Production work and costs

Production tasks belong to projects and have an assignee, due date, completion date and working status. Project costs also belong to projects and carry date, category, amount and approval or payment status. Together they show what remains to do and what has been recorded against the project budget.

A completed task does not mean an episode is published. A paid cost does not mean a project is delivered. Keep those statuses on their own records and read the project schedule alongside them at each production review.

• Trace the owner. Assign each production task to a person and project, with a due date and work status. A completion date records finished work on that task.
• Follow the links. Record each expense on the project with its category, amount, date and cost status. The Finance Manager compares those entries with the project budget.
• Make the decision. Read task completion and cost approval separately from the project and episode states. Neither a paid expense nor a finished edit establishes publication.

Agree who assigns tasks and who records their completion date. Decide which cost categories the team will use and who changes a draft cost to approved. Rehearse an overdue edit and a cost entered against the wrong project.

For an episode with an audio edit and artwork task, the producer assigns each task to a person and reviews due dates before the episode enters review. A studio cost is recorded against the same project. The Finance Manager checks the draft cost against the project budget and moves it to the appropriate reviewed state. The producer can see that completed work and approved cost are different decisions.

The Producer reviews open work before handing content to the Editor. The Finance Manager checks the draft cost and project budget with the Producer if the spending changes the plan. When work slips, change the task and project schedule deliberately; an expense status does not move the episode.

For a cost entered after the episode is scheduled, the Finance Manager can still compare the amount with the project budget. The Producer separately checks whether any unfinished task changes the production date. Those reviews answer different questions and should stay on their own records.

• Open Production Work — See unfinished tasks with assignee, project and due date.
• Project Costs Awaiting Review — Review dated draft expenses against the project budget.

Follow production and review and check delivery evidence.