MODULE 5 PLANNING AND COORDINATION

Competences to which this Module is addressed to:

This module is addressed to those working independently as freelancers as well as to people who manage artistic and multidisciplinary projects. The module will address such issues as planning and coordination of one’s own artistic activities and defining such activities in the categories of a project. We will define the notions associated with multidisciplinary projects. Additionally, such issues as time management relating to one’s own work and the planning and managing the work of a project group will be discussed. We will provide examples of matrixes enabling one to manage their own working time. The tasks of project managers will also be analysed.

Objectives of the Module:

At the end of this module we discuss the methods of time management on the personal level. We will know how to define project goals, define and plan artistic projects, how to realistically define one’s goals and realise them in the form of individual and group projects and how to manage teams – especially artistic teams.

Introduction:

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs”
Henry Ford

Given today’s employment situation, especially in the context of broadly defined creative and cultural industries, a full time, permanent occupation has become a rare phenomenon. More and more frequently it is self-employment and freelancing that constitute our basic source of income. Thus, the skills of planning one’s own work as well as the work of others and the ability to manage time for yourself and for others have become crucial. Without permanent employment and strictly defined duties we are forced to treat every commission as a new project. Consequently, we need to learn how to manage projects and sometimes even a whole portfolio of projects at the same time. Working without hierarchic structures and clearly defined working time entails a number of motivational problems and requires the skills of managing one’s time or, in fact, of managing oneself over time.

The definition of the very notion of “project” is all the more difficult for visual artists and designers as it is connected with the semantic ambiguity of the word in the Polish language [The word project is used for both project and design in Polish]. It may be an individual task involving the production of a poster, leaflet, interior etc... 

...It may also be understood as the work invested in the realisation of the task within a given framework and at a well-defined cost. A project is a process....

The very essential contents/Learning Objectives

The main goal of this module is the definition and introduction of project-like thinking and acting for artists and people intending to work in the creative industries, combined with learning the basic skills of managing time, human resources and projects.

The main chapters

PARTNERS