Project management is key to getting any idea from start to finish, but video projects face special challenges that set them apart from traditional business projects.
In this session, Rich Harrington introduces the core concepts of effective project management as it relates to work in video production.
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.
• The "What's" and "Why's" of project management
• Understanding services offered
• Project management core concepts
• Scoping a creative project
• Estimating time
• Client communication
• Project control cycle
• Managing employees and contractors
• Effective teams
• Keeping clients happy
• Closing out the project
2. Course Overview
• The "What's" and "Why's" of project management
• Understanding services o
ff
ered
• Project management core concepts
• Scoping a creative project
• Estimating time
• Client communication
3. Course Overview
• Project control cycle
• Managing employees and contractors
• E
ff
ective teams
• Keeping clients happy
• Closing out the project
8. Vital Statistics
• Author 40+ Books
• Author 200+ Video Courses
• Publisher of Photofocus & ThinkTAP Learn
• Conference Speaker
• Business Owner
• Photographer
• Product manager
9.
10. Past Projects
• America Online
• American Diabetes
Association
• American Israel Public
A
ff
airs Commi
tt
ee
• American Red Cross
• Apple
• Children's National
Medical Center
• Department of Veterans
Administration
• Drobo
• Federal
Communications
Commission
• Google
• lynda.com
• Microso
ft
• Skylum
• Smithsonian Institute
• Under Armour
• US Air Force
11. Advisory and Consultant Projects
• Television Networks
• ABC News
• CNN
• Discovery Channel
• Major League Baseball Network
• NASCAR
• Turner Networks
• Technology
• Adobe Creative Cloud
Advisory Board
• Apple
• Athentech
• Pearson Education
• Skylum So
ft
ware
24. Project Management Institute
• Professional organization founded in 1969
• 3 million+ professionals working in nearly every country
in the world
• Global advocacy, collaboration, education, and research
• Advance careers
• Improve organizational success
• Mature the profession of project management
• Foster ethics in project management
31. The Bo
tt
om Line
• Project management is a collection of business
practices and it works
• It is not a fad, it is not new, it is just ge
tt
ing the a
tt
ention
it deserves
• As pace quickens, budget and workforce are shrinking
• By employing an organized, tactical approach you can
thrive in the changing
fi
lm/video/photo industry
• You can never be too busy to manage a project
32.
33. Triple Constraint
• Scope:
• What is the work that must be completed?
• Schedule:
• What are the time constraints for the project?
• Budget:
• What are the
fi
nancial constraints of the project?
34. Triple Constraint
• Learning to balance these is essential to your success
• There is a fourth force at work that holds all three
together, QUALITY
• Simply put, Good, Fast, Cheap… Pick Two!
• You job is to balance all of these
38. The Project Management Process
• Develop the concept
• Select the Project Manager
• Identify the resources needed
• De
fi
ne the goals
• Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Match workers to the work
• Select team members
• Estimate time for tasks
39. The Project Management Process
• Create a schedule
• Finalize the budget
• Build a project plan
• Execute the work
• Coordinate e
ff
orts
• Measure and evaluate progress
• Take corrective action
• Test
40. The Project Management Process
• Obtain client sign o
ff
• Transfer the project to client
• Analyze the work and process
• Archive the resources
• Have a debrief (client and/or internal)
• Create an internal report or notes
41. The Creative Lifecycle
• Client call or email
• Project kicko
ff
meeting
• Budget and schedule
• Work initiated
• Client reviews
• Project delivery
42. The Creative Lifecycle
• Projects start o
ff
behind
• Rush to start
• Driven by deliverables
• Many key tasks o
ft
en overlooked or assumed
• Struggle to balance creative with budget
44. Scoping the Project
• Will take 2—16 hours to complete
• Document 2—10 pages
• Will become the charter
• Get all key players to a
tt
end
• Quiet room/no distractions
• Get sign o
f
45. Project Name
• Check with client
• Descriptive
• Unique
• Alpha/numeric combo
• Match purchase order
46. Executive Summary
• What the project is all about
• What makes it unique
• Easy for a decision-maker to understand
• Why the project should be funded or not canceled
47. Re
fi
ning Scope
• Be speci
