Once of my biggest takeaways from my time spent as a Film Undergrad was the importance of planning a project. With so much that goes into production, there are so many ways things can go wrong. It’s important to be organized no matter how small the project is. Here are some ways I am planning my upcoming video series.
Start with Software
I am someone who becomes easily overwhelmed by too much information. I am very particular in the way I view tasks and schedules. I’m using ClickUp mainly because of the simplicity of its lists. List views are a good way to organize a lot of information into easy, manageable tasks. I started with the large sections of the process and listed each task that pertained to that section. I then broke those tasks down into detailed actions. This software allows me to list everything that needs to be done and then toggle between list view and a calendar view.
The time estimate and time tracker features were also why I chose to use ClickUp. I have a tendency to either under- or over-estimate how much time a task is going to take me, so these features help me better understand how to manage my time.
Here is a rough draft of my project plan.
I broke each stage down into a focus. Certain focuses can be done simultaneously; for example, the research stage and the script writing stage can be worked on together. Others, like the production stage, can only begin once the stage before it has been completed. The research stage is the most important stage of this project, but it is useful to also plan what will need to be done in the future.
Getting Into Details
Once the major stages of the project have been established, it’s time to get into more detail. Breaking sections down into smaller, actionable tasks gives the project solid direction and allows for more realistic scheduling. For example, here is my task list for my research stage:
Going into more detail and breaking down what needs to get done before I can move on to the next stage establishes the full scope of the project. The research I have complied already seems a bit daunting, so breaking down what needs to be done into daily actions is a good way to keep myself from becoming overwhelmed.
Be Realistic When It Comes to Time
Even the best laid plans have minor setbacks. The best course of action is to not get tripped up and adjust the plan to keep it realistic and on time. This is where the time estimate and the time tracking features are most useful for me. Time estimates allow me to have a rough idea of the maximum or minimum amount time is needed to be spent completing a task. It allows me to more realistically schedule tasks and shift around things that can be done quickly and gotten out of the way. Time tracking shows me exactly how long actionable tasks take, giving me the option to adjust my plan if needed. While it is important for deadlines to be established early on in a project, keeping a schedule flexible in other areas allows for tasks to be more manageable.
ClickUp provides different ways to time track tasks
Record Everything
The best way to stick to a plan is to review it daily. Weekly plans should be coordinated at the beginning of the week and progress should be tracked on a daily basis. Similar to time tracking, this data will help you better understand your work habits and your time limits. For me, this is also a useful tactic to fight the feeling of becoming overwhelmed or burned out. I can see the progress I have made through what has already been done and keep deadlines and future tasks in mind. This way hard deadlines don’t feel as if they have snuck up on you and tasks don’t get lost in the bigger picture.
A glimpse into my daily notes…
The biggest part of project management will always be making big projects more manageable. It’s important to not get overwhelmed and be realistic about time management and what can get done in a day. Things will always inevitably go wrong so it’s good to be prepared for when they do. While deadlines should be set and aimed for, the rest of a schedule should be created with a flexibility that optimizes production. A lot of the process is trial and error, but all that matters is making it to the finish line.
You can view my full project plan draft here.
cover photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash
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