Project Management for an Interior Designer

By Neil Gordon

As an Interior Designer you have a clear function as a Leader and as a Project Manager. A Project Manager focuses on one job at a time. As your business continues on and on, a project has a beginning and an end. The business of Interior