fi
c
• Avoid adjectives
• More details, not less
• Build the box and
fi
ll it up
48. Key Roles
• Executive Sponsor
• The internal or external client
• Project Manager
• The individual in charge of the project
• Business Experts
• Team members who understand the business aspects of the project
• Technical Experts
• Team members who understand the technical aspects of the project
51. Knowledge is Happiness
• Clear de
fi
nition of work to be performed
• Clear expectation on acceptance criteria
• Identi
fi
cation of deadlines to be achieved
• Team established
• Leadership identi
fi
ed
52. The Joy of Contracts
• Fundamental to the business relationship
• Minimize con
fl
ict
• Identi
fi
es risk
• Allows for smart growth
53. Creating a technical brief
• Photography
• Capture format(s)
• Delivery format(s)
• Color space
• Resolution
• Video
• Capture
• CODEC
• File format
• Delivery format(s)
• CODEC
• File format
• Resolution
57. Peer Review
• Number checking
• Forgo
tt
en charges
• Plausibility
• “Second opinion”
58. External Review
• Peers in di
ff
erent market
• Strategic partners
• Subject ma
tt
er experts
59. When to Pad the Budget
• Known unknowns
• Rushed schedule
• Di
ffi
cult to recover cost overruns
• When client asks you to
60. XYZ Tradeshow
Video Kiosk
Video Assets Kiosk with Menus Manufacturing
Capturing Video
Audio Sweetening
Color Correction
Encoding
Storyboard Designs Components
Photoshop Menus
Kiosk Authoring
Assembly
Shipping
Setup and
Installation
Work Breakdown Structure
• Key to budgeting
• Identify major tasks to be completed
• Keep breaking the job down into smaller pieces until you
can accurately budget it and create time estimates
• Get input from client and team
61. XYZ Tradeshow
Video Kiosk
Video Assets Kiosk with Menus Manufacturing
Project
Management
Capturing Video
Audio Sweetening
Color Correction
Encoding
Storyboard Designs Components Asset Acquisition
Photoshop Menus
Kiosk Authoring
Assembly
Shipping
Setup and
Installation
Client
Communication
Quality Control
65. In Progress Reports
• Communicate to the client where the project is at
• Best to be proactive…
delaying ‘bad’ news only makes it worse
• Do not be overly optimistic or pessimistic…
• Be realistic
66. In Progress Reports
• Identify milestones complete
• Report percentage complete on tasks in progress
• Identify tasks not yet started
• Agree on regularity of reports with clients in advance
• DON’T MAKE THEM ASK!
67. Pre-Production
• Name project
• Project team and manager
• Post scoping document, schedule, and milestones
• Post budget or time requirements
• Post tech brief
• Collaborative scriptwriting
68. Production
• Create shot list
• Crew meeting notes
• Gather graphic assets
• Post production documents
70. Project Closeout
• Change order reconciliation
• Time tracking/
fi
nal billing
• Client asset tracking
• Music reporting
• Project debrief
71. • Delivery speed
• Deliver to multiple people simultaneously
• Scalable infrastructure
• Scalability in systems for review
• Interactive and collaborative tools
The Reasons to Use
Online Collaboration
72. • Need to learn new language, skills, and so
ft
ware
• Potentially requires investment
• Higher rate of failure on delivery
• OS, so
ft
ware, and other setup variables
• Potential annoyance by clients/team members waiting
for downloads
The Reasons Not to Use
Online Collaboration
73. Essential Features
• Time-tracking
• Change-tracking
• Cross-platform
• Permissions
• Web-based scheduling
• Whiteboards
• Milestone tracking
• File transfer
• Video review
• Threaded messages
• Email noti
fi
cation
• Private messages
• Team rosters
• Chat/IM
77. Creating a Slack Channel
• Organize your team conversations in open channels
• Make a channel for a project
• Everyone has a transparent view of all that’s going on
• For sensitive information, create private channels and
invite a few team members
78. Use Slack for Messaging
• Send messages directly to a person
• Send messages to a small group
• Supports both voice or video calls
• Make one-on-one or group calls right from Slack
79. Use Slack for File Sharing
• Supports most
fi
les including images, PDFs, documents,
and spreadsheets
• Share with anyone you want with both private and public
links
• Add comments to
fi
les
• Archive is searchable
• Integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box
80. Use Slack for File Sharing
• Storage Allotment
• Free plan — 5GB total for the entire team
• Standard plan — 10GB per team member
• Plus plan — 20GB per team member
81.
