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This newsletter is a result of Impact's collective years of experience in publication services helping corporate clients develop effective, creative communication tools. Please feel free to forward this email to others within your organization. Effective Newsletters, Issue 3 You Want it When?! Working Backwards into a Production Schedule By Dave Gillaspie President, Impact Productions 847/530-3214 • http://www.impact.ws You've heard it before. You tell the printer when you need your project completed; after he picks himself up off the floor and the boisterous laughter subsides, he wipes the tear from his eye and responds with, "You want it when?" This doesn't have to happen to you again. With a little forethought and a basic production schedule, you can avoid playing the role of stand-up comedian the next time you deliver a project to your printer. The best way to plan ahead is to work backward. This may sound like an oxymoron, but it's not! When you start working on a project, you know when it needs to be completed. If you don't, your boss will probably be glad to let you know. If you are fortunate enough to have a project without a deadline, give it one. I've found that projects that don’t have a deadline tend to go on indefinitely. They go on and on and never get off your plate. You need to establish a deadline – a goal to shoot for to ensure your project gets completed in a timely fashion. This is not unlike the advice Steven Covey gives in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" when he suggests that we should "Begin with the end in mind." Once you have established the deadline you may say to yourself, "I've got plenty of time; this thing isn't due for a couple of weeks!" This is where the problem usually starts if you aren't working backwards. I can hear you asking, "What does he mean by 'working backwards?'" Allow me to explain. Think of ALL the steps required to accomplish your project and write them down. Don't leave out anything. Think about collecting the editorial copy from your authors or technical writers. You may need time to run the copy through the editors. If yours is a new project there will likely be design issues to address. What about photography? The layout artists will need some time. Then there are all the required approvals, time for alterations, and final approvals. All this before your project even gets to press. Most printers will need more than a couple of hours to print your project. What about mailing? If you are not sure about these time frames call the people responsible for each step and find out. How long will it take to have the photos shot? How long will the layout artists need to layout your project? How long will it take you to secure all the required approvals? Ask the editors how long they will need to look over the copy. Ask the printer how long they need to print it. Your project may not require all of these steps but I'm sure it will require some of them. Now put a time frame next to each of these steps. Pull out a calendar and locate your deadline. You remember – the date your project needs to be completed – in hand, on your boss's desk, at the trade show, or mailed. Start plotting backwards from your deadline, subtracting the time required for each step. Even if the project isn’t due for a couple of months you may find out that you are already behind schedule! It may be a startling discovery, but it’s better to find out now (when you may be able to still do something about it) than at that moment when you find yourself standing in front of your printer and playing the role of comedian to an audience of one. What can we do to help you? Just email me at dave@impact.ws or call 847/530-3214. Topics Privacy Reprint
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to look good? Dave Gillaspie |
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