a.s.) - a graduate of the two-year Planet and Astro-Amateur course - helped with the implementation. Knowledge of the specifics of the organization was crucial.
• Gradual addition of more users. Step by step, always with ongoing training and adaptation of functions to specific needs.

Four project types, four templates

Instead of one big all-encompassing system, Planetum has made Repeatable Templates for typical situations.

• Exhibitions For each new exhibition, a project with the tasks of script, design, production, marketing.
• Suburban Camps Each course and camp has its own project - materials, lesson planning, organization.
• Public procurement All documents, deadlines and communication with suppliers in one place for the audit.
• Meetings The agenda is created in advance as tasks. After the meeting, the minutes and the division of responsibilities are ready.

Width of useBut Freelo doesn't just hold shows and camps at Planet

A look at the real Freelo shows that the 80+ active projects cover far more than the cultural programme.

What Freelo holds in Planet

• Central assignment to the graphics team. Over 1,000 orders per year. Internal agency with its own revenue queue.
• Tasks from the Prague City Hall. Planetum is a contributory organization - the tasks delegated by the founder are auditable.
• Templates for annual events. Workshop Beskydy 2024 → 2025 → 2026. Summer suburban camps year after year. They don't have to be reinvented.
• Multilingual proofreading. CZ + ENG workflow for international festivals and cooperation with ESA.
• OHS, fire protection, revisions. Security and control agenda in one place.
• Audit trail of public procurement. Documents, deadlines and communication with suppliers for each tender.
• IT modernization. New ticketing system, AI projects, integration with accounting.
• Newsletter as a separate pipeline. 331 activities in one project - from dramaturgy to shipping.

ResultA 350 million upgrade managed on Timeline, not in spreadsheet squares

The Planetum is undergoing the biggest renovation in its history. An investment of CZK 350 million, dozens of interrelated tasks, external contractors. Without Freelo, it would be run on spreadsheets.

Features that keep Planetum afloat

• Timeline with links between tasks. Without them, the $350 million project could not have been done. No more spreadsheets.
• Insights. Alerts the project manager to new activities and sudden downturns. It's not about checking performance, it's about knowing that something has changed.
• Project tracking. Everyone receives only relevant notifications. No noise from projects that are none of his business.
• Centralized communication. All discussions, files and tasks for your project. No more searching in emails.

What Planetum has gained

• Less duplication of work between centres - team leaders can see who is doing what.
• Shorter and more focused meetings - they deal with decisions, not the agenda.
• Events ready on time - deadlines are visible, not in one person's head.
• Better resource planning and faster response to real-time changes.