What is a project?
A project can be defined as a ‘once only’ activity that is goal oriented and has constraints such as time, resources and quality. Project management is the process of planning, organising and controlling activities including motivating personnel. (Maylor 1999:5,6)
The Oxford English Dictionary defines quality as ‘the degree of excellence of something as measured against other similar things’. (OED 2004:1) In multimedia design it is problematic to define quality, as in many respects it is a subjective measurement. However, according to England and Finney, it can be viewed as a ‘control mechanism for time and cost’. Quality can be represented by the equation:
design quality for multimedia projects = agreed content and treatment
where content is the information presented and the treatment is the ‘look and feel’ of the media and techniques applied to it. (England & Finney 2002:24) Time, cost and quality are inextricably linked, as if one factor changes, this usually varies the others.
For example, if the brief is adapted during a project to include Flash animation, then all three factors may vary. Furthermore, apparently insignificant changes can have dramatic consequences. In the example used here, this may lead to rework or indeed starting the project again, which in turn may lead to acquiring additional personnel in order to deliver the product punctually. (England & Finney 2002:25,26)
|
