Creativebias Helpsheet: Managing Creative Projects

Managing Creative Projects

A Guide for Creative Industries Entrepreneurs

What is a project?

Although the word project can be used in many situations in everyday life, in business a project has certain characteristics that make it differ from a standard task within the workplace.

A project:

• Is unique - it will contain work, which is not of a repetitive nature, and is aimed towards a defined outcome
  
• Will have a timescale - a project will start and end on definite dates and times. The client may decide this, as they may have other projects depending on yours finishing on time
  
• Will have a budget - within your company each project will have a calculated budget, which if adhered to will increase your chances of making a profit. This budget can include costs for anything from materials, through to workforce employed for the job
  
• Will involve an element of risk - any project with a defined objective, timescale and budget holds a certain amount of risk as targets may not be met within the agreed restrictions. However, there is also a positive element, involving the project being more successful than anticipated and a higher profit than predicted being earned
  
• Will involve collaboration - using colleagues' skills and ideas effectively is an integral part of a project
  

What is project management and why can it help my business?

Through project management businesses hope to gain:

• Better control of risk
  
• Shorter development times
  
• Higher quality and reliability
  
• Sharper orientation toward results
  
• Identification and correction of problems at an early date
  
• Delivery of the specified outcomes
  

Project managers must be generalists who can oversee many functional areas and can put the elements of a task together to form a coherent whole. In basic terms this means they must have skills and experience in many areas, and it is their job to pull the project together.

Three major questions face the project manager:

1. What needs to be done?
2. When must it be done?
3. How are the resources required to do this job going to be obtained?

How do I structure a project effectively?

It may be useful to create some basic targets for your project, to allow self - analysis at all stages. For example, if a record label wanted to release a limited edition single to fans and press to raise awareness and create a 'buzz' around a band they might structure their basic objectives as such:

• Project - limited edition release of single on CD format
  
• Objective - raise awareness of band to fans and press
  
• Performance measurement - sales of CD, website hits and mailing list sign-ups
  
• Time limit - 3 months
  
• Cost ceiling - £4000 - to cover pressing, artwork, distribution, promotion
  

By using these five headings you can give any project a clear purpose.

"A successful project is about efficient planning and realistic targets, timelines based on experience and realistic achievement, and enough time left to cover for unforeseen problems."

Joe Shooman - director, record label

How do I produce project and operational plans?

The primary purpose of planning is to establish a checklist of tasks in enough detail to include latest start and finish dates, which tell the project team exactly what must be done.

The composite plan:

- The composite plan is made up of different parts and should begin by each individual or unit accepting responsibility for a portion of the project and agreeing to deliver a preliminary plan about how that responsibility will be accomplished.

- These plans should contain descriptions of the required tasks and estimates of the budgets and schedules.

- The composite plan, still not completely firm, is approved by each participating group, by the project manager and then by senior organisational management.

- Each subsequent approval "hardens" the plan.

Note: this level of complex approval may not be relevant for smaller companies with a small staff, but the basic elements of project planning apply even for the smallest of project teams (including sole traders).

The process of developing project plans varies among organisations, but any project plan should contain the following elements:

• Overview - a short summary of the objective and scope of the project
  
• Objectives - a more detailed statement of the general goals noted in the overview
  
• General approach - describes both the managerial and technical approaches to the work
  
• Contractual aspects - (when you have been contracted by a customer to deliver a project) includes a complete list and description of all reporting requirements, customer supplied resources, liaison arrangements, advisory committees, project review and cancellation procedures, etc.
  
• Schedules - this section outlines the various schedules and lists all the milestone events
  
• Resources - this includes the budget (both capital and expense requirements) as well as cost monitoring and control procedures
  
• Personnel - this section lists the expected personnel requirements of the project including special skills, training needs and security clearances
  
• Evaluation methods - every project should be evaluated against standards and by methods established at the project's inception
  
• Potential problems - this section should include any potential difficulties such as subcontractor default, technical failure, tight deadlines, resource limitations and the like
  

It might also make things simpler to use the system of 'SMART Targets'. SMART Targets are:

• Specific
  
• Measurable
  
• Achievable
  
• Realistic
  
• Time-limited
  

For example, previously an artist had sold three paintings in the last year to one Liverpool gallery. A SMART target might be aiming to sell six new paintings in the next twelve months to dealers and independent customers throughout the North-West.

