There are several ways that a project can begin, and often there are nuances to the intake process. Here are a few examples of how you may be notified of a project:<\/p>\n
Regardless of the CS department that will work on the project, the next step is to submit a New Project Resourcing form<\/strong> (often referred to as the \u201cNPR\u201d). These forms can be found here:<\/p>\n Notes, resourcing assignments, and next steps can be found in Smartsheet on the correlating project pipeline grid. At this stage, you should include as much information as possible, knowing that a more formal intake conversation may still need to occur. For information that clients do not have (i.e., budget), please note that (i.e., client needs an estimate for this project to get budget approval).<\/p>\n Intake processes vary slightly by department and are detailed in their respective sections below.<\/p>\n Once you are assigned a project, most often you will send the client our <\/span>print project intake<\/b><\/a> document. The purpose of this document is to obtain relevant information from the client regarding the objective of the project, target audience, primary message that needs to be communicated, key points to illustrate that primary message, budget, timing, etc. This form should be filled out ahead of a meeting with the client to kick off a project, to give CS team members time to review the information, outline any questions, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Note:<\/strong> Sometimes it is more appropriate to use the intake form as an agenda or guide for project kickoff meetings with clients. Supervisors in Account Management will help guide this kind of decision.<\/p>\n In some cases, such as annual updates to existing work or a tactical poster, a project intake form is not needed and any required information can be obtained via email or a quick phone call with the client.<\/p>\n Developed to provide approximate costs for design, writing, and photography. Projects should not begin until the client has approved the estimate.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n Near the start of the project, the client should also send approximate quantities so that Print Production can begin sourcing quotes from print vendors. The quantity can change before the final files go off to the printer, but approximate quantities allows the Print Buyer to get the project into a vendor\u2019s queue and also gives the client a sense of cost for this portion of the project.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Note: <\/strong>Print costs are not included in our Marketing Design estimates, as the client pays the vendor directly through a Purchase Order (PO), though sometimes we do note the costs in the document for reference purposes only. It is never added into the subtotals or totals. Clients must create POs upon receipt of the final quote (which comes once files are released to the printer) to ensure no delays occur on the vendor side. Vendors reserve the right to hold off on printing until they have a PO to bill against. AEs will send the final quote to the client once received from the assigned Print Buyer.<\/span><\/p>\n For projects that require strategic execution, the next step is to create a <\/span>Creative Brief,<\/span> which is based on the information received in the intake document and subsequent intake conversations with the client. The purpose of the creative brief is to provide a clear, concise summary of the strategy that the creative team (writer, designer, creative director) follows in order to develop compelling work that meets the client\u2019s objectives.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n The schedule provides both the client and the internal project team members clear deadlines for all milestones\/presentations. The <\/span>Print PM<\/span> creates the schedule in conjunction with the relevant account manager; before the schedule is sent to the client, the project team, including Photography, should also sign off on it, particularly if photoshoots are required. Once approved internally, it needs to be shared with the client at the start of the project. It is also helpful to point out key milestones\/presentations dates to the client\u2014to check their availability (i.e., if\/when they are out on vacation during those dates, etc.)<\/span><\/p>\n In some cases, we may make the decision to send a client to Fenway Group, a print vendor located on Commonwealth Ave., rather than design and print a request ourselves. Typically, we make the decision to send clients to Fenway if the project does not require any strategic thinking or if we do not have the resources to meet a hard deadline (fast turnaround projects).<\/span><\/p>\n “We have partnered with Fenway Group to ensure that client projects that require minor design and text edits to existing pieces can be done more quickly than our internal resources may allow.<\/span><\/p>\n Our production manager will notify Fenway Group of the project and send them the necessary files. Once the project is complete, the files are returned to us. You will be included on the initial correspondence to Fenway Group so that you know who the key contact is working on your request.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From there, you will work directly with Fenway Group on the necessary image and text edits as well as printing specifications, etc. In addition, you also will coordinate payment with Fenway Group. Please note that they are registered with the University as a preferred vendor.<\/span><\/p>\n Fenway Group is well-versed in our brand guidelines and if there are any questions, they will reach out to us. They work successfully with many client requests like yours.