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Project Managers:
Why Every Creative Agency Needs One
After starting up our web design and development agency, Pelago,
in August of 2000, it took only a few months to realize we would
have to add a project manager to our eclectic mix of creatives. Our
creative design and development skills were enough to get a project
started on the right track with brilliant ideas and visual
direction, but we were lacking in our ability to incorporate the
client in the process and complete projects in a timely manner,
especially as our projects grew bigger in budget and size.
That was when we decided to hire Michael. Since that fateful
interview at a coffee shop eight years ago, Michael has become one
of the best project managers any creative agency could hope for.
Having steered us through two recessions and streamlined our
internal creative and billing processes, weve made him a partner.
And weve never looked back. Based on our nine-plus years of
experience as a web design and development agency, here are some
reasons why we think every creative firm should have a project
manager, or at the very least, someone capable of playing the
role.
Protect the designer from the client
Its no secret designers and other creative types dont like being
told what to do during the visual design phases of a project. The
collaborative process of critiquing and improving a design is often
restricted to a group of like-minded peers, and certainly, not
ever, the client. But many clients want to have a say in the design
process, and they are the ones paying the bills. The project
manager is the best candidate for interpreting the clients wishes
into a language the designer can understand. The designer may not
like it, but they are far more likely to listen to a respected
colleague than lend credibility to the clients requests.
Protect the client from the designer
Designers can be so immovable (I know this because I am) that
the project manager sometimes needs to protect the client from the
designer. When it comes to tact, creatives arent the best at
telling the client their ideas are wrong or not as good as what has
been presented. Again playing the role of ambassador, a project
manager can interject and reduce the tension a client may feel when
interacting with a difficult designer.
Keeping the spatial and abstract creative
on a linear path
The creative mind is a vastly complex and indescribable machine,
capable of churning out brilliant ideas and visual work during the
oddest moments and cursed with the inexplicable phenomenon of
shutting down during others. In addition, the concept of keeping a
project on a linear path is a foreign concept to creatives who like
to work in a non-modal manner, tinkering with their work until they
get it just right. A project manager is able to understand the
creative team best having worked alongside them and knows best how
to keep the team on track. She can encourage the creative team
during slumps and corral them in when deadlines loom and budgets
bear down.
Objectify the subjective
The subjective is very difficult to objectify or quantify. How
do you know which typeface is the right one to use? Font size?
Color pallet? Photography? Copy? Yes, there are web metrics and
numerous studies to help guide creatives in the right direction,
but the art of crafting something beautiful and effective is still,
and I hope always will be, dominated by subjectivity. The project
manager can help the designer put words to their work and help
explain to the creative team and the client practical reasons for
why they produced the work in question. It is also a good career
builder for the creative to be able to talk about their work in
ways that other non-creatives can understand. A good designer does
need to be able to create work that will successfully convey a
message on its own, without explanation, but a good designer also
must be able to tell others why their work is successful.
Keeping it all organized
Without our project manager I would not be able to tell you that
weve worked on over 300 projects for more than 100 clients, or
where to find a client contract, or where to put files on the media
server. Creatives are great at what they do, but organizational
skills arent always a strong suit. Some say creativity is born from
the chaos around their workspace, and while others maintain a clean
and organized workspace, business records and the like often fall
prey to the cardboard boxes in the closet. Project managers can
keep a creative agency on track by keeping client contracts
up-to-date and setting up organization methods for the team; things
like file cabinets, intuitive directory structures on the media
server, and archives of completed projects. Overall, a project
manager is a great resource for filling in the gaps left behind by
the creative mind as it churns its way through daily challenge of
creating the compelling.
Ultimately, your relationship with the client is the most
important factor for keeping a project on schedule. Assuming youve
established a good working relationship, these tips will keep a
client partnership healthy and keep your projects on time.
Check out the Intervals blog for more articles
The Intervals Blog
A collection of useful tips, tales and opinions based on decades
of collective experience designing and developing web sites and
web-based applications.
www.myintervals.com/blog
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