A Project Management Methodology for Multimedia Projects

This categorization makes it obvious that the method deals not only with project management oriented activities, but also with development-oriented activities. The structure of the categories is confusing in so far, that the development category describes the tasks needed to be performed by the development team, whereas the responsibilities of the project manager have been split into the categories of management and support. Furthermore, the term task in its original meaning suggests that it is identified what has to be done, but it does not necessarily define, the inputs necessary to perform the task, and what the results of the task will be. This problem can be found in the Multimedia Pathways manual as well. Some of the tasks have mere descriptive character, without providing information on the required input, i.e. what or who is necessary to perform the task. This is further aggravated by the fact that the development tasks cannot be project management processes, but serve as input for them at best. Parts of the project management and support tasks include a short description regarding the requirements to fulfil the task and link to a template as a tool for performing the task. [...]

For multimedia development, an iteration of all the stages of a life cycle does not seem to make sense, which requires the existing Multimedia Pathways life cycle to be adapted. This will be further set out in the following chapter. Further, the processes of the method may need to be adapted according to the life cycle application. If an iterative approach is chosen and one or more stages are looped, than the number of applied processes as well as the effort that has to be put into the processes is likely to change. Each stage of the life cycle is then described by the manual, with regards to the tasks that need to be performed. The tasks are categorized in the areas of Development, Management and Support. These areas of activity are further split into sub-categories141 (refer to Table 1). [...]

The term waterfall is used, as “(...) the flow of activity appears to cascade down the diagram of the model”121. The linear, non iterative phases of traditional project management are not suitable for multimedia development, as the stages of specification, conceptualization and production can not be separated that distinctly. In construction projects, a cost estimate for the project will usually not be given until the design, i.e. blueprints of the building, have been agreed upon. In addition, it is not until after the costs have been agreed on, that the actual production starts. Cost estimates are rather reliable, as the biggest cost factor is the material required to build the object, and material requirements can be determined rather precisely with the help of the blueprints. In construction projects, the design team, i.e. the architects, is usually separate to the construction team, i.e. the builder. There is also a clear separation of responsibilities: the builder is responsible for building the construction according to the blueprint, within the agreed budget and timeframe. The designer is responsible of making sure the construction is built to the agreed standards and quality and has to handle change requests.122 In contrast, in multimedia projects, the processes of specification and development are not as clearly separated. Cost estimates usually have to be given early in the project, where not enough information is available to accurately predict the costs of the project. Also, a mere blueprint of the product, i.e. the specification description, is not enough to develop a successful product. The specifications need to be translated into concept designs, draft versions and prototypes, which then need to be tested to make sure that the product, will conform to the expectations and needs of the client or user. This is because multimedia products are far more complex than construction projects, not necessarily to develop, but to convey the idea of the finished product to the client in the early stages of the project. In a [...]