Posts filed under 'Design Project Schedules'
We’re not on a very balanced schedule right now, but we need to be. We focused so much on the web design in Sept. & Oct. that we couldn’t get to product development. Then, November and December was spent focusing on product development, and we couldn’t get back to keeping the site updated.
We need to balance so that everything is always moving forward. We need to figure out how to do this, so that we’re not completely focused on just one thing. I know we can do it, we just have to figure it out.
I know that I definitely need the first couple days of this week to get caught up on admin tasks. But I also need to finalize the product plan for KIDShow (not to mention get all the kit papers faxed back to them). And I have so many emails to send / contacts to update from the gifting suite last week. So, if I can get those things done, then I’m going to feel like I’m on top of things.
Happy Monday all! Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day.
January 15th, 2007
This morning I’m starting to feel the pressure of prepping for the celebrity gifting suite. Oh boy. I’m excited, nervous, and stressed – and all equally. And that’s ok. Keeps me moving, right?
We’ve done the initial braindump of everything we need to have ready to go by January 11. It’s a big list. Now, the schedule, so I can break down and prioritize all those items. Most of the items fall into two categories: Product & Marketing Materials. Which will be good stuff to have developed for KIDShow – it really is all going to work together well.
But the stress comes from the insane list of stuff to be done from ordering the gift bags with our logo, to designing the coupons and catalog, getting it all printed and that’s nothing to do with getting enough sample product together. Sometimes, when I sit down and write things out, it calms me down, helps me to focus. Right now, it’s stressing me out.:-)
What I do need to calm down enough to think about is deadlines baby. I want to have it all together a week ahead of time, and have that last week to work up sample displays. So that gives me three weeks with a trip out of town for Xmas in-between.
OK. From there I know we have three weeks for product and marketing materials. Think about printing time and delivery time for the marketing materials and I should have them done in a week and a half to be safe. I need to have those ready for printing by two days after Christmas. I should have the final prototype of all products by the same time, just to be safe.
If final prototypes are finished in a week and a half, that gives a week and a half for any necessary production. The other consideration is custom items – I’m going to have only two weeks before the event to get personalized orders completed because that’s when we’ll start receiving confirmation of the attendees. Our contractors are prepared for these rush orders.
Now I’ll just take a look at all the tasks that fall under each of those deadlines and break down my priorities. Wow, I stuck with writing it out a little and I feel a lot more sane. Except that the deadlines are totally insane, but we’re not going to talk about that.
We can accomplish amazing things, we can accomplish amazing things…
What’s really laughable is that all of that is just the event prep. We still need to do all the other business running junk (like newsletters are due and we need to keep the sample process moving for the tradeshow). But, everywhere I’ve ever worked it’s been insane deadlines and too much to do and somehow we all roll on…
December 16th, 2006
Ha Ha, I was going to write everyday. I can barely keep up with myself everyday, much less on top of everything. Kids are starting the holiday break and that means a less-hectic schedule for us. Less running around anyway. Met a friend for lunch today and ended up in this same random strip mall that has a wonderful CUSTOM baby / child boutique that is going to be a great match for our products, so that was fortuitous.
I’ve had all of these projects just h-a-n-g-i-n-g over my head for a couple of weeks; I was knocked down with the flu, and I’m just finally caught up. I have done some planning for the gifting suite. It was flattering to talk to the event planner, because she raved about how excited she was to have OUR products represented – even if it was just a lot of sunshine, it was nice to hear it.
Here’s what’s big in my life right now and I don’t care how cheezy it sounds – positive vibrations. I got into such a rut – and could feel how much thinking about being in the rut made the rut worse – so, I had to remind myself of what an optimist I truly am and get myself out of the rut; faith and hard work helps a lot too.
Something cool for me is that I’ve devised a new product that I’m really excited about and believe we can realistically launch by for the celebrity event. And I’m really excited about it and the labor is simple, the design is simple and this is good stuff. I feel strongly that we need a hot product that is at a good price point. Our personalized blankets are hot; getting a lot of buzz, but they are still on the pricey side of baby gifts. I know that the sales will continue to build, but how nice it’d be to have an item that’s HOT and accessible by a larger demographic. This will be a great KIDShow item too. I’m working on the first pattern to get a prototype, so I can find out if my idea will work the way I envision it. But if it does, it’s full of all sorts of potential.
Oh, I saw a whole blanket tag about not leaving bedding in the crib with infants, so I’m going to have to look into that and see if I can find standard wording. It was much more detailed than “not intended for bedding”.
Isn’t there always so much to do?
December 15th, 2006
It’s amazing how fast things can change. A couple of days since my last update and we now have a new deadline in our schedule. We’ve been invited to participate in a pre-golden globes event, a gifting suite. We get to give free Baby Fabulous schwag to celebrities and there should be good press and we can take pictures. So, we have to have a certain number of items available for gifts and the date is one month away.
This doesn’t change things too drastically. Still working towards KIDShow as our main market deadline, but I definitely want to have a couple of things ready for the January gifting suite too. I’ll know more tomorrow about how much we can swing, what kind of variety would be best, etc. I’m very excited, but mainly just feel a huge need to buckle down and guarantee we’re ready for this. We have to be, we have to be. I feel it’s a golden opportunity.
This week is creeping away from me. My pattern maker is just waiting on me. I forever underestimate how long tasks will take me to complete. But I’ll meet my Friday deadline. Always meet my deadlines. I’m still reeling from yesterday’s – getting a swatch ring to one of the local boutiques. Worst – forgot I had my kids in the afternoon, so it was my first appointment where I had no choice but to bring the kids along. It went fine and I made a new friend. It’s the small things, – like the appointment going smooth in spite of it being the end of the day & in spite of having my kids with me- that make a BIG difference.
OK – tonight is about working on technical sketches. And a plan for the gifting suite. Priorities, priorities.
December 6th, 2006
Ok, here’s what I came up with for the next eleven weeks we have to prepare for market. At this point, I have a pattern maker lined up and waiting for my sketches. I have already tested the sewing contractor & I know both the theme for my collection and the styles I need to sketch out.
A project schedule is always based on three things: time, resources, and money. Once I’ve sourced all of my fabrics, I’ll do a cost estimate and from there we’ll determine how many designs we can realistically produce. There could be cuts. I need to remind myself to keep revisiting this schedule, sticking to it, and revising what I need to revise. This schedule plans for 3 revisions of the patterns.
Week 1: Dec. 4 – 10 – Technical sketches to pattern maker. Source fabrics.
Week 2: Dec. 11 – 17 – First draft patterns back & first draft prototypes; fit meeting. Color cards (storyboard) complete.
Week 3: Dec. 18 – 24 – First revisions to pattern maker (Goal is to have 1st pattern revisions back in-house before the holidays)
Week 4: Dec.25 – 31 **Holidays Here*** 2nd Draft prototypes & Second round of revisions to pattern maker
Week 5: Jan. 1 – 7 Third draft patterns back & Third Draft prototypes. First mockup of trade show booth.
Week 6: Jan 8 – 14 Must have FINAL patterns!! Cut & in sewing contractors hands (with final prototype).
Week 7: Jan 15 – 21 Give 21st as sample deadline (3 sets each??)
Week 8: Jan 22 – 28 All the final pieces are together (from care labels to packaging baby!!)
Week 9: Jan 29 – Feb. 4 Barring all fires, must have Final samples in-house and beautiful
Week 10: Feb. 5 – Feb.11- Final mock up of trade show booth
Week 11: Feb 12- KIDShow setup in Vegas
Feb. 13 – 15 SHOWS ON!!
December 3rd, 2006
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