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A simple procedure can help your projects go more smoothly and keep them on-schedule.

Technical support

10 minute task analysis

Task analysis is a guaranteed method of helping to ensure that your projects go more smoothly and stay on-time and on-budget.  Take ten minutes at the start of your next project to try this procedure.

Although the specifics will vary from office to office and project to project, the technique is always the same:  identify what has to be done, and then estimate the time required to complete each task.  Task analysis helps you ensure that a project is properly organized, to establish a realistic schedule and to control costs.

Start with a logical series of questions

To begin your task analysis, ask yourself a series of questions, starting at the beginning of the project and thinking your way through the things that might have to be done, step-by-step.  Questions you might ask yourself for a typical printing project could be similar to these:

• Has the material been written and designed?

• Are the computer files or other artwork ready?

• Have they been reviewed and approved?

• What is the target date for the printing to be done?

• What are the specifications for the job (color or black & white, paper stock, folding, finished size, stapling, etc.)?

• Has the printer seen the files/artwork and confirmed that they are o.k.?

• Has the printer given you a cost estimate?

• Has the printer confirmed a deadline?

• When can you see a proof?

• Who will check the proof and approve it?

Answer the questions to identify tasks

The answers to your questions will identify the tasks that will need to be done.  Using possible answers to the first five questions above as an example, the tasks in our sample project might be something like this:

• Material is still being written; find out when it will be ready for designer.

• Alert the designer that the project is coming and tell them when to expect it.  Confirm what kind of computer files or artwork the designer will be preparing.

• Based on what you know, contact the printer and ask how long they will need to print your project and when they will need final materials from you in order to meet your deadline.  Then, work backward from what the printer tells you so you can tell your designer and writer when you need the final, approved materials.  (Allow some extra time for reviewing a proof and getting final approvals.)

• Follow up with the designer to confirm the job specifications.  Give the job specifications to the printer and ask for a cost estimate (if possible).  Share the cost estimate with your decision-makers to be sure they approve the budget.

The more task analysis you do, the easier it becomes.  You may also be amazed to realize how much you will learn by asking these kinds of questions each time you co-ordinate a project.  Although task analysis should be done as early as possible, right from the beginning of a project, it can help no matter when it's done. 

Click here for a list of points to check before you send files out to your printer. 

RE:Print offers its clients knowledgeable technical support and detailed task analysis for a wide range of printing projects.

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Some projects require more analysis, but the basis process remains the same:  identify what has to be done and develop an estimate of the time required to do each task.  These are some of the questions that you might ask when you're doing an advanced task analysis:

Does something need to be written?

Who will write it? 

How long will it take to write it? 

Who needs to review or approve the materials? 

How long will they need to approve the materials?

Are they aware of your schedule?  Will they be available to approve the materials when you need them?

Based on your experience, how many drafts or sets of revisions will the content need before it is finalized? 

How much time will each draft require for reviews and approvals?

Do you have particular type or size of publication in mind; for example, a six-panel brochure or a 12-page booklet?

Do you have too much or too little content for the type of publication that you have in mind?

Should you design your publication to fit your message or edit your message to fit the publication format?

Do you need visuals, such as drawings or photographs?

Where will you get these visuals? 

Do you have rights to use these visuals?

How long will it take to get the visuals ready?

Who needs to review or approve the visuals?

Are the visuals in a form that you can use with your computer and your software?

Are the visuals the proper size and resolution?

Will you need translation?

Who will do the translation?

How long will the translation take?

Will you be using an existing design or creating a new design?

Who will do the layout? 

Have you scheduled the job with with the designer?

How long will it take to complete the first draft of the design?

How many drafts will be required.