I’ve finally finished some projects I’ve been designing. They’re ready for your viewing pleasure. Once I get the printed ephemera, I’ll post another higher quality image. Enjoy.
- Letterhead
- Business card
- Sign (24″ x 36″)
- Magnet (12″ x 4.5″)
- Window decal (40″ x 18″)
Back in November, 2007, I started working with Independence Investment Education, a company in Pittsburgh, PA. They provide affordable education for trading stocks and options. It was a great pleasure working with these folks, and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process.
What did I learn, you say? The two most important things I learned in the past three months are, 1) the meaning of deadlines, and 2) how to give myself a buffer between my optimistic goal and the deadline.
Deadlines mean always finishing early. In the past, with school projects, I would sometimes work up until the day of the deadline, finishing just in time to hand in my work (since then, I’ve broken this nasty habit). However, in the business world, this is not something anyone should risk. Things come up, distractions, delays, anything could happen. You can’t plan for everything, but you can give yourself extra time to recover from delays.
Enter the buffer. Giving yourself more time than you need is essential. One may have the urge to estimate how fast you can complete the task (to please the client’s schedule), and then set that as the deadline. However, this is just plain foolish. For instance, there are a number of things that could delay the launch of a web site (i.e. server crash). It’s hard to account for every one of those things before they happen, but you’ve got to give yourself time to recover from errors, even if they’re not your fault.
Remember, you can (and should) always finish ahead of schedule. If everything goes according to plan, you finish very early, if it doesn’t, you still have to beat the deadline. Learning this has made a huge difference in how I plan my projects. I’ll never miss a deadline, it’s absolutely not an option.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Amanda // Jan 21, 2008 at 10:25 pm
I totally agree with the importance of meeting deadlines. Having a demanding schedule/course load in college has demonstrated this specifically. I would always rather have things done early than be working till the last minute. It makes me feel more relaxed and usually I end up doing better on my assignments. Taking the night before an exam to relax and get a good night sleep always provides better results than staying up all night cramming: A lesson learned from my pops. =] Time management is such an essential skill!
2 Annie // Jan 21, 2008 at 11:47 pm
It is true that leaving yourself some “breathing room” when establishing a schedule is important to account for any unknown situation that you will inevitably have to deal with; however, no matter what side of business you are on, it is important to strike a healthy balance between leaving yourself breathing room and satisfying your customer’s expectations and needs. Hand-in-hand with meeting the schedule is maintaining good communication with the customer, such that the customer is aware of the progress (good or bad). Making the customer (especially an anal one!) aware of the progress (and not just waiting to communicate upon completion a task or set of tasks) will make the customer happy, especially if a situation arises that may cause delays, even if it is out of your control. Typically, customers are orchestrating their business(es), which are comprised of many factors. A good business owner or manager has a plan A, B, C, and so on; leaving a customer in the dark on the status of a job will not jive well with their system and running their business successfully. Above establishing and meeting deadlines, the bottom line is COMMUNICATION. This is the key to a healthy and prosperous working relationship for both parties; find the best vehicle for this communication and stick to it! (E-mail is not recommended!)