project management

project management- the role of ensuring all aspects of a given production run smoothly by overseeing a number of people and departments. The project manager must ensure that deadlines are met and the brief is followed by liaising with others and holding them to account. 

production schedules 

• The best way to manage media projects is to create a production schedule. This brings together logistic and resource details and includes all tasks, milestones and the time-scales and deadlines and allows the tracking of progress. 
• This is shared with all the members of the production team and contains details of the initial proposal, key milestones agreed with the client as well as final deadline. 

Key points in a production schedule:

• Tasks: the jobs that need doing 
• Deadlines: the date which a task needs to be completed by
• Milestones: goals you want to achieve by certain dates
• Contingencies: backup plans

Gantt chart

The most popular project management tool

Helps to organise and oversee the progress of a project

Becoming increasingly sophisticated

Traditionally made on a simple excel sheet

Created by Karol Adamiecki

Henry Gantt gave us the rules for the gantt chart

• Along the horizontal axis time is plotted
• Along the vertical axis tasks/ activities are plotted
• Each bar is consistent to the same amount of time. E.g. 1 week= 1 bar
• Diagonal boxes because you cannot complete a task before the one before it is completed
• All gantt charts must have a key that explains what the colours and shapes represent
  
  
  

Exam Question

Daniel is leading the project management. 

Identify two project management tools that would be suitable for Daniel to use. Explain why the tools are suitable. [6]

1. A gantt chart can be used by a project manager to keep track of the progress for the project, a gantt chart includes a list of all the tasks needed for the project, when they need to be completed and when they have been (using a milestone). For example, a task might be to hire actors and this can help the project manager to oversee the progress of this task, if it hasn't been checked off they can step in to assist the team in charge of this task so the project can move onto the next stage. 

2. Storyboard is another tool which a project manager can use to understand how the scene needs to play out and therefore what needs to be included for this scene. For instance, the storyboard might show the costume the lead actor is wearing so the project manager can organise with the dressing department to design and create this outfit on time, allowing the project to progress on time and ensures everyone in the scene has everything they need for it to work.

Explain one drawback of using one of the project management tools you identified above. [3]

1. A gantt chart is often useful however it can limit your project progress. The project could have tasks which need to be completed that you might not have thought of to begin with, these set you back and can mess up your entire schedule. With a gantt chart, it is difficult to add these tasks in and it can affect the progress for your entire project.