Today’s post was written by Katie Persinger (@mrspersinger), Cleve’s wife and Communications Director for The Chapel. On the side, Katie also manages projects for Circle At Seven, Inc.
Being the glue that builds a project and holds it together is a big responsibility. Project management is all about seeing the big picture and sharing it with your team and your client (ministry partner). In just a few short years, I have managed thousands of projects for several churches and ministries and learned a lot about working with a creative team (while not being all that creative myself) and our clients.
1. Choose your battles wisely.
You can advise a ministry partner about a path to take, but there will definitely be times your direction won’t be taken. Decide if it’s worth fighting for or if a more worthy opponent will come along later.
2. Don’t take it personally.
Whether it’s design, editorial, web, or video, you can’t satisfy everyone all the time in the subjective world in which we create. When criticism comes your way, as it inevitably will, take it constructively and move on to your next endeavor.
3. Be sustainable.
This is my biggest challenge. We all want to be the hero and give every ministry what they want and need, but providing excellence should be a higher priority. Know your level of sustainability and bite off only what you can chew.
4. Have a hidden calendar.
When scheduling project timelines, build in extra time that no one else knows about. If you need a project to be ready by the end of the month, tell everyone else it needs to be finished by the 15th. This has saved me lots of headaches when projects don’t go as planned.
5. Have a Plan B.
For any large project, I have backup vendors, designers, programmers, whatever is needed.
6. Have ONE process.
Instead of having a different process for each type of project – web, print, etc. – try having one process that will serve everything you do. If your team only has one set of rules, they’re more likely to follow them.
7. Share your process.
Don’t only share your project plan with your creative team, share it with your ministry partner/client. If your client knows what’s expected of them up front and how you intend to serve them, not only does the project run much smoother, there is more grace when something doesn’t go as planned.
8. Prioritize for your team.
When time doesn’t permit you to take on everything you want, help your team prioritize their projects and protect them from demanding clients.
Thanks nice post. One process is important for sure.