How to create an efficient design timeline and execute it successfully?

Planning is an essential part of any successful design project. By outlining the scope of your project at its onset, you will be better equipped to identify and avoid roadblocks that would otherwise steer your progress off track.

One of the most effective tools for planning your project is the schedule. A project schedule allows you to outline, assess, and communicate the essentials of a job and includes its deliverables, timeframe, and the resources allotted to individual tasks.

What does the good design timeline include?

The key advantage of the design timeline is that you and your customer will have a common knowledge of what will happen during a project.

A design timeline removes ambiguity from a project in several ways i.e, what you are doing, what you aren’t doing, how long it will take when your client needs to be available for review, and an estimated completion date.

An effective timeline is the key to creating satisfied clients and increasing profitability because a shared understanding of what will happen during a project removes roadblocks and creates accountability for both parties.

How to create a project timeline?

Regardless of how excited you are to jump right in, you should always start your new projects by creating a comprehensive schedule. Clients want to visualize the process of their project, having said that the timeline should not necessarily include every minute detail of the project (ex. internal scheduled meetings, staff vacation days, or additional buffer time).

For both the internal timeline and the client timeline, you should always include these points

a) Identify individual deliverables

Begin by writing down your final deliverable (i.e. a website or app) then work your way down and create a list of all sub-deliverables that need to be built to complete the final deliverable. For example, if your final deliverable is a website, your sub-deliverables could include wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes, copy writing, mobile designs, and more. Listing out your individual project components will help you get a better sense of the scope of your project.

b) Determine the resources required

Now that you have listed out the flow of your project, it’s time to forecast the amount of resources you need to accomplish the project. This includes the time needed to complete each deliverable of the project, as well as the individual contributors or teams you’ll need to complete specific elements of the project.

c) Determine the outside elements that could have an impact on your project

While you are outlining your resources, you should try to identify any external factors that could influence the flow of your project. Those factors may include overstretched resources, a lack of focus, or poor performance. In light of this, we can extend the deadline and rearrange the deliverables.

d) Monitor and reforecast

Creating a timeline is just the first step of project planning. Your project should be continuously monitored for progress, and that progress should be compared to your timeline. By doing this, you'll be able to manage your workflow and, if necessary, reassess your deadlines.

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