Projects and schedules

Start a production cycle with one project owner, a start date, a due date and an agreed budget. The project links the content item, assigned work and recorded spending. A producer can then review a missed date against the same project that carries the episode work, rather than a separate calendar entry.

A project marked Approved is still an operating plan. The producer follows work through production and review, while the episode and content carry their own status decisions. Keep a cancelled project distinct from a delivered one so the team can read the result of the cycle.

• Trace the owner. Name the project owner and record its start, due date and budget. Link production tasks and content to the project so the Producer can review the work against the planned cycle.
• Follow the links. Use the project status for planning and delivery of the production project. Content review and the episode schedule carry their own separate states.
• Make the decision. Compare the due date with task dates and the episode’s planned publish time. A late task calls for a production decision; it does not change the episode automatically.

Agree who approves the project plan and how the owner changes its due date. Decide how to name projects that cover more than one episode. Rehearse a task slipping past the project due date before calling the plan ready.

Suppose a weekly interview series plans an episode for the end of the month. The producer opens the project, sets its due date, assigns production work and links the content item. The Finance Manager can compare its budget with recorded costs before the team treats the schedule as ready. If a task slips, the producer sees the open work beside the project and changes the production plan with the people responsible.

The Producer gives the Editor the linked content and open work before review. The Finance Manager compares the project budget with its cost entries. A cancelled project remains distinct from a delivered one, while each linked episode keeps its own schedule and status.

The Producer checks the project due date against the task due dates before accepting a production plan. The Finance Manager can review a cost recorded after project approval without treating that cost decision as a change to the project lifecycle.

• Active Projects — Review projects in production with owner, budget and due date.
• My Production Work — Find assigned production tasks that affect the project schedule.

Follow production and review and check delivery evidence.