82. Searchable Archives
• Everything in Slack—messages, noti
fi
cations,
fi
les, and
all—is automatically indexed and archived
• Slack also indexes the content of every
fi
le so you can
search within PDFs, Word documents, Google docs, and
more
• Set a powerful search with advanced operators to
quickly locate items
91. Balancing Control with Speed
• By employing an organized, tactical approach you can
thrive in the changing
fi
lm/video/photo industry
• You can never be too busy to manage a project
96. Time Tracking
• Critical for time and materials work
• Evaluate your
fi
xed price jobs
• Use of so
ft
ware systems
• Frequency of reports
97. Recruiting Contractors
• Join local professional groups
• Ask peers or existing vendors
• Join user group communities
• DSLR meetups
• Photo Walks
• meetup.com
• Apple and Adobe user groups
• LinkedIn
99. When to Hire Sta
f
• Many issues to consider
• Look at frequently hired freelance positions
• Evaluate personnel expenditures annually
• Consider other costs
• May not be able to get
fi
rst choice
• The more dollars you can keep internal, the easier it is to
control the project and reduce risk
100. Employee Status
• When working with contractors, especially long-term
• Be careful to follow rules
• h
tt
ps://tinyurl.com/goton2t
101. Working with an Accountant
• Most creative people are challenged by
fi
nances
• Need to make decisions and adjustments monthly
• Learn to use accounting so
ft
ware, but still have a person
who reconciles the books and ensures accuracy
103. Successful Team Start Up
• Agree on the team's purpose
• Identify the project stakeholders
• Identify the team roles
• Agree on the ground rules
• Decide on team logistics
104. E
ff
ective Team Membership
• Take responsibility
• Follow through
• Listen actively
• Communicate clearly
• Provide feedback
• Accept feedback
• Track time
105. • Meet individually with team members
• Check in with the client and stakeholders
• Evaluate severity of problems
• Ensure buy-in from key team members
• Avoid blame or hurt feelings…focus on problem solving
• Lead by example
Corrective Actions
for Teams
106. • Share responsibilities
• Encourage communication
• Give clear ownership of tasks
• Create a culture of accountability
Encourage Leadership
Amongst the Team
107. • Mentor individuals
• Identify tasks and milestones clearly
• Make critical path well-known
• Have schedule and tasks publicly visible
• Use a physical tracking system
Fostering Team
Accountability
109. Communication Goals
• Open communication
• Frequent communication
• Perception is reality
• Emotions have a huge impact
110. Always try to
think about
things from the
client’s point
of view
• Potential issues
• Is the
fi
ght worth it?
• How to choose your
ba
tt
les
111. The Client Debrief
• Identi
fi
es open issues
• Clears the air
• Provides lessons learned
• Creates an environment of trust and con
fi
dence
• Return client assets
112. Being Seen as a Resource
• Open and frequent communication
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Be well-rounded
• Connect on shared interests
• Respond to general questions
• O
ff
er value added services
• Pass on praise up the chain of command
113. Surveying Clients
• Informal check-in bi-annually
• Detailed survey to understand client needs and opinions
• Net Promoter Score® survey
114. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DETRACTORS PASSIVES PROMOTERS
NET
PROMOTER
SCORE
X 100
–
117. When is a Project Done?
• Check the scope of work
• Check change orders
• Ensure all deliverables are met
• Ensure all deliverables are accepted
• Formally request client sign-o
ff
and project closure
• Initiate
fi
nal billing
118. Reconciling Change Orders
• Look at original scope of work
• Look through wri
tt
en change orders
• Review project notes
• Discuss with team members to avoid anything slipping
through
• Finalize with a wri
tt
en report for client
119. Reconciling Billing
• Final bill
• Incorporates client constraints
• Initial budget
• Change orders
• May be lower or higher…
be honest
120. Delivering the Bill
• Include client name
• Include project or PO #
• Include due date
• Include payment terms
121. 06/30/05
Date
655
Invoice No.
Metropolitan Washington Council of Govts.
777 North Capitol St. N.E.
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20002
Attn: Brian L.
Bill To
Net 30 Days
Terms
07/30/05
Due Date
Working Lands
Job
Invoice
Balance to be invoiced upon project completion
Total
Date Work Performed Qty Rate Amount
RHED Pixel
2108-C Gallows Road
Vienna, VA 22182 703-734-7433
Production Services - Prep, Shoot, and
Digitze video footage of Meeting
1 1,790.00 1,790.00
$1,790.00
06/30/21
07/30/21
122. The Project Debrief
• Technical components:
• Any innovations achieved
• Quality and appropriateness of technologies and
equipment used in project
• Suggestions for technical work
fl
ow for similar
projects
• Any equipment purchases needed
123. The Project Debrief
• Organizational components:
• Any unresolved or exceptional administrative
challenges
• Quality of team-building and leadership
• Suggestions for future management strategies
• Suggestions to improve the collaborative environment
124. The Project Debrief
• Human components:
• Appraisal of professionalism
• Analysis of in interpersonal skills
• Appraisal of external collaborators
• Appraisal of client
125. The Project Debrief
• Logistic components:
• Was the project managed in a rational way?
• Were there any wasted e
ff
orts or resources?
• Was the schedule for the project achievable without
major cost or performance issues?
• Was the work environment safe and risk-free?
126. Capturing Lessons Learned
• Ask team members to debrief on their own
• Capture debriefs a
ft
er the meeting
• Document all thoughts
• Share with management and internal stakeholders
• Archive for future reference and projects
127. Archiving the Project
• Backup project
fi
les
• Backup source
fi
les
• Create archival-quality master
fi
les for all deliverables
• Log all licenses
• Updating project closeout notes