Managing Interactive Media Chapter – 1 The IMP ( Interactive Media Project) Context

Overview of the interactive project process interactive media is extremely diverse the only constant is that nothing stands still there is seemingly no limit to the creativity that can be applied and this is what entices people to work in it although the industry is intagible by nature, the business world needs to manage it, track it and guide it to produce meaningful results. This is where project management comes into the process.

Every project has a life cycle In broad terms it is conceived, carried out and completed. The main stages in the life cyle of an interactive media project are:  The start phase (the appraoch to this phase can vary depending on the sector)  Content definition, selection and structuring;  Layout, look and feel of the content;  Functionality or the navigation between pieces of the content;  Tracking and monitoring of the user;

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The interactive context and project management a successful project is defined as one that is completed on time and within budget while meeting its business objectives. Any costs incurred by the developer need to be understood across all activities undertaken in the company Even those activities that seem small enough to be insignificant, such as so-called “quick fixes”, can amount to a lot of costs over a period of time A business cannot absorb costs to its detriment indefinitely. The idea of capturing costs for activities, perhaps through timesheets, is anchored here within the life cycle.

The interactive context can place some extra pressures on the developers because the clients may appear to change their minds about what they want during the course of the project It is due to either Internal and External pressures

Internal – can come from changes in management personnel strategy External – come from the fast- changing market that in turn feeds through to new or redefined requirements. If the developer cannot respond quickly to changes, time can become an issue with the result that a project takes longer to reach its objectives than was expected.

If the client’s objectives change, subsequently it will affect the budget If at the end of a project the client complains that the project does not meet the business needs, the developer company should seek to understand whether this is because the business objectives or the market changed.

If the developers see that there is a mismatch between the clients and the market, they may try educating their clients Or they may build more user involvement into the development process. This is a trend in general project management

Client projects Generally companies know that they win pieces of work(projects) from clients and they work on them Sometimes, one client is large and active and there may be several project on the go for them at any one time

It becomes very important from a business point of view to know exactly what is happening with your staff. Tight control is needed, and a view needs to be taken. A lot comes down to how an interactive development company designates a project against an agreed cost and time, and if the extra is a start of a new phase of the main project or a new project.

Bread and Butter Projects The beginning of a large project is always exciting. But it is hard to sustain focus to the end of the project But from business point of view, some projects take long time with various phases to finish And the payment will come in phases too The company has to pay the ongoing costs These can be seen as a bread and butter projects

Investment Projects A project that is not expected to be brought in on the budget quoted to the client is called investment projects Over the year,the company has to estimate how much investment time and effort it can afford. It should be watching the development of such investment projects to contain them within their projected investment budget.

Maintenance Projects Ongoing work to update and support the result of a previous project It is like ‘bread and butter’ project The company needs to recognize how many staff and how much time are used on maintenance projects over a year against the profit generated from these projects.

Quick fix Projects Although companies try to ensure that the project is completed to a robust standard as agreed with the client, there may be many reasons why the result of a previous project fails in certain aspects once it is in use. Often the company’s account manager has been contacted by the client with a specific ‘small’ requirement and deems that a fast response is needed to stabilize the client relationship

R & D Projects Research and development projects are similar to Investment Projects. These are internal projects as no client pay for them

Goodwill Projects A company might decide that a small project to serve the community in some way might help raise their profile locally. Sometimes the company may adopt a charity on a year by year basis and decide how it can use its expertise to its advantage without detracting from its main workload.

What is a Project Manager? Once we start to query what a project is, it follows logically that we need to understand the role of a project manager. As the interactive sector matures, the range of responsibilities and skills of the project manager has expanded.

Program Manager / Project Manger. A programme manager is responsible for over-seeing a group of large-scale projects. Traditionally, these are different projects for different clients. Traditionally, a program manager has held a strategic position inside a large company where the shaping of the type and number of the projects that will be developed.

The high level or administrative project manager This person may sit either within the commissioning company or the developer company or there may be a person in each company.

The production Project Manager This is the most common implementation of the project management role in the development /supplier side of interactive process. Most often the project manager has been part of the core interactive development team earlier in their career and is then elevated to the team leader or project manager.