Creative Industries Project

Management
(CIPM)
Project Management
MODULE HANDBOOK
2016

The course website is at:

http://moodle.port.ac.uk
Gary Bown
Email: gary.bown@port.ac.uk

Contents
Page
Contact Details

Email Address
Getting help
Checklist

Project Management

Project Management Tools

Essential Components
Work Breakdown Structures
Risk Management
Gantt Charts

Multimedia User-Centred
Design Process

12

The Unit & Assessment

Pattern

18
Expected Journal Layout
Client Form

Marking Sheet Examples

Interface Design
Appendix

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Colour, Usability & Accessibility

28

Video Production Forms

Risk Assessment Example

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Contact Details
Gary Bown contact details are:
Principal Lecturer
University of Portsmouth
School of Creative Technologies
Eldon Building
Winston Churchill Ave
Portsmouth
Hants
PO1 2DJ
Tele: (023) 9284 5464

Meetings are by appointment (see Getting Help on the next page).

Telephone
Email gary.bown@port.ac.uk
I will endeavour to answer email within 3 working days during term time.
Please contact me for further clarification of any issue or if you have any
queries.
Your email address

Make sure you read your university emails. You can arrange to have these
forwarded to your personal email address. Go to the Student Portal to set up
email forwarding:

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Getting help
If you have difficulties with:

Attending lectures

Completing coursework

Understanding everything in the lectures

Then do this:
Email Gary Bown .. gary.bown@port.ac.uk, the course tutor
Include CIPM at the start of the Subject line of your message. Subject may
be shortened to Subj. in the application you use to read and send emails.
Or do this:
Arrange to see Gary Bown, the course tutor, like this:
1. Email Gary suggesting a time you would like to meet.
2. Alternatively you may phone Gary on (023) 9284 5464 to
arrange a time to meet.
3. Gary will give you an appointment time.
4. Arrive at Garys room at the time stated.

Act immediately a problem starts to occur.

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My Checklist
Important Dates
The hand-in date of my artefact & My Journal is:

Monday 13th March 2017

.........................................................................................................

Tutorials

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lecture Day/time and Venue

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Project management is
the discipline of planning,
organising, securing and
managing resources to
bring about the
successful completion
of specific project goals
and objectives.
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The Project Management Triangle

Project Management Essential Components
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Scoping : Scope statements and Terms of reference

Scope statements may take many forms depending on the type of project
being implemented and the nature of the organization. The scope statement
details the project deliverables and describes the major objectives. The
objectives should include measurable success criteria for the project.
Terms of reference describe the purpose and structure of a project,
committee, meeting, negotiation, or any similar collection of people who have
agreed to work together to accomplish a shared goal. The terms of reference
of a project are often referred to as the project charter.
Project Management Plan / project Initiation Document
The objective of a project management plan is to define the approach to be
used by the Project team to deliver the intended project management scope
of the project.
Work Breakdown Structure:
A common cause of project management failure is in trying to visualise the
complete project in one go. Our human brain cannot deal effectively with
more than six to seven simultaneous thoughts. This makes managing a
complex project difficult, so we try to reduce the complexity by dividing the
work into manageable chunks using the method of Work Breakdown
Structures.
A (WBS) in project management and systems engineering, is a tool used to
define and group a project's discrete work elements in a way that helps
organize and define the total work scope of the project. We look at the whole
project as one entity, and then break it logically into its main parts which are
called stages.

Main Project

Stage 1

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If any stage is complex we further break that stage down into the activities
that constitute the stage.

Main Project

Stage 1

Activity 1.1

Stage 2

Activity 1.2

Stage 3

Activity 3.1

Activity 3.2

And any complex activity can be further sub-divided into its constituent parts
called tasks.
Main Project

Stage 1

Activity 1.1

Stage 2

Activity 1.2

Stage 3

Activity 3.1

Activity 3.2

Task

Task

Task

1.1.1

1.2.1

3.1.1

Task

Task

1.2.2

3.1.2

The result is a hierarchical approach starting at the top level main project
then breaking the work down one level at a time. The structure comes in
arranging the stages, activities and tasks as far as possible in a logical
chronological order starting on the left hand side of the diagram and working
to the right in each level. This is the theory of Work Breakdown Structures.
Working Example:
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Note: The project Manager should NOT get involved with detail until the
overall plan is mapped out.
Risk Management Plan
A Risk Management Plan is a document prepared by a project manager to
foresee risks, to estimate the effectiveness, and to create response plans to
mitigate them. It also consists of the risk assessment matrix.

