https://www.ucda.com/talent-is-not-enough/
Talent is Not Enough: Business secrets for designers
by Shel Perkins
Project management is an area where the freedom of the creative process and the constraints of sound business procedures overlap. One is quite loose and visionary, while the other is more structured and driven by numbers. This chapter shares some thoughts about how to bring the two together.
Successful projects require detailed planning and advance preparation. Once a project begins, however, it’s important to remain flexible. The work will never proceed exactly according to plan. In the midst of a project, decisions have to be made about a range of trade-offs, including issues of cost and quality. Smart decisions are well-informed ones, so every design firm needs a reliable system for tracking and analyzing project activity. This chapter discusses the preparation and use of progress reports and shares real-world strategies for managing client expectations and coping with project changes. Sometimes problems come up as well, so there’s a discussion of the most common “red flags” and what you can do about them, along with some expert advice for keeping customer relationships on track.
Producing good design is only half of the battle. The work that you do also has to be on schedule, be on budget, meet client expectations, and produce a profit for your design firm. A good system for planning and tracking projects can make all of this easier. However, your project-management system will only be as good as the people using it, so it’s equally important to hire people with the right skill sets. If you have a small office and work primarily on small projects, the best approach is to hire for talent. Once employees are in place with the necessary design abilities, you can gradually develop their project-management skills with on-the-job guidance and training.
Excerpt from Talent is Not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers, Third Edition by Shel Perkins. Chapter 12: Project Management Basics
Shel will be presenting the following sessions at the UCDA Design Summit:
• On Schedule, on Budget, and on Target: Managing Creative Projects
• Choosing the Right Digital Asset Management System
Join Shel Perkins, among other experts, at this year’s UCDA Design Summit scheduled for April 11-13 in Savannah, Georgia.
This exciting program, with a curriculum that features inspirational sessions as well as those addressing technologies and resources, can help your daily work flow so that you can focus more on design. Come prepared to learn from experienced speakers through intimate and focused sessions on key topics and issues that we all face as designers.
Register and more information at ucda.com.