Project plans are usually constructed by listing the sequence of activities required to carry the project from start to completion, and developing an action plan to complete the activities.

You should have regular meetings with your team and be flexible to change if any aspect of the project is going wrong.

"It's important to plan and research projects thoroughly before taking them on, speak to people who have done similar things and get advice from them."

Paul Tong, musician and tour manager

How do I assemble and organise project teams?

It is possible to organise your project either:

• As part of your functional organisation -this may be particularly relevant if you are a small business with few staff. In this case the project would involve most of your staff and be the main focus for the whole company until the deadline date. For example, all staff at a small art gallery may be working on the next exhibition at the same time; therefore the project is using the whole company.
  
• As a free-standing part of the parent organisation - this may be more relevant for larger companies whose staff are already working in self-sufficient departments (marketing, sales etc). The free - standing method means you can pick and choose the relevant staff from each department to create a new "team"? to work on the project, in the same way a football manager might pick his starting eleven from a squad. For example, a multi-national record label will have individual people from different departments, (press, marketing, management) all working on a forthcoming project involving one band, with staff chosen for their particular skills and experience.
  

Certain tasks (possibly many) may also be subcontracted to people (or other companies) who are not usually part of your company.

"When you're hiring people from outside your company it helps to look at:
Track record - e.g. physically identifiable previous work that you can subjectively analyse in relation to your project
Cost - does hiring them keep costs within your budget?
Personality - if they are to become part of the team they must share your vision and be able to work with others."

Joe Shooman

To staff the project, the project manager works from a forecast of personnel needs over the life cycle of the project. By looking through the project and working out in which areas you need specialist skills, you can choose who to use for the project.

"It becomes clear who is strong in which areas. If people really want to do a job enthusiasm can count for a lot as well."

Paul Tong

A work breakdown structure can be prepared to determine the exact nature of the tasks required to complete the project. From this base, the functional departments are contacted to locate individuals who can meet these needs.

What are sponsors and steering groups and how may they affect my decision making?

Steering groups

A steering group may be appointed to oversee a project, or the activities of an organisation as a whole (particularly in the case of social enterprises and community businesses).

Either the project sponsor or another independent member of the senior management team will chair the steering group.

A steering group will also:

• Approve the appointment and responsibilities of the project manager
  
• Approve all major plans and authorise any major deviation from the agreed plan
  
• Negotiate a solution to any problems between the project and external bodies
  
• Provide overall guidance and direction to the project, ensuring that it remains within specified constraints
  
• Sign off the completion of each stage and authorise the start of the next stage
  
• Ensure that the required resources are committed
  
• Arbitrate on any conflicts within the project
  

Sponsors

Often a sponsor is the person who had the original idea for the project or the member of the company most enthusiastic about seeing it to completion. Their enthusiasm is usually vital to keep the project focused. They may:

• Ensure production of and adherence to the business case
  
• Have overall responsibility for the ongoing funding of the project against an agreed budget
  
• Provide finance or other resources
  
• Monitor progress regularly by conducting project status meetings with the project manager
  
• Take a cost/benefit/risk perspective to the steering group
  
• Co-ordinate issues-resolution
  
• Recommend project closure, if appropriate
  
• Monitor and report on benefit to the company after project completion
  
  
  

How do I monitor and control the cost, quality and timescale of the project?

Cost can be monitored and controlled by:

• Management accounting - this is information for people within organisations, to help them make sounder financial decisions
  
• Cost accounting: cost is a major, and one of the most important, factors in running a business. To make a profit out of a business or project, costs must be recorded and managed properly
  

A costing exercise must include:

• Budget - amount of money available for the project
  
• Fixed Costs - expenses that do not change in direct proportion to the activity of a business
  
• Variable Costs - expenses that change in direct proportion to the activity of a business
  
• Actual cost of operations, activities or products
  
  
  

What could go wrong and how do I learn from the mistakes?

With most projects there is some uncertainty about the ability to meet project goals. The uncertainty of outcome is greatest at the start of the project; and should decrease as the project moves towards completion.

