Setting Realistic Project Deadlines
Have you recently engaged a designer, only to find yourself scratching your head, figuring out the best way to draw out a timeline for the project? Contrary to popular belief, creativity does take time to work out. Sure, we may be able to churn out a project within a day for you, but chances are the quality of that piece won’t be very good. On the other hand, design usually isn’t some major undertaking, so don’t get cheated by designers asking for an entire year to do your annual report. Finding a middleground is key. Here are some tips to help you set realistic project deadlines with your designer or agency.
Consider the Complexity of the Project
Even though most people are not designers, we’re still able to get a feel for how long a project would take a designer to finish. You shouldn’t expect an agency to finish your 20-page newsletter in two days. On the flipside, don’t allow an agency to ask for a whole month just to do up some name cards for you. A couple of days for every A4 page of design work is a good rule of thumb to follow.
Break it up into Stages
While it’s great to know that your annual report’s due in September, it’s even more important to know all the dates of the photography sessions, first draft of section one, write-ups being due etc. etc. By breaking up a project into little tangible chunks, it helps both parties manage expectations and pace themselves. My advice would be to stick to these mini-deadlines religiously – Missing one can often snowball the entire project into unrecoverable lateness.
Take Bureaucracy into Account
Something that people often fail to consider when setting the deadline of a project is the approval process. Oftentimes, a deadline gets pushed back or designers are forced to scramble at the last minute because management took way too long to approve a design. Different bosses have different speeds of approval and feedback, so you should definitely account for your management’s pace when it comes to drawing up a project timeline. You can never blame your bosses when things go wrong, but you can always work around their habits!
Account for Unexpected Downtime
Your boss goes on vacation, your cat died, the design agency is hit by a flu virus etc. – These are all very real situations that can crop up and push a project’s deadline back. If possible, always factor in some grace periods to account for unexpected downtime into your project timeline. And if things go without a hitch, you’ll be able to present to upper management a project that finished way before it is due. Who doesn’t love that?