University Health and Safety Website

http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/humanresources/healthandsafety/
University Risk Assessment Template download site
http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/humanresources/healthandsafety/
riskassessment/

Risk Management Tools : SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business
venture
Scheduling Charts: PERT Charts, Gantt Charts
The Program (or Project) Evaluation and Review Technique, commonly
abbreviated PERT, is a model for project management designed to analyze
and represent the tasks involved in completing a given project. It is commonly
used in conjunction with the critical path method or CPM.

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A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt
charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and
summary elements of a project. Its the concept of representing work by a bar
on a time line chart.
Some Gantt charts also show the dependency (i.e., precedence network)
relationships between activities.

Why use these charts?

Its a visual representation which is easier for the human to see

It shows an overall view of the project

We can see how long each stage/activity/task is estimated to take

Users can see when the project is planned to finish

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Multimedia and the User-Centred

Design Process
User-centred design is a process whereby a system is designed to meet the
requirements, characteristics and environment of the end-users of the system.
The process is characterised by:

1. an appropriate allocation of function between user and system;

2. iteration of design solutions;
3. the active involvement of users;
4. multi-disciplinary design teams (including both technical and Human
Factors personnel).
At each stage of design, user-centred activities are essential in order to
understand and specify the user and organisational needs, so that potential
design solutions can be evaluated against these needs. There are five
essential types of activity.

1. Plan the User centred process

2. Understand and specify the context of use
3. Specify the user and organisational requirements
4. Develop user interface and produce prototypes
5. Carry out user based assessment

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What is multimedia?
Multimedia may be defined as the integration of video, audio, graphics,
animation and text to create an interactive computer application. Multimedia
however can be used to cover everything from the simplest computer based
presentation to the most complex CD-ROM based reference title.

Usability principles
Usability is defined in ISO 9241 part 11 (a standard giving guidance on
usability on requirements for office work with visual display terminals) as the
extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified
goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of
use. Essentially this means that usability is an attribute of the way in which a
particular person and system interact.

The important features are:

5. Effectiveness - How well the user achieves the goals they set out to
achieve using the system.
6. Efficiency - The resources consumed in order to achieve their goals.
7. Satisfaction - How the user feels about their use of the system.
Drawing upon a number of authors, a number of characteristics can be
identified that help to make up a usable multimedia system:
Provide a simple design: The user interface should be simplified as much as
possible. By removing unnecessary features, control and information, this will
reduce the potential of the user to misunderstand the system and become
confused. Users can thus be more effective and concentrate upon their task.
Strive for consistency: This is a principle which is most frequency broken
and yet is often easy to repair. If users know that the same command or the
same action will always have the same effect, they will feel more confident in
using the system and will be encouraged to explore and learn more about the
system.
Provide informative feedback: For every user action, there should be some
system feedback. The system should provide positive feedback at the end of
an input to show it has been completed or to indicate an error. However
intermediate feedback can be equally useful e.g. showing which graphic
elements are selectable, look ahead to the next menu before item selection,
or a simple cursor movement to show processing is taking place.
Minimise memory load: While computers are good at memorising things,
people prefer to recognise items on screen. The emphasis should therefore
be on reducing the need for the user to memorise codes, the pathway through
hierarchical menus, or the format of data to be entered. Therefore the

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interface should be designed to display the information user needs such as

