5 sign posts point way through beloved chaos we call production.

One thing every production has in common, from theater, to games, to film, to UPS. It’s leans toward chaos.

1. Define

On any project it’s the first thing to know. Are your expectations too high, or worse, too low?

I believe it’s an important first step in any project to define, understand and embrace your expectations. Align your expectations with your goal. Understanding your expectations focuses your entire process, what’s important and what’s less so. During the process you quickly see what might be falling short, what needs tweaking, and critically, what’s unnecessary.

It helps keep your process focused on the essentials to success.

2. Choreograph

What’s next?

Every step of your process leads to the next step. You need to know. If you’re not sure that’s a big problem.

As much as creativity demands a certain willingness to fly blind, in truth, no business can fly blind for long. There’s a lot of mountains out there!

I’ve always thought of a production pipeline like a dance. Each step is both a necessity and an opportunity. You need to get organized and create an efficient workflow, but you also can infuse a process with a measure of creativity integrity.

Every spreadsheet and character sketch is an opportunity to explore different ways to get there. How about a word about ballroom dancing? Bear with me.

In dancing, the dancer that finds a new way to tango is champion. The tango doesn’t change, but the creativity in execution makes the difference. Choreograph your work and unleash the spirit at the core of your process.

3. Test & Learn

Every step you take is a better step with preparation. That means test your process first.

It’s amazing how many people skip this crucial step in a complex process. Flying by the seat of your pants simply means you leak cash. If you have deep pockets, of course, be my guest, but most of us don’t have deep pockets, and most of us have responsibilities to a bottom line, not to mention you actually want your team to keep their jobs! So begin with a test. The more complex your prices the more you need to test.

And apply what you learn to make your process better, leaner, more efficient. The time to uncover efficiencies is before you begin.

4. Think Platform

Technological application shapes content. Understand the compromises you face as you develop content.

Every platform is an opportunity. Executions can be nuanced to take advantage of the technology and create the most dynamic user experience and isn’t that the end game?

5. Think Data

A final word about data. Spend the most of your time on your data filters. You can easily get drowned in data. Define what you’re looking for and find it. You don’t need to know everything. You need to know the important thing.

Streamframe is a wizard at intricate production puzzles. It provides a dynamic production template. Your project stays focused on results. Your ROI is protected.

Originally published at www.mchale.nyc on May 5, 2016.