“I’ve Got A Very Poor Sense Of Direction. I Keep Forgetting Which Way Is Forwards.”
Any large creative project that involves a number of people all coming from different perspectives and with their own expectations will eventually risk losing a sense direction. Whether due to a delay or a miscommunication, progress can start to slow, communication can become muddled, and soon the project will be going nowhere and satisfying no one.
Here at Amplify Media we’ve learned that the key to keeping a project on track is to keep the momentum up at all times. Every project is assigned a dedicated account manager who is responsible for ensuring that communication remains open and productive, and that delays on either side of a project are anticipated and corrected before they can become a danger to overall progress. In the (fortunately rare) event that being proactive isn’t enough to keep a project on target and moving ahead at a proper speed, we like to call an all-party meeting where we can sit down, discuss the issues that have come up, and find a way to press on with greater commitment, co-operation and enthusiasm.
These meetings are never acrimonious, but they are always very honest. If we’ve caused a delay or a shift in focus that has slowed down or complicated a project, we want to know about it. We’re not perfect, and we’ll only continue to improve if we’re open to hearing what’s not working. If the delay or lack of focus is coming from the client side, we’re pretty open about that too. They may not always love to hear it, but they value it because they know we’re keeping their interests, and the success of their project, first in mind. By keeping communication open and honest everyone may occasionally hear something they’d rather not, but as long as that communication is underlined by trust and mutual respect, it will always keep things on track, up to speed, and moving forward in the right direction.
(Today’s title quote courtesy of Geoffrey Parfitt.)