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once you are assigned a project, you will usually begin by using our <\/span>Intake Form<\/b><\/a>. The purpose of this document is to obtain relevant information from the client regarding the objective and goals of the project, key audiences, functionality needs, budget, timing, etc., to begin shaping the project\u2019s overall scope and determine resourcing requirements. This form should be filled out in advance of a meeting between the client and the ID project team (or management), to give CS team members time to review the information, outline any questions, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> Sometimes it is more appropriate to use the questionnaire as an agenda or guide for the initial meetings with clients. Supervisors in Account Management will help guide this kind of decision.<\/span><\/p>\n In some cases, such as straightforward enhancement requests (like adding a field to a banner), the questionnaire is not needed and any required information can be obtained via email or a quick phone call with the client.<\/span><\/p>\n After the client completes the intake form, the ID project team has an intake meeting with the client to review the information within the form and discuss the key details of the project. Creative Services should use this time to ask any clarifying questions and confirm information with the client. Attendees should include the main clients, the AE, ACD, SVP, ID Creative Director, and Director of Account Management.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> This attendees list is not exhaustive. There might be instances where others will need to attend; please address on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n It is important to have a process overview meeting so that the client can understand the project’s timeline, as well as their role as a partner and main communicator with Creative Services prior to the start of the project.<\/p>\n The project team will break down the project lifecycle, from Intake, to Strategy & Planning, to Implementation, to Support. They will also explain the client’s responsibilities to identify and manage key stakeholders on their team, manage content development, provide approvals, and ensure alignment throughout the duration of the project.<\/p>\n You should also use this meeting to explain the roles of each person on the CS team and how they are involved in the project’s process.<\/p>\n ID Process Overview Caterpillar\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n After reviewing the project requirements\/intake form or holding intake meetings with the client, the project manager will start scoping and estimating the project, along with the assigned ACD or manager of other groups within CS. Once those steps are complete, they will begin drafting an SOW. The statement of work outlines the goals and objectives of the project, the scope of work that will be completed, timing to complete that work, and an estimate of hours. The AE is responsible for writing the Summary and Purpose in the SOW. It also begins to set expectations of how a client will need to interact with Creative Services on the project. There is also a detailed appendix that accompanies this document and outlines \u201cstandard\u201d technical specifications for the project (such as implementing the site on the Responsive framework, supported browsers, etc.)<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n A detailed schedule will be developed by the PM assigned to the project and is typically created in a project management tool called Smartsheet. The schedule built is based on every task that needs to be completed in order to launch the project. Because of this, it may not be appropriate to share this level of detail with the client, to ensure that there is no overall confusion and allow for a level of flexibility on our end in case tasks should shift\/change order. Instead, the client is often provided a simpler schedule that includes only the key milestones and presentation dates.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are several ways that a project can begin, and often there are nuances to the intake process. Here are a few examples of how you may be notified of a project: Once you are assigned to your beats, the most common way a project gets started is through direct communication from your client, typically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14057,"featured_media":0,"parent":193,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1064"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14057"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1064"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3772,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1064\/revisions\/3772"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/marcom-team\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Marketing Design<\/h2>\n
Examples<\/h4>\n
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Marketing Design Estimates<\/h3>\n
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Print Production<\/h3>\n
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Creative Brief<\/h3>\n
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Marketing Design Schedule<\/h3>\n
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Reassigning to Fenway<\/h3>\n
Sample language to use with clients\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
(Note \u201cyou\u201d in this case = client.)<\/span><\/i><\/h4>\n
Interactive Design<\/h2>\n
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Intake Meeting<\/h3>\n
Process Overview Meeting<\/h3>\n
Statement of Work (SOW)<\/h3>\n
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Schedule<\/h3>\n