{"id":11177,"date":"2020-08-17T09:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T08:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=11177"},"modified":"2024-03-11T15:58:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T15:58:54","slug":"how-to-manage-design-projects-while-working-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/how-to-manage-design-projects-while-working-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Manage Design Projects While Working From Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the current pandemic, <\/span>74 percent of companies<\/span><\/a> are shifting to, at least, partially remote environments for the foreseeable future. Because design projects are more hands-on, they can sometimes be trickier to adapt to <\/span>working from home<\/span><\/a>. Collaboration, after all, is the cornerstone of great design projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Source<\/span><\/a>: <\/span>Gartner<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At Articulate Marketing, we\u2019ve been fully remote for more than 20 years, and when it comes to remote project management, we like to think of ourselves as quite the experts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our design team is well versed in managing design jobs<\/a> from afar \u2013 our Team Lead is in Vienna, for example, and our Graphic Designer is in Romania, while the rest of the team reside in the UK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog, we\u2019re going to share their experience on managing design projects while working from home<\/a>, and give you some insider tips on how you can do the same.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Know what\u2019s in store<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before you get started, knowing <\/span>the goal, scope <\/b>and<\/span> timeline <\/b>of the project is crucial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Goal<\/span><\/h3>\n

Every big project starts with an overarching goal. This goal ensures that you\u2019re all on the same page prior to project launch, and it allows you to start thinking about how you\u2019ll begin measuring the success or failure of each project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Make sure you have an idea of what the expectations for the project are, and get opinions from all stakeholders, advisors and team members that were involved in the project onboarding stage. Ask your sales team, account manager or project lead – you don\u2019t want to miss anything. Once you know the goal, it\u2019s time to check what\u2019s in scope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scope<\/span><\/h3>\n

Scope is important because it identifies how much time and money you have to perform the project. What specifically do you need to deliver on? While working from home on design projects, it can be easy to work outside of your scope. This can lead to false promises and unexpected overtime that you or your company may not get paid for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Defining the scope means you have to decide the highest priorities to work on before the design exploration starts. Then comes the timeline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Timeline<\/span><\/h3>\n

The timeline is there to help your team know what they will work on, and at what point in the project. Project dependencies and limitations become apparent when they\u2019re easily visible along a linear timeline. For instance, the designer knows that their mock-ups need to be completed by August 5th in order for the developers to have enough time to implement it by August 20th.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While an initial timeline is essential for coordination and to keep everyone on track, they shouldn\u2019t be a source of stress. The dates may change marginally along the way and that\u2019s fine as long as everyone is kept in the loop.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before finalising these aspects, you\u2019ll want to get inputs from everyone involved in the project. This way, everybody is clear on the problem that needs solving, what success for the project looks like, and what needs to be completed (and by when).<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Communication\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The design process is a visual, creative and <\/span>collaborative<\/span><\/a> one<\/span>. All stakeholders, advisors and team members will want to see what\u2019s going on regularly and stay in the know. When managing projects like this remotely, <\/span>great communication is essential<\/span><\/a>! Get used to communicating via video.<\/span><\/p>\n

Choose your tools wisely<\/span><\/h3>\n

Try and mimic the things you would do and the tools you use when you\u2019re in the office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n