"Before you start, research - find out other peoples mistakes, and try and avoid them."

Paul Tong

It is important to monitor the project closely as it is ongoing. Regular meetings with staff are vital to make sure they are sticking to the set objectives. The project must be kept within budget and work must be on course to meet deadlines.

Once the project is complete it is important to ask the client whether they are satisfied with the final project and what improvements they think could be made.

To help your company improve in the future it is important to:

• Get feedback - it is useful to seek feedback from you clients, whether positive or negative, soon after the project is completed. This can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of the project
  
• Conduct project assessment - from the perspective of your business was the project successful? Was it completed on time? Did everyone work as a team? Did you stay within budget?
  
• Derive lessons learned - take some clear positive and negative lessons from the project and meet with your staff to make them clear
  
• Identify strengths and "best practices" - it is important to stay positive throughout the project. All the best teams thrive with a realistic but positive leader. By identifying your strengths you can build the confidence of your staff and identify areas which can be improved next time.
  
  
  

How do I manage multiple projects?

"Different projects have different priorities, if it becomes clear that one project must be finished before the others, it is not hard to move deadlines, as long as everything is planned. You can have short-term and long-term projects running at the same time as long as they're flexible to change by being well structured."

Paul Tong


It can help to have a project 'office' for each individual project.

Within a small company, many projects may be going on at once and staff may be working on many different projects at the same time.

Therefore it is essential that each project has a clear 'office', this office can be either an actual physical space within a building or a virtual space on-line. Whether physical or virtual the office should contain:

• Communications - telephones, computer network, email and internet access, file storage, database storage and back up facilities
  
• Documentation - methodology, processes, forms and registers
  
• Tools - for accounting, project planning and risk modelling
  

There is computer software available to help you manage projects. Although this may seem like an expensive way to organise your staff, using these programmes can be an effective way of seeing your project in clearer terms (through on-screen organisation) and can hugely cut paperwork and admin costs because work can be stored and edited digitally.

Microsoft Office can help you organise and track tasks and resources to keep projects on time and within budget - http://www.microsoft.com/uk/office/project/

Programs such as Microsoft Outlook contain calendars within which you can save important dates and the programme will remind you when deadlines are approaching.

There are a number of online project management programs that can be useful if people working on the same project are located in different offices and want to avoid sending constant emails.

www.robohead.net/info offers a service where anyone working on the project can login and post their work online for approval by senior figures. Information such as estimates, invoices and schedules can also be posted for the client to review. This sort of service may be more appropriate for larger, international companies, as it can be quite costly and complex to set up.

Links

There is a substantial amount of project management advice on-line but much of it can be vague and overly complex, however many websites are worth looking at for further ideas:

www.pmi.org - The Project Management Institute (PMI) was established in 1969. By 1990, it had 7,500 members, by 1998, 44,000 members, currently,(2005) 100,000 members. This is indicative of the rapid growth in the use of projects. It also reflects the importance of PMI as a force in the development of project management.

Others include:

http://www.apm.org.uk/
http://www.4pm.com/
http://www.pmforum.org/
http://www.pmtoday.co.uk/
http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/

Books

There are many books available on project management, ranging from basic tips through to complex mathematical formulae; you can find these at most libraries:


Author: Chang, James F.

Title: Business process management systems: strategy and implementation

Publication info: CRC Press Inc. 2005; ISBN: 084932310X



Author: Schwalbe, Kathy.

Title: Information technology project management

Publication info: Thomson Course Technology 2005; ISBN: 0619159847 available at http://www.course.com/downloads/mis/schwalbe/index.cfm


Author: Culp, Gordon L. and Smith, Anne

Title: The lead dog has the best view: leading your project team to success

Publication info: American Society of Civil Engineers, 2005; ISBN: 0784407576



Author: Gardiner, Paul D.

Title: Project management: a strategic planning approach

Publication info: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005; ISBN: 0333982223



Author: Berkun, Scott.

Title: The art of project management

Publication info: O'Reilly Media 2005; ISBN: 1600330533



Author: Turner, John Rodney

Title: Managing web projects: the management of large projects and programmes for web-space delivery

Publication info: Gower, 2004; ISBN: 0566085674