Six Tips for the Organized Management of Multiple Projects
by April M. Carter
It's hard to manage a single graphics project, but when work is abundant, the prospect of managing multiple projects can be daunting enough to keep you from being efficient. Following are some of my suggestions for successful project-juggling.
ONE: Establish and implement paper and electronic filing systems. A very simple organization system can keep things easy and accessible.
One of my employers named jobs A001, A002, and so on (after A999 came B001). If a job lasted a lot longer than the ones near it (i.e., we'd have jobs A101, A233, A234, A236, and A239 open), we'd "retire" the old job and leave a note of reference in the folder: "see new job A240." As soon as a job was specified, we'd log it in as the next number in a ledger with a description and columns for when it was opened, closed, billed, and received.
Digital files were organized by client, then by job number. See fig. 1.
Billing worked as follows: every month of the year had a Quark file with a Master Page set-up for the invoices sent out that month. Once a bill was processed (including the job # was the only reference necessary for ourselves), it was marked in the ledger, and copies were put into the job folder and an UNPAID invoices section in the ledger binder (sectioned by month). Once received, the invoice was stamped/dated and moved to the PAID section of the ledger binder (also sectioned by month).
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Another employer manufactured about six different product types (each composed of several elements), for our purposes called A, B, C, D, E, F (but I'll just show A). On our servers, projects were organized by product type, then alphabetically with suffixes indicating the product type, then by element (AD, PO, FL) with actual item number. See fig. 2. (This may seem like overkill, but when thousands of files are on multiple servers or archived and different product types might use the same name, it's nice to be able to identify the exact product and what element it is just by the file name.)
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I now employ a hybrid of these and a couple of other organization systems. I think my method is simple and logical: When I open a job, I enter it into a ledger. A job name is assigned by template type and date; for instance, if I was requested to do an 8-page brochure today, I would enter it as M8_030603 BROCHURE DESCRIPTION.M8 tells me what template was used, and the number is the date... so if I have an idea of when a job was done, I can look through the files (which are filed chronologically, back of drawer to front of drawer so the most recent are nearest).
Digital files are categorized by job number, since everything is internal. Universal, multiply used files (like those used from time to time in dynamic emails or web pages) and warehouses of graphics and library items are categorized differently. See fig. 3 and fig. 4. (This may seem like overkill as well, but having the ability to know exactly where a folder came from and what job a specific file is associated with is a comfort to me... annoying little mistakes like accidentally moving a file into a folder without seeing what folder it went into can be easily rectified.)
TWO: Learn and use the organization system.
You'll become especially impressive to bosses or clients if you're able to follow every whim as if everything is always at your fingertips. Teach someone else the system. If you're laid up in County with a broken leg, the last thing you want to do is explain to your assistant where "that file" is. If it's hard for someone else to learn, assume they're not stupid and that you made it too complicated.
THREE: Give things priority. Several times, I have had to fight with bosses about this one: "Everything cannot be top priority. Just like it's not humanly possible to give 110%." Just say that a few times, and it'll soak in. Don't miss deadlines, but don't become mousy every time the boss comes in with a crisis, either.
Sometimes I have a hard time getting anything done because I can't get past knowing how much needs to be done. When I notice that happening, I clear off my desk and file away everything except for the five (or fewer) most important jobs. Taking a minute just to make the area around me clear helps me focus and be less panicky... for awhile, anyway. Once I've narrowed my priorities, I concentrate on getting things to the stages of being out of my hands, even if temporarily. For example, if my current, most important tasks are:
1. Sketching ideas for the company's new look
2. Placing a printing order
3. Making alterations the boss suggested and wants to see again
4. Uploading a job archive to a vendor
5. Brainstorming ad ideas
I'd start 4, then do 2 and 3 while it's uploading (it takes awhile). In basically one fell swoop, things are in other people's hands and I've narrowed my immediate priorities to two items. It's hard to brainstorm and sketch when the prospect of multiple unattended mechanical tasks is looming, so I've freed my time and my mind a little bit.
FOUR: Consider establishing procedures or checklists for repetitive tasks. If you find that they follow patterns, deeming jobs series of familiar tasks may make them seem less daunting.
Procedures could include time constraints on brainstorming or sketching (personal deadlines) or the use of templates or standard paper types, ink colors, and document sizes so you aren't going crazy making every single job have every criterion different was ever used before. (There are exceptions to this of course, but I'm a big fan of using different folds and design to make two sheets of the same paper markedly different.)
Checklists may help with proofreading or submitting jobs. Whenever I have an email campaign to order (twice or three times a week), I use a template that ensures my completeness and consistency (and feedback has proven that the vendor appreciates consistency in orders). It would be waster energy to re-type Job name:, File name:, From:, Reply-to:, Mailing List, etc. every time.
FIVE: Keep everything, and keep it organized. I've mentioned before that I file from front to back and keep everything.
Filing chronologically helps if you need to rebuild a job or need to play mind-reader when a client wants to revert to a previous version. Retaining everything covers your ass or shows your liability... when mistakes happen, it's necessary to have an accurate picture of who screwed up so you can seek retribution from a vendor, (gently) tell the client they were wrong and you just did as you were asked, or (gently) admit to your mistake and take the guff.
SIX: If you're overwhelmed or unfocused, fix it by getting help or taking a break.
If you can afford an assistant or work in an office with lackeys, don't be afraid to use them. I'm not in the habit of abusing anyone, but it is immensely helpful to have support staff to type, fax, make calls, or re-organize your files if you've tornado-ed through them in a rampage.
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April M. Carter offers designers and illustrators advice about successfully bridging the gap between art and commerce. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
To me, it was simple, until my supervisor herself had some words to say about it.
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