Planning is an essential part in the process of product design. By outlining the scope when designing a product you will be equipped to identify and avoid roadblocks that would otherwise steer your progress off track.
One of the most effective tools for planning your ui ux design 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 the process of product design.
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. It will also help break down the process of product design into smaller sections that will lead to effective Agile Project Management.
An effective timeline within the Stages Of Project Management is key to creating satisfied clients and increasing profitability because a shared understanding of what will happen during the process of product design removes roadblocks and creates accountability for both parties.
User story mapping is a facilitated, curated conversation that brings everyone along for the journey. - Nick Muldoon, Co-CEO Easy Agile
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 detailing the stages of project management. 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 while planning the Stages Of Project Management
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 ui ux design deliverable is a website, your sub-deliverables could include wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes, copywriting, mobile designs, and more. Listing out your individual project components will help you get a better sense of the scope when designing a product.
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 in the stages of project management, as well as the individual contributors or teams you’ll need to complete specific elements while designing a product.
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 the process of product design. 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 while designing a product.
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 and thus also improve communication skills.
Here are some of the best timeline creation and project management applications
Takeaway
When offering Product Design services, we want to understand our client's goals and plan for achieving them. We also want our clients to feel heard, to be included in the steps in product design process, and to be kept up to date on every little change made. The process of product design is essential to deliver the best user experience for customers. With the tech industry evolving rapidly, product design agencies require a lot of planning and execution for delivering top-notch ui ux design services.