the input options within a menu or the format of a typical input by way of an
example.
Provide closure: Sequences of actions should be organised into groups,
giving the organiser the satisfaction of accomplishment, a sense of relief, the
signal to drop contingency plans, and an indication that the way is clear to
prepare for the next group of actions. Points of closure will also allow the user
to clear their mind and reduce the load on memory.
Provide shortcuts for frequent users: As the frequency of use increases, so
does the desire to reduce the number of interactions and increase the pace of
interaction. Abbreviations, special keys, and keyboard commands are all ways
of useful for frequent users. Short response times and fast display rates are
also attractive to frequent users.
Provide good support to handle errors: Design the system to reduce the
likelihood of error. If an error is made, try to offer simple and comprehensible
mechanisms for handling the error e.g. by just changing the faulty part of a
message but only needing to repair the faulty part.
Provide easy reversal of actions: and clearly marked exits As much as
possible, actions should be reversible. This relieves the anxiety since the user
knows that errors can be undone, and encourages exploration of an unfamiliar
system. Users also do not like to feel trapped by the computer, so in order to
increase the users feeling of being in control of the dialogue, the system
should offer an easy way out of as many situations as possible. For example
all dialogue boxes should have a cancel option, and web sites should have a
return to home link.
Navigation
The user should always know where he is and how he can navigate in order
to reach the desired information. This can be achieved by using overviews,
table of contents, index, navigational diagrams, fish eye view, etc. The user
should be able to return to previous stages in the dialogue using an Undo
facility.
The ease with which the user can navigate through a system is vital to its
overall level of usability. One of the most common design faults with a
multimedia system is to present a screen containing graphical objects which is
visually attractive, but where and it is not clear what are control, input or
output areas, and what is simply the background. By creating a common style
and screen areas for interaction controls and input and output areas, the user
quickly learns where to look to interact with the system.
For many multimedia applications, screen buttons may be represented in
many different ways such as standard grey 3D button, a circle and a label, or
simply as a graphical shape or part of a graphic, drawing or image.
It is important that the user can determine which elements of a screen are
buttons so that they know to press upon then. The easiest way to achieve this
is by making them look like 3D buttons as they are well recognised in
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Windows style interfaces. However designers often want to achieve a

distinctive design that looks different to the standard. Here it is important that
buttons have a consistent appearance.
With the technique of providing a spot and a label (such as a location of a
town on a map) the user may be unsure whether to click on the name of the
town or the spot itself. It is therefore useful to allow them to click on both.
Where buttons are placed in a row, such as on a navigation bar, they should
be grouped sensibly together and placed in a logical sequence.
Icons are small pictorial symbols used on computer menus, windows, and
screens representing certain capabilities of the system. An icon may be any
symbol, image or pictograph used to represent a concept, idea or physical
object. Their application provides the following benefits:
1. They can support of the extensive human ability of pattern recognition.
2. They can offer language independence to use of products in different
countries.
3. They reduce required space for information presentation.
4. They offer a certain level of aesthetic appeal.
However, the design of icons for a device has to be carried out with care if
they are to be effective.
The Use of Colour
Colour is important in the effective display and hardware design because: it
makes the screen layout attractive; may reduce users interpretation errors;
emphasises logical organisation of the information; and is very efficient at
drawing the user's attention to a given part of the screen.
Colour is however, difficult to use correctly. The environment affects human
colour perception e.g. lighting conditions may change the colours seen to less
effective ones in display terms. Annoying after-images may be produced if a
block of saturated colour is on display for a period of time. In addition, colour
'blindness' may significantly alter the appearance of a display for those
affected by it, e.g. approximately 5% of men have difficulty distinguishing
between shades of red and green.

The main guidelines for colour are as follows:

1. Don't use too many different colours. Shades of colour, greys, and
pastel colours are often the best. Colour coding should be limited to no
more than 5 to 7 different colours although highly trained users can
cope with up to 11 shades.

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2. Make sure the interface can be used without colour as many users
have colour impairment. Colour coding should therefore be combined
with other forms of coding such as shape, size or text labels.
3. Try to use colour only to categorize, differentiate and highlight, and not
to give information, especially quantitative information.

The Use of Text

Text is the most widely used and flexible means of presenting information on
screen and conveying ideas. The designer should not necessarily try to
replace textual elements with pictures or sound, but should consider how to
present text in an acceptable way and supplementing it with other media.
For a public system, where the eyesight of its users will vary considerably, a
clear reasonably large font should be used. Users will also be put off by the
display of large amounts of text and will find it hard to scan. To present tourist
information about a hotel, for example, information should be presented
concisely under clear separate headings such as location, services available,
prices, contact details etc.

Guidelines
Conventional upper and lower case text should be used for the presentation
since reading is faster compared to all upper case text.
All upper case can be used if a text item has to attract attention as in warnings
and alarm messages.
The length of text lines should be no longer than around 60 characters to
achieve optimal reading speed.
Only one third of a display should be filled with text.
Proportional spacing and ragged lines also minimises unpleasant visual
effects.
12 point text is the practical minimum to adopt for PC based screens, with the
use of 14 point or higher for screens of poorer resolution than a normal
desktop PC
If the users do not have their vision corrected for VDU use e.g. the public. It is
recommended that text of 16 point is preferred if it is to be usable by people
with visual impairments.
Sentences should be short and concise and not be split over pages.
Technical expressions should be used only where the user is familiar with
them from their daily routine, and should be made as understandable as
possible.

