project managing creative projects
DESCRIPTION
Managing Creative Projects as delivered to PMOZ Conference, Canberra 2009, PMI Sydney Chapter Breakfast 16th Sept, 2009TRANSCRIPT
How to blend the best of traditional Project Management
Techniques and Creative Processes & People
Leigh Moyle - PMI Sydney Chapter
managing creative projects
some inspirationArticle by Diane Cheklich – available on PMI Marketplace ‘Lights, Camera, Project Management (2002)’
Dianne’s bio Diane Cheklich thanks Ross Perot for launching her film career. It was the late 1990’s and she was working as an information technology consultant for Perot’s company. As a “promising female leader,” they offered her a mentor, she chose someone in TV, who then gave her the name of a cinematographer and told her to go make a short film. She did, and loved it so much she knew she had to find more space in her life for filmmaking.
Making movies quickly became her film school. Diane already has a half dozen shorts and documentaries to her writing and directing credit (including the award-winning experimental, “Late”), many of which have screened in film festivals around the world. She recently acquired two feature film producer credits. TRAP, a psychological thriller, is available nationwide on DVD, and AMSTEROID is in post production.
the goal
• Share some of my experiences in creative projects
the goal
• Share some of my experiences in creative projects
• Show you how similar creative and IT projects are
the goal
• Share some of my experiences in creative projects
• Show you how similar creative and IT projects are
• Challenge you to bring your own creativity to your projects
thankyou to…
• AFTRS - Peter Herbert• HyperdrivenProductions – Ian
Nicholson• Baz Luhrman• NRMA - Me
AFTRS
“It poses challenges in vastly different areas and requires legal, technical, organisation and psychological expertise.
This profession demands the very best from those who pursue it.
He or she is the person who embodies the complete production and has a clear overview of what has happened, what is happening and what is going to happen. The Production Managers work gives the production the necessary structure within which the artists can create their visions”
Clearly someone in this position should be able to live with stress and conflict and still be enough of a psychologist and diplomat to avoid hurt egos and bad feelings on set”
Directors Guild of America’s Production Manager job description
Film Industry
• script• script
breakdown sheet
• storyboard• daily
production report
• production meetings
• producer
Web Development
• requirements• site map• style guide• wireframes• thesaurus• WBS• gant chart• storyboard• project reports• project
meetings • project
manager
Traditional PM
• requirements• WBS• gant chart• architectural
diagrams• project reports• project
meeting• project
manager
creative projects
Have more complex teamsHave more specialised skillsets Have a greater reliance on contractors & outsourced work
Writers, artists, model makers, lighting designers, set designers, special effects designers, mechanical engineers, software engineers, animators, programmers, graphics designers, carvers, painters
Writers, Graphics Designers, Usability Testers, Programmers, Editors, Web Marketing specialists, Thesaurus developers, Metatagging specialists, Infrastructure Engineers, Public Relations & Finance specialists, Instructional designers, Solution Architects
creative projects
Require translation into structure
“The Production Managers work gives the production the necessary structure within which the artists can create their visions”
vision
storyboard
daily call sheet
daily production reports
script breakdown sheet
production meetings
creative projects
Require creative space to be defended
“One of the main things that a project manager of a creative project needs to be able to do is to defend the space for creativity” Directors Guild of America Job Description
creative people
creative space
Create a safe haven – the individual will feel safe exploring unfamiliar territory, testing new concepts and possibly failing State the objectives – Having a clear
purpose and sound rationale serves as a touchstone and encourages the team to be experimental
Cross pollinate the group – Ideation works best when there are differences in perspective, knowledge and background, the greater the perspectives, the greater the range of potential solutions
Goveno 2001
creative space
Facilitate – keep the process moving, preserve the best ideas, while encouraging and protecting potential breakthrough ideas
Support the Team – Recognising and encouraging the efforts of team members, who generate and develop ideas, even when those ideas are not utilised or fail, will contribute again
Communication Follow through – When sessions are completed with a set of action items, lessons learned and innovations, it keeps the creative process in motionGoveno 2001
creative projects
Have more complex teams Have more specialised skillsets Have a greater reliance on contractors & outsourced workRequire translation into structureRequire creative space to be defended
PMBOK
time
cost quality
time
cost quality
time
cost qualityrisk
scope resources
time
cost qualityrisk
scope resources
time
cost qualityrisk
scope resourcescommunication
time
cost qualityrisk
scope resourcescommunication
procurement
integration
time
cost qualityrisk
scope resourcescommunication
procurement
integration
time
cost qualityrisk
scope resources
communication
procurement
integration
Artifactsstoryboard, contracts, script, actors, budget, Film Finance Commission, Props list, makeup, animals, lighting, daily production meeting, location, wardrobe, special effects specialist, producer, production accountant, testing, dailys(daily film review, security specialist, Estimated filming time, daily production report, call sheet, distribution contract, contract rates, public liability insurance, shooting, licensing, film risk rating
“The fundamental practices required to deliver a film production are well defined and aligned to the processes and knowledge areas of the PMBOK Guide. What makes motion picture project management different from many other industries, however is the degree or intensity in which these fundamentals are applied and by whom”Christopher C Ryan
“Looking behind the scenes: Project Management in the Motion Picture Industry” on PMI.org
It’s a wrapIT Project Managers = Production Managers = Web Project Managers
The Processes and Artifacts for Film, Web & IT are similar
Creative ProjectsHave more complex teams Require translation into structureRequire creative space & creative people to be defended Have more specialised skillsets Have a greater reliance on contractors & outsourced work
The underlying philosophy of PMBOK is equally valid in creative projects
the challenge
What did you want to get out of this session?
To challenge you to bring your own creativity to your work by;
Better understanding creativityBe more creativeCreate the space for creativity
in your projects.