Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don't teach you in design school, but should by Janda Michael

Author:Janda, Michael [Janda, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pearson Education
Published: 2013-05-27T00:00:00+00:00

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JUST REASSURE THEM THAT

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

OF THEIR PROJECT

AND THAT IT ISN’T FLAT

LINING ON THE TABLE.

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56. Deadline Ballet

One of the fastest ways to ruin a client relationship is to miss a deadline. You must make every effort possible to deliver on what you commit to your clients, bosses, and coworkers. At times there are reasonable circumstances that create an inability to deliver on a promise. While these circumstances need to be kept to a minimum, when they do happen there are strategies to help you gracefully dance through an uncomfortable situation.

Get others involved. As soon as you feel a deadline may be in jeopardy, you should run it up the chain of command. If you are a designer, tell your art director or business owner. You have to make people aware as soon as you know a deadline will be missed. The later you notify the appropriate people, the bigger their disappointment will likely be. Nobody likes this type of surprise.

Be deliberate about communication. An increase in the scope of a project is often the biggest culprit behind a missed deadline. You’ll be on a call with a client and they will ask for something new; this is the moment to talk about the deadline, not a few days later when the deadline is zooming by you at the speed of light.

It is not uncommon for a client to miss a deadline on their end. They may be late in sending you necessary assets for the project. As soon as they miss their milestone for delivery of assets, you must begin a discussion with your client and your creative director or boss about the deadline in question.

Another reason for missed deadlines is an unanticipated software glitch, or maybe your computer gives out on you. Perhaps you are programming something for a website and there is a bug in the code. These types of problems happen and can cause extreme delays in production. When things like this go down, it is vital that you communicate the problem and take an active role in finding a solution. Be warned, however, that clients aren’t too interested in “the dog ate my homework” stories. Be sure you have version controls on code and backup versions of files to hedge against the chance of software and computer issues.

Put your tail between your legs and fess up. When a deadline is in jeopardy, a message should be sent to the client. The message should be apologetic in tone and should state the reasons for missing the deadline. Even if there is a death in the family, you should muster the strength to apologize for the missed deadline.

If the client is the cause of a missed deadline, be careful not to play the “blame game.” State the facts and apologize. If you are at a point in the project where you have something that is appropriate to send as is, then send it so the client can at least see where the project stands.

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