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The number of abbreviations used in an application should be kept to a

minimum. They should be used only when the abbreviation is routinely used
and where the shorter words lead to a reduction of information density.
Abbreviations should be used in a consistent way throughout an entire
multimedia application.
An explanation of the abbreviations used in the system should be readily
available to the user through on-line help facilities or at least through written
documentation.

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You Will Need to find a Client !

Assessment Pattern
1. You are to produce a professionally produced
final Creative Artefact meeting the clients
brief.
o You MUST use technology in some part of
the production!

2. A supporting journal (50%)

You CAN make this just for yourself but you

MUST document the processes.

During the early tutorials you will be

asked to name your client and
demonstrate work in progress.
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All work

MUST be of a professional standard worthy of presentation to

your client

REMEMBER you may have other assignments to hand in this week

therefore YOUR Project Management of this..... and the other
assessments is paramount !

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Feedback and Mark sheet
ARTEFACT 50%
Coherence [20%]

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 Does the work demonstrate coherence or structure?

Aesthetic and Technical Quality [50%]
Have the appropriate technical and/or practical skills
been used in the production?
Does the work fit within the codes and conventions of
existing practices and/or genres?
Does the work demonstrate originality or an imaginative
response?
Appropriateness [30%]
Does the work respond to the brief or chosen context?
Does the work address itself clearly to an appropriate
audience?
Was the work economically sound and completed within
the specified or chosen time-scale?

DOCUMENTATION & EVALUATION 50%

Project management [60%]
Is the project clearly outlined in the blog and does it
reflect the working process.
Evidence of Scoping the project.
Identification and use of project management tools and
procedures.
Evidence of monitoring the progress and control of the
project.
Indication of appropriate testing and QA procedures.
Evaluation [40%]
Does the author describe the project clearly and
concisely?
Does the author explain & justify the rationale for the
work?
Does the author describe the group organisation or other
participants clearly?
Does the essay consider the merits and problems of the
final artefact or event?
Does this include possible future developments

Marker:

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The Journal
Expected Layout for Project Management Elements
Title

Check
List

Content

Section
1

Section
2

Identifying a
Client and
initial Ideas

Scoping The
Project
(Project
Feasibility)

Identify a client

Identify the clients needs/ideas

Check this is suitable with Claire Sambrook before

progressing

Fill in a client form and return to Claire Sambrook

Meeting the client

Identifying clients previous multimedia experience

Understanding the breadth and depth of the project

Two interviews:

Developing a questionnaire (First Level)

Developing a questionnaire (Second Level)

(Initial costing) * not required in this instance

Section
3

Proposal
(Project Initiation)

A formal document but short document making and impact

quickly and clearly
Include:

Section
4

General introduction summarising section 1 from the

information given by your client

Statement of what the client wants

Statement of what the users require/gain from this

project

Description of the resources required

Project
Management
Methods and
Tools

Work breakdown and schedule (Gantt Chart)

Gantt Charts

Needs / SWOT analysis

(Detailed Project
Specification)

Risk Assessment

(Contracts) * not required in this instance

(Costs) * not required in this instance you may want to
indicate the potential costs

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Section
5

Section
6

Section
7

Asset
Production

Project
Development

Project
Delivery
(monitoring
progress and
control)

Section
8

Section
9

Testing

Signing Off
the project

Selecting the correct media

Sourcing the media where will it come from

Interface design storyboards, design drawings,

Flowcharts

Lots of visual examples colours, fonts, styles

Learning software or equipment

Production Phase

Creating the artefact

Review the project with you client

Ensure the project is running to plan

Check your assumption made earlier are still valid

Usability testing

Any errors or admissions

Correcting faults

Does the artefact meet the needs of the client and user

Agreeing the final project artefact with your client and

ensuring it meets the needs of the client and the user

(post
implementation
review)
Section
10

Final
Completion

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Final written evaluation of the artefact and your Project

Management experience including the interaction with your
client.

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Marking
Sheet
Examples

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Interface Design
Colour,
Usability
and
Accessibility

VISUAL DESIGN

There are typically six elementsthat can be found in most art

works:
1. Line
2. Colour
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3.
4.
5.
6.

