Comments on: Project Scheduling – 14 Designers Share Their Advice

By: PM Hut

PM Hut — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:33:56 +0000

Actually after 45 hours of work/weeks any person’s productivity will start to decrease. If let’s say, you work 60 hours/week for a increased period, then the real value of your hours will be something between 25-35 hours, which is less than your initial 45 hours/week. (That’s why from a Project Management perspective overtime is always a bad idea).

IMO, the best thing to do is to hire more people to take the load off.
PM Hut’s last blog post: Modern Project Management

By: Arbenting's Weekly Inspiration and Best of the Web #4 | Arbenting

Arbenting's Weekly Inspiration and Best of the Web #4 | Arbenting — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:06:25 +0000

[...] Interview – Project Scheduling – 14 Designers Share Their Advice – Given the complexities of the various phases of the web design and development process – [...]

By: Information on Pricing Web Design Projects and Creating Contracts and Other Forms | Resources for Web Development Students @ Robin's Blog

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:31:05 +0000

[...] New Addition 5/28/09 – Project Scheduling – 14 Designers Share Their Advice [...]

By: nomad-one

nomad-one — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:09:14 +0000

In terms of managing the amount of projects for a specific period, things happen so randomly on my side & my clients' side that this is almost impossible. I could be working on 1 project for 2 months and then suddenly have 6 running concurrently. When it gets really crazy I'll outsource, when I have almost nothing on I teach either at a college or privately. nomad-ones last blog post..Foller.me - The Sherlock Holmes of the twittersphere

By: nomad-one

nomad-one — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:04:09 +0000

I must be honest and so so far I haven’t read the whole post, but sme great stuff coming out of it, nice to see such a well structured approach to this topic.

Scheduling is the bain of my current web design existance LOL. I’ve started off trying to solve these issues by firstly keeping a strict timesheet. Knowing where your time is going is really helpful. I’ve also been tracking PC time through rescue time which helped me find some of my productivity holes.

In terms of client delays, another major problem area, as is usually the case, everyone delays at the same time and everyone suddenly goes into red light urgency at the same time.

So far working a clause into my “loose contract” is all I can do at the moment. Something to fall back on. Asking for a certain amount of info, content, payment, etc upfront it also helpful.

I’d say the best effort is managing your current tasks well and working in some extra buffer time. Something I have yet to master. Still unsure how much time I have wasted reading up about time management!

nomad-ones last blog post..Foller.me – The Sherlock Holmes of the twittersphere

By: Ryan Yockey

Ryan Yockey — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:47:47 +0000

Its great to see I'm not alone in the amount of work and the frequency in which I take on new work. Very cool post Selene. Thanks. Ryan Yockeys last blog post..HasOffers.com - Free Affiliate Network Software Review

By: Roberto

Roberto — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:39:53 +0000

Thanks for the article. It really puts a perspective on the work load issue. Income vs Quality… definitely quality is better.

I’m a one man shop, so I try not to handle more than 2 projects a week. That of course limits my income, but I hope that in the long run, this approach will bring more business my way, to the point where I will be able to bring another designer on board.

By: Arlene

Arlene — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:12:19 +0000

Hi Selene,
Just wanted to let you know that since I asked about basecamp, I decided to take the plunge….wow, wow…thats all I can say….no more sifting through tons of emails for this or that, everything in one place…I don’t think I will ever do it any other way now……you really have to try it….I love it!

By: Selene M. Bowlby

Selene M. Bowlby — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:45:48 +0000

Thanks for the great comments, everyone! I’ve certainly learned quite a bit from the interviews (as well as comments).

As for my own process, I’ve decided it’s more than time to make a few changes. This week in particular will hopefully be the last time that I overbook myself. With three complete WordPress sites to develop, a decent amount of updating to two others, in addition to the usual administrative type of work, like emails, proposals, phone calls, etc. – well this has proven to be quite the stressful week!

I’ve just started telling prospective clients that I’m currently booking projects 2 weeks out, basically as a “first come / first served” format. I’m sure this time table will change depending on how busy things are (or aren’t). But I can honestly tell you that I’ve got a feeling of relief knowing that next week will be completely manageable, and not out of control crazy like this week!

@Arlene – I haven’t used basecamp myself. A lot of people, do though and many people swear by it. It’s something I’d be interested in checking into, but haven’t gotten around to as of yet…

By: Daynah

Daynah — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:45:12 +0000

I'm really glad you wrote this. It really helps to know that there are others feeling the same way. Lately I've been taking on quite a few client projects also and not getting enough sleep, constantly worrying, and pretty much neglecting my own projects. Daynahs last blog post..Ajax Coding Project

By: Arjan`s World » LINKBLOG for May 13, 2009

Arjan`s World » LINKBLOG for May 13, 2009 — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:13:17 +0000

[...] Project Scheduling – 14 Designers Share Their Advice – Selene M. Bowlby [...]

By: Angie Bowen

Angie Bowen — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:10:30 +0000

I love articles like this where you gain insight into the way various designers do things. Thanks so much for including me! Angie Bowens last blog post..Arbenting’s Weekly Inspiration and Best of the Web #4

By: Andrew Kelsall

Andrew Kelsall — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:09:17 +0000

Great article Selene. At the moment, I have 5 projects on the go. I must admit, it’s a bit too much work so I’ve had to set some deadlines back by 2 weeks. In the future, I think I’ll set my limit, like many here, to 3

Andrew Kelsalls last blog post..My Bag Contents Featured on Design O’Blog

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Fri, 08 May 2009 01:07:57 +0000

[...] Project Scheduling – 14 Designers Share Their Advice | Web Designer + Front-End Web Developer | Sele… Awesome post – 14 great designers sharing advice on project scheduling [...]

By: Arlene

Arlene — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:05:20 +0000

Thanks so much to you for the article, and the advice from the best of the design world. This is such a struggle for me, since now that my husband died, I am the only source of income. I need work regularly, so very seldom turn it down, but a client who does not get back to me really seems to throw a kink in everything, and makes it hard to make a schedule. Then when they finally do, they want it done now..or so I’ve found. I think I will be rewriting my contracts, and start utilizing some of the suggestions here. Lots of mention of basecamp…do find your clients really use it?

By: Andrea_R

Andrea_R — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:23:27 +0000

I think I gleaned a few ideas myself, there’s always room for improvement. We do a fair amount of development work, so maybe that’s one reason numbers are higher too.

Thanks!

By: Angie Bowen

Angie Bowen — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:18:06 +0000

This was a really great read, I love reading about how other freelancers handle these things. Thanks for including me in the interview

By: Sarah | @MadysonDesigns

Sarah | @MadysonDesigns — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:07:53 +0000

I really enjoyed this article- it’s interesting to see the vastly different approaches taken by designers with regard to how they plan out their work.

By: Sam Cranwell

Sam Cranwell — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:38:46 +0000

We always put a project timescale in place when an order is received. Set milestones for project elements such as functional spec, 1st stage design proof, wireframe, content being supplied, coding, testing, site launch. We are a small team in studio full of other designers/writers (see FunkBunk for more details) so we take on as much work as possible as long as it is profitable and fits in with our work ethics. Project timelines must always be flexible. But always, always keep the communication flow going with the client. Then if a deadline has to be moved it is never a shock, and you will all come out smiling. Sam Cranwells last blog post..Dagenham Girl Pipers, Steam Engines and a Hot Air Balloon…