Design Methods and Practical Development

Planning

Planning is crucial to any project, whether for television, multimedia or graphic design. If a project is badly planned at the outset it will lead to a whole host of problems later on. Time management is the key to success and companies must ensure that staff and resources are accurately assessed, particularly if there are a large number of projects going on at the same time.

Deadlines are tough on magazines, they're very hard, so the more you can do at the beginning... you want to work out your days, your weeks, otherwise it just gets a big bottleneck at the end of the month and you're just in pieces, rushing work. You want to make sure that all the care and attention has gone into one piece of work as has gone into all the other pieces. Michael Ellott

Planning's important because it ensures that the project is completed in the way that both us as a company and our client expects. Planning makes sure that the project gets completed on time, within budget and meets everyone's expectations. Karen Fewell

There may not always be a written schedule if there is a short turnaround on a project, but it is still important for everyone to know what is going on all the time, what their deadlines are and what is expected of them. This is one reason it is important to maintain good communication within a team and hold regular meetings.

• However much you plan there are always going to be unexpected difficulties
  
• If planning is carried out carefully it can mean avoiding disaster
  
• Different mediums have their own considerations, but it is important to check things such as delivery time on equipment or software that is needed for the start of a project
  
• Contracts need to be agreed and signed at the outset or this can cause delays
  
• Teams need to be in place and copyright negotiations must be complete in order for the project to keep on schedule