IDIAMM

When I am working on a project I have a very simple mantra to keep me focused:

TIME X ENERGY X EFFORT = MONEY

What does this actually mean?
Simply put I wear 4 hats at all times during the project….. for good reason

1. Time – Project Manager – how much time do I have to do the stages of the project, where are the milestones, where are the sign off stages and who needs what information and by when?

2. Energy – Project Coordinator – who is working on this project, how many hours, is that inline with the PM programme and work required?

3. Effort – Project Designer – what am I designing, is it inline with the brief and budget? how can I value engineer the design, my time to simplify the amount of work to be produced in the time frame?

4. Money – Commercial Manager – is the project being designed to the budget i.e. minimalist v opulant? is the design team hours in budget that’s been agreed with the client? does this fit with the PM programme? will the project make a profit or a loss?

Now for this to work, the PM/PC/PD and CM need to be in constant communication throughout the project and in balance with each other. Now to be clear, some companies / design sectors have some of these individual involved in a project (some by different names) and some companies don’t. When I work on a project, I am wearing these hats to make sure I am focused on all 4 elements to make a successful project.

In the real world the best design may be over budget, not viable in the time frame and out of scope. Real world thinking is about the best design, for the right client brief, in the time frame given for the right budget (theirs and yours!)