On the Floor

Processes, protocols, structure, and lists a plenty – can be helpful and can also be debilitating.  I live by “structure is freedom” but there is such thing as being TOO structured. If you find you are so inundated with “the process”, you may paralyze yourself from actually getting the project moving.

If you have nothing else, these three things are a definite must in keeping on top of things:

• Timelines
• Team check lists
• Follow up schedules

Streamline them…

Timelines are a must – they can be too detailed though and if it is a timeline you are sharing with your client, this could be detrimental if you miss a date. I recommend putting in items that are broad and with an approximate date

i.e.

Week of Aug 12^th 2012 – get final approval on design

Week of Aug 19^th 2012 – Development starts slicing design

Check Lists – we use these for each phase of the project to ensure that critical items aren’t missed. Too many lists or including too many itemized elements can be overkill; main points as a reminder to the team, are more then adequate

Follow up Schedule – Vendors, team members, clients all are note worthy to plot into a schedule on when things need to be followed up on. This can be overwhelming to look at, I recommend setting reminders, a few days in advance of when you need to follow up to avoid any potential for overload. Remember, you don’t want to micromanage but gentle reminders to key players will help keep things on track, and help keep you on top of your project.

Structure is freedom; establish a process that works best for you (this may take some tweaking as you evolve in your role). The better organized you are, the more effective, and efficient the team will progress on any project meaning satisfaction guaranteed to any client.