What is the most challenging part of my job?
What is the most challenging part of my job?
It might be software, dealing with the hardware, or being creative daily. All have their challenges, but the most difficult part of my job is milestones and deadlines. It isn't me managing milestones and deadlines; it is the client being invested in their project schedule and giving timely feedback. Your timely feedback is not just a part of the process but a crucial element in ensuring the project's success.
A project isn't a project unless the deposit is paid. Once it is, a start and finish date is set. I stress that the deposit is the commencement, so approving the quote doesn't start a job. The project schedule is set when the despot is paid. Too often, projects are approved, contracts are signed, people want me to start their projects, and there is never a deposit. Also, A lot can happen between approving a quote and paying a deposit; I can sign other projects and get a deposit before your deposit is paid.
It is a first come, first served proposition.
When a deposit arrives days or weeks later, it significantly impacts the project timeline. Unfortunately, the tentative timeline on the quote is only suitable for as long as the quote's expiration date. Often, the deposit doesn't arrive until after the agreed-upon due date has passed. Your promptness in this matter is crucial to keep the project on track.
After starting a project, I work hard to deliver proof within a day or two; I send a proof that must be approved within 12/24 hours. This is where a lot of projects go off the rails. I may not get feedback for several days or sometimes weeks. Heck, I have had projects sit for months. I understand that people get busy, and sometimes projects become unimportant. The deposit covers the modeling, and the balance covers the rest, so if I don't get timely feedback, I can shelf it, but if I had it scheduled for a week or two, who is paying for that time? Unlike airlines, I can't double book expecting cancelations. If a project goes silent, I must fill that space with another project. It gets more intense when the color is done, and the project goes silent. I might have almost completed 95% of the project, but I haven't seen any money since the deposit, so the delay in the balance can cause some financial strain. Some projects sit at 95% for weeks or months.
When a client takes weeks to comment, it can disrupt the project schedule. If the deadline has passed, and I am on another project, I must pull double duty, and everyone suffers. Usually, if they take too long for the first round of revisions, the second round is delayed, and the cycle repeats itself. A client who respects the schedule shouldn't have to suffer a project moving slower than planned, so I always prioritize that client. Your respect for the schedule is greatly appreciated and ensures a smooth project flow.
However, clients who are slow to respond usually want revisions immediately. This adds a lot of unnecessary stress to everyone, especially me.
I can have 6-12 projects sitting and waiting for comments at any given time, and they could have been sitting there for weeks or months. It is nice to have a lot of smaller projects, so juggling projects are more straightforward. However, I often schedule large projects for weeks, and the time frame is tight, so telling someone they have to get at the back of the line is hard to swallow.
Projects have a 20% buffer because I know things happen. If a set of images takes a day extra to review, that is not a problem and is expected. I will honor my part of the deal, and projects will go smoothly if my client does the same. If a project is delayed due to my clients, I always try to get it back on schedule, even if I work 80+ hours a week, but that isn't sustainable. Unfortunately, it is normal.
The most challenging part of my job is keeping projects on schedule. I used to set deadlines on my review site, which locked the project after that date had passed, but I stopped using that practice. I send email reminders for feedback, which get further apart the longer the project goes silent until I put the project on my hold list. Those projects become new, and a deposit (1/2 the balance) is required.
If you have any questions, please email me.