Multimedia Project Management

Part 1: Multimedia Project

What is a Multimedia Project?  Different types of multimedia projects: An offline project is self-contained, does not interact with anything outside its immediate environment. An online project needs to communicate with distant resources and sometimes distant users. Hybrid projects have elements of both on- and offline projects. iTV projects can be any of the above since interactive TV application may be downloaded into the set-top box but then run entirely in it without other connection to the network.

Varities of a Project  A project in multimedia comprises a series of tasks that deliver a combination of media and have a computer component to integrate with them. Hardware-oriented multimedia projects: the aim might be to specify, introduce, and integrate a delivery platform, such as videoconferencing with a tailored user front-end, into an organization. Software development projects that combine media components into an application to run on a delivery platform.

Varities of a Project  We’ll focus on customer-centred software development projects that need a team to work together to achieve the project.  It covers the majority of circumstances that will be met in both on- and offline project management and production.

How the projects begin?  Often the client makes the first approach.  Sometimes the sales force or the account managers drive the initial stages; sometimes analysis of market needs prompts projects.  For many projects that fail, flaws can be traced back to the initial stages of project definition so getting this part right is essential.

Varieties of Client  A client is anyone who has the authority to control time and budget, and has the right to sanction design decisions. (Covers both external and internal clients.)  The process of developing a project is the same for both external and internal – except the contractual agreements.  Even with internal projects, you have to establish ways of working together, and the project need to run to time and resource constraints.

Emerging Models of Development  The number of companies involved in multimedia development has grown in line with the uptake of the Internet; therefore there are more and more different working practices.  The online growth continues; ever-changing capabilities -> the working practices are not optimized for all circumstances.  As result, a project manager’s experience in one company can be very different from another’s in a different company. Clients can also find vast differences in working practices.

Emerging Models of Development  Two types of companies: Traditional ones that are still learning to use the extra ways of resources offered by the Internet; companies that try to work from their traditional working practices. Newer companies that exist purely to develop for an interactive environment, still trying to find a good working model.  Neither is the right answer.

Emerging Models of Development  Let’s consider that we have two types of digi media (new media) companies: those who develop functional sites and those who develop creative sites.  Companies that originate from the more creative end usually have their roots in the advertising, graphics and marketing sectors. Creative Functional

Emerging Models of Development  The creative companies have been used to having loose, open discussions and several stages of trying out concepts with the clients before moving towards a finished product; with interactive products this is very hard.  The problem is that this approach encourages constant change and refinement; the clients get used to it.  The rework takes longer than changes in traditional media and it’s hard to charge for the rework when the company has been flexible from the very beginning.

Emerging Models of Development  Companies that originate from the more functional end of the spectrum – perhaps those coming from software database systems development – are used to having a paid detailed definition stage prior to beginning production. They allow changes until the specification is complete. They have strongly documented and agreed project phases that carry a heavy admin overhead They tend to be more concerned with the functionality than with the image portrayed.

The Client-Centred Multimedia Project Cycle 1.Scoping the project (definition stage): Try to get an understanding of what the client wants so that you can match their needs to a multimedia solution. 2.Requirements agreement (proposal): Work out the costs so that you can formulate a more detailed proposal for the client; This is your working contract.

The Client-Centred Multimedia Project Cycle  After the first two phases, the project explodes into activity with several layers of operations happening simultaneously. The ways of working with the client are agreed. The legal aspects are agreed. The project development starts. The details of the content, platform, style, techniques, interface etc are firmed up.

The Client-Centred Multimedia Project Cycle  Finally the production gets under way: The actual asset production: text, graphics, audio, video. Testing, all the pieces should meet the specifications. Documenting; Everything must be well documented in order to upgrade or change the product later.

Summary for Part 1  The person responsible for winning the project needs to be guided strongly by company policies in what agreements to reach to avoid problems later.  Apart from competence in software and media design and production, cost control and staff management skills are needed.  A client-centred project follows stages of initiation, scoping and proposal definition, followed by production.  The production phase has several levels, which are interrelated. It’s not a linear process.

Part 2: Multimedia Project Management

Fusion or Confusion?  Because multimedia uses many skills and because its people come from a variety of backgrounds, the multimedia environment does not have a single, defined way of working.  Functional specifications have to blend with storyboards, source code co-exists with time code, branding and imaging concepts merge with database engine definitions.

Fusion or Confusion?  Publishing companies, software companies, video/tv production companies, website production companies, advertising companies... they all are developing multimedia applications.  A project manager is expected to produce a product by organizing and controlling resources according to planned expenditure, in a certain time frame, and to a defined quality level; this fits the description of a person in charge of a new media project.

Multimedia Project Management vs. Project Management  Although ”normal” project management methods are a good basis for multimedia project management, there are limitations and confusions that need to be recognized and considered.  Traditional project management principles were derived from engineering projects. The link between time for production, the cost of product and the quality of end- product was established.  If any of these factors is changed, the others are affected.

Multimedia Project Management vs. Project Management  A Gantt chart: a method to help define the breakdown of the project into tasks and the sequence of tasks that need to be performed according to a time line.  The tasks, sequence of production, resources needed, and cost breakdown need to be defined in some way as part of the multimedia project manager’s role, and this is not straightforward.

Multimedia Quality  How do you measure multimedia quality? What is quality in interactive media?  The first limitation of conventional media project management tools lies in the definition of quality. You can’t measure the dimensions of the product, its durability or the physical mechanics.  Of course, you define technical quality in multimedia.  The link between time, cost and quality is not shown on any breakdown of tasks.

Multimedia Quality  Underlying all the processes are the definition and agreement of content and its treatment.  The content means the information that is going to be presented and the treatment means which media and which techniques will be used, and what it will look like.  Design quality for media projects = Content and treatment agreement

Just a Small Change...  Multimedia has many levels of quality and variables within each of the production processes – video, audio, graphics, text, animation, content treatment.  Each of these has several stages to production, so any changes at any point can have upward, downward, backward, forward and diagonal effects.  The schedule and plan are difficult to change and update. How to predict the time and cost?  Changes produce lots of project management: discussions with client, all developers etc.

Project Manager as a Team Leader  In terms of roles, typical development team may have a leader, maybe with media background someone who will agree the content and treatment/interface design with the client and relevant team members a graphic artist an html programmer a cgi programmer someone to manage audio and video productions, if necessary

Project Manager as a Team Leader  A large project may also involve analysts and consultants.  Within a project team there are also support roles such as technical support, secretarial/admin.  There are also very important support roles that the organization may need to employ if they don’t have the skills in-house: personal assistants, picture researchers, cartoonists, animators, translators, specialist programmers...

Project Manager’s Role  The project manager’s role is to control the progress of the project against any detrimental influences to the time, cost and quality that can occur from the client, the place of work, the market forces, and the team.  The needs of the user should drive priorities and decisions. This is true for both client-centred and market-driven projects, and for both on- and offline projects.

Summary for Part 2  Project management principles unite the disparate ways of working in interactive media development.  Not all project management methods transfer well to multimedia development.  Time, cost and quality principles are important but the overall concept of quality in multimedia remains vague.  The impact of changes on time, cost and quality can put the project at risk.

Summary for Part 2  Multimedia management shares similarities with the management of innovation.  Anticipation of risk and measures of control are important.  Organizational structure affects the project manager’s role, responsibility, authority and control.  The multimedia project manager has a difficult role as team leader because of the diverse, creative team.