Shape
Form
Space
Texture

Donis A Dondis 1973/2001 A Primer of Visual Literacy

MIT Press 0 262 54029 0

Karen Schriver 1997 Dynamics in Document Design

G Kress & T van Leeuwen 1996 Reading Images

Worth a look !
http://www.ryerson.ca/~ipederse/Schriver.htm

one

Some examples from previous students

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All other sections of the Journal will be formal but here it gives you the
chance to be creative and consider the options (colours, fonts, image and
styles that will make the artefact and the CD DVD cover look professional
and engaging.

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Teaching
and
Learning
Resources

Moodle Resource
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Where to find it
The CIPM website may be found at http://moodle.port.ac.uk/
Use your usual university log in to access moodle.
Once you are in this site you can access the CIPM unit from the Unit Details
page.

Look here for up to date information.

Go here to see slides from previous lectures.

Use the forum to discuss the course and share ideas.

Resources
Look under Resources in the unit pages to find PowerPoint and Adobe
Acrobat slides from lectures/or handouts.
Many of the slides in the presentations contain links to more information on
the Internet. Use these links to start exploring the subjects in more depth.
Review past lectures by reading the presentations. Make your own notes
when reading the presentations.
If you have any useful suggestions on how the presentations might be
improved email Gary Bown and let him know.
Communications
A great place to chat about the course and issues that arise!
Behaviour in the forum:

Be polite and courteous.

Take comments seriously, they may seem trivial to you, but could be
important to the author.

Posting offensive material is forbidden. Offensive material includes:

pornographic, threatening, harassing, sexual, religious, racial or
ethnically inappropriate comments.

Discussion of illegal activities is forbidden (software copying, for

example).

This forum may be accessible not only within the university but also to
external examiners and so on.
Student Homepages
If you wish, you may create your own homepage and publish it here. These
will only be viewable by students (and lecturers) on the course.
Feedback
Feedback on any aspect of this unit, or the course is very welcome. Email
Gary Bown with your ideas.

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Possible feedback areas:

Changes to the unit
Let me know any changes you would like to make to the unit in future years.
Be specific and give a reason why the unit would be better after this change.
Ideas for future units
The entertainment industry is constantly evolving. Our units need to do the
same. If you have any ideas of topics you would like covered in this or other
units let me know.

Referencing Guidelines
If you use other peoples ideas in your writing then you must indicate where
these ideas come from by referencing (or citing) them properly failure to do
this is known as plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence.
You must ensure that you appropriately cite the work of other authors using
the Harvard APA system.
Go the following URL for further information:
http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/studentsupport/ask/resources/
The document on the Harvard APA system is at The University Library
Website
It is recommended that you visit the Information skills web pages to access
useful study guides and workbooks. The following workbooks are highly
recommended:

Essay writing

Using other peoples work (this links to Bibliographic reference and

citation)

Writing well

You can find the workbooks on the Information Skills pages:

http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/studentsupport/ask/resources/

You must be within the University of Portsmouth domain to download the

workbooks.
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Recommended Web Sites

You can find links to these sites on the course website.
You may find interesting information on many websites, but not all of them are
suitable for referencing and quoting in your work.
Also remember that many sites hold information that is incorrect. For example
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ is a great place to go and find information on
film. However there are often omissions or factual errors here so you should
corroborate information you find here with other sources.
The following are acceptable places to reference:
http://www.apm.org.uk/
http://www.atsf.co.uk/manmult/book_1_intro.html
http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/userInterfaceDesign.html
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/methods_prince_2.asp
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/copy.htm
http://www.mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.ganttchart.com/
http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/highereducation/resources/EnglandFinneyManagi
ngInteractiveMedia4e/
http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/studentsupport/ask/
http://www.ucc.ie/hfrg/emmus/wp3doc.htm
http://wwwebdesigngeek.com/website-design/the-use-of-color-in-websitedesign/

When assessing whether a website is suitable for referencing think about who
the site is aimed at.
For example if the site is run by academics for academics it is likely to be
suitable for referencing. If a site is run by professionals for other professionals
and the content is professionally edited then it may be suitable.
If a site is providing a commercial service such as hiring or selling video kit
then it is unlikely to be suitable for referencing in your work (unless it is to
prove budgetary issues).

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APPENDIX

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Risk Assessment and Video

Forms
The following pages have some examples of
the forms required.
They can be downloaded from the websites
below.
http://ct.port.ac.uk/ra/ra.html

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Log Sheet

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If you find this Handbook please return to:

University of Portsmouth
Dept of Creative Technologies
Eldon Building
Winston Churchill Ave
Portsmouth
Hants
PO1 2DJ

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