Secrets to Project Management for the Creative Studio

Secrets to Project Management for the Creative Studio

daniel schutzsmith

Presentation Slides & Worksheets:

http://how.graphicdefine.org

Who Am I?

www.graphicdefine.org

School of VISUAL ARTS

209 East 23 Street, New York, NY 10010-3994 Tel 212.XXX.XXXX Fax 212.XXX.XXXX www.schoolofvisualarts.edu

Who Are You?

Designers?

Project Managers?

Student or Teacher?

Other Design Professional?

What is Project Management?

Project Managementorganizing and managing resources so they deliver all the work required to complete a project within a defined scope, time, and cost constraints

Scope

Project Management Defined

Time

Project Management Defined

Cost

Project Management Defined

Scope

Project Management Defined

Time

Project Management Defined

Cost

Project Management Defined

Why Do We Use Project

Management?

Why Project Management?

saves money

Why Project Management?

less stress

Why Project Management?

better organization

Why Project Management?

confirms work ethic

Why Project Management?

makes repeat clients

So, How Could It Possibly Fail?

How Can It Fail?

incomplete plan

How Can It Fail?

poor organization

How Can It Fail?

lack of defined roles

How Can It Fail?

dependency on one person

How Can It Fail?

scope creep

How Can It Fail?

unclear objectives

How Can It Fail?

unstable project funding

Project Phases

4 D’s

Project Phases

1. DiscoveryProject Phases

Discovery• Kick-off Meeting• Research• Gather Requirements• Technical Specs• Project Planning

Project Phases

WORKSHEET:Project Scope

Project Phases

1. Discovery2. Design

Project Phases

www.graphicdefine.org

Design• Wireframes / IA• Design Comps• Revisions

Project Phases

Project Management Apps

Studiometry

Microsoft Project

WORKSHEET:Scheduling

Project Phases

1. Discovery2. Design3. Develop

Project Phases

Develop• Programming• Send to Printer• Vendor Integration• Alpha & Beta Launch• Testing

Project Phases

1. Discovery2. Design3. Develop4. Deploy

Project Phases

Deploy• Project Launch• Style Guide / Manual• Wrap-up Meeting• Possible Additions• Track Success

Project Phases

Project Methods

Agile vs.

Waterfall

Project Methods

Waterfallbased on a fixed length of time. clear project end. traditional project plan.

Project Methods

Waterfallgreat for projects with absolutely define objectives

Project Methods

Project Methods

Start Finish

Agilebased on short, task oriented periods of time. project end is harder to define.

Project Methods

Agilegreat for open-ended, long term projects where the end result is unclear

Project Methods

Project Methods

Start Start

Start

Start

Leadinga Team

Assign Tasks + Objectives

Leading Talent

Get Out of the Way

Leading Talent

Check in Regularly

Leading Talent

Let People Screw Up

Leading Talent

Preach Time Management

Leading Talent

Weekly Status Meetings

Leading Talent

Managing the Client

Set Expectations +

Define Objectives

Managing the Managers

Keep Consistent Communication

Managing the Managers

One Channel of Communication

Managing the Managers

Building Trust is Important

Managing the Managers

Show the ROI

Managing the Managers

Under Promise

Managing the Managers Super Important!

Managing the Managers

Over Deliver

Like for Realz!

When Shit Goes Wrong

Stay Focused

When Shit Goes Wrong

Remain Calm

When Shit Goes Wrong

Don’t Act Too Quickly

When Shit Goes Wrong

Rely on Your Team

When Shit Goes Wrong

Make a Calculated

Decision

When Shit Goes Wrong

Realize that Something Will

Have to be Sacrificed

When Shit Goes Wrong

Don’t Play the Blame Game

When Shit Goes Wrong

Learn From It

When Shit Goes Wrong

Staying Organized

Organize All Papers

and Files

Staying Organized

Use Paper Folders

Staying Organized

Standardize File Structure

Staying Organized

WORKSHEET:Ways to

Standardize

Staying Organized

Organize Tasks

Staying Organized

WORKSHEET:Personal Organizing

Systems

Staying Organized

RetainingIdeas

Staying Organized

WORKSHEET:Idea Tools

Staying Organized

Change Order

Make It Official

Change Order

Get it in Writing

Change Order

Should Contain:• specific change to be made

Change Order

Should Contain:• specific change to be made• cost to make the change

Change Order

Should Contain:• specific change to be made• cost to make the change• additional time needed for the change

Change Order

Should Contain:• specific change to be made• cost to make the change• additional time needed for the change• signatures of approval (client and you)

Change Order

Should Contain:• specific change to be made• cost to make the change• additional time needed for the change• signatures of approval (client and you)• date

Change Order

One Final Tip

Keep a PlaybookFor every project log the total hours, players, profit/loss, things learned, strengths, weaknesses, and so on. This will help you and your employees understand what projects you like and why.

One Final Tip

Presentation Slides & Worksheets:

http://how.graphicdefine.org

daniel@graphicdefine.org