Nov 5, 20214 min read

Project Management

Project management is a highly important skill to have when running your project. It is the use of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something specific, in this instance, it is to deliver a major project to the artist tutors, colleagues and industry professionals.

A project will have a beginning and an end, most likely with a deadline. They also have a structure to them that requires certain components such as a budget plan for the project, a team of creatives who will help run and achieve the project goals and most importantly it has a schedule for which everyone can follow. These things help with managing a project and keep things running smoothly.

Projects have what is called a life cycle which is how the project flows, it is broken down into 5 separate phases. These are:

· The Conception Phase

· The Definition Phase

· Initiation Phase

· Implementation Phase

· Evaluation Phase

The conceptional phase is where the project leader decided what they are doing. Within this phase the artist will come up with the topic and question for the project and research into both to gather information for what the next stage of the project will be, they will put together the plan and proposal for their major project designs. How will they achieve the final look? Who will they need to have involved and begin speaking with those they would like to collaborate with and arranging meetings. This is possibly where they will put a proposed schedule together.

The definition phase is where their plan will come together. The designs will be drawn up and detailed lists for what will be needed for each look are created. The schedule will be finalised for the project and the artist and her team will put a budget plan together to help keep things on track. There will be numerous team meetings within this stage to confirm details as well as discuss what the artists' vision is for the final look. These meetings will help all departments when it comes to completing their tasks as they will know the vision and have the brief. The final thing for this section is to confirm everyone’s role within the team so each team member knows exactly where they stand.

In the initiation phase, the artist will confirm everyone’s role within the team giving detailed descriptions of what is expected from everyone involved. They will delegate tasks specific to each team member and state any deadlines which are associated with their tasks. At this point, they will instruct when the project begins, when the photoshoots will take place and when any edited images will be expected by. This allows for other members to announce if they have any conflicting issues with the deadlines announced.

Figure 5, Creatives working on the project

The implementation phase is where all the work is carried out. Team members are already aware of what is expected of them and will be following the schedule set out early in the planning stages. The artist will begin creating the prosthetics required for the looks, the costume department will begin sourcing the clothing they require, photographers will begin looking for their perfect locations based on the discussions held regarding final looks and locations. Every member of the team will have something to do within this stage. Regular checks comparing the schedule and budget to makeup sure everything is running to plan and no issues have arisen. Keeping open communication with the entire team to make sure everyone is kept informed of all current plans and allows the artist to check in with everyone to see if they have any issues and that everyone is on task. Once everyone has completed all their jobs the whole team will come together as a unit and carry out 4 final images. Thus, completing the project.

The final stage of the project is the evaluation phase this stage is where the team will come together one final time to confirm they are all happy with the final images from all 4 photoshoots. Once everyone has agreed on the main images to be used for submission by the artist the photographer will begin the editing part. This is where any graphic designers who are involved will start working on the project. The artist will complete any written work which is required for the project’s completion as well as makes sure all budget and schedule plans are correct and up to date. The artist will have kept receipts and documentation on all expenses for the project and these will need to be added with the budget as evidence of the costs incurred.

The artist will come together with their team with the final images to evaluate the final looks chosen this will allow the team to discuss their achievements as a team as well as summarise any issues or problems they feel could be worked on for next time. This allows everyone to take feedback away to better their next project. The artist will do now finalize the completion of the project by submitting the work to their tutors for final marking.

If all goes well the artist will complete a successful project with great management skills. However, there are some occasions where projects fail, according to a study completed by Hughes (1986) said there are three reasons why a project can fail

1. A lack of understanding of project management can cause it to fail

2. Issues with communication within the team

3. Failure to make changes were needed throughout the project.

Hopefully, the artist will be able to adapt to the project management of their major project and complete the tasks.

Keep reading to find out if they succeeded or not…….

Reference List

Investopedia, Project Management, The Investopedia Team, Updated March 31st. 2021 Accessed at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/project-management.asp [Online] Accessed on: October 24th, 2021
Mondayblog.com, Your complete guide to project management in 2021, Shira Bar-Joseph, Updated on November 25th 2021, Accessed at: https://monday.com/blog/project-management/guide-to-project-management/ [Online] Accessed on: October 24th, 2021
Project management institute, What is Project Management? Accessed at: https://www.pmi.org/about/learn-about-pmi/what-is-project-management [Online] Accessed on: October 24th, 2021