Project Management for Creative Projects

Course details

Project management is key to getting any idea from start to finish, but creative projects face special challenges that set them apart from traditional business projects. In this course, Rich Harrington introduces the core concepts of effective project management as it relates to work in video production, design, photography, or any other creative endeavor. Learn how to describe the services you offer, properly scope your project, identify major deliverables and interdependencies, and communicate with clients at all stages of the process. Rich shares insights from his many years as a business owner and creative professional, bringing together full-time employees, contractors, and freelancers to plan and execute high-level creative projects that keep clients happy.

Topics include:
The benefits of project management
Outsourcing and partnering
Defining project objectives
The project life cycle
Scoping the project
Getting sign-off
Identifying key roles
Estimating time
Communicating with clients
Managing projects with tools like Facebook or Basecamp
Building a control cycle
Managing a team of employees and contractors
Building an effective team
Keeping clients happy
Reconciling billing
Closing out the project

Concepts

Introduction

How do you manage creative projects
What you should know before watching this course

The Whats and Whys of Project Management

The benefits of project management
When not to use project management
Reviewing the golden rules of effective project management
What is the Project Management Institute (PMI)

Keeping Clients Happy

Fostering open and frequent communication
Performing a client debrief
Being seen as a resource to your clients

Surveying clients

Closing Out the Project
When is a project done
Reconciling change orders
Reconciling billing
The project debrief
Capturing lessons learned
Archiving the project

Understanding Services Offered

Understanding your internal capabilities
Outsourcing
Partnering
Project Management Core Concepts
Project management bottom line
Understanding the triple constraint
Defining the objectives of a project
Defining the characteristics of a project

The standard life cycle of a project

Using project management effectively
A typical life cycle for a creative project
Scoping a Creative Project
Scoping the project
Giving the project a descriptive and unique name
Creating an executive summary

Refining the scope

Identifying key roles for a project
Building the scoping document
The importance of sign-off
Creating a technical brief
Estimating Time
Using historical data
Using a time estimation formula
Getting a peer review for time estimation

Getting an external review for time estimation

When to pad the budget
The work breakdown structure
Client Communication
Using in-progress reports to communicate with clients

What information can you share with your client

Using online project management tools
Understanding the core features needed for online systems
Managing a project with Basecamp
Managing a project with Facebook
Communicating with Slack
Collaborating with Google Docs and Sheets

Project Control Cycle

What is a control cycle
Building a control cycle
Balancing control with speed
Enforcing the control cycle
Managing Employees and Contractors
Time tracking

Recruiting contractors

Managing contractors
When to hire staff
Understanding the independent contractor status
Working with an accountant

Effective Teams

Reviewing the elements of a successful team startup
Outlining effective team membership
Warning signs of a failing team
Corrective actions for teams
Encourage leadership amongst the team
Fostering team accountability

Conclusion

Goodbye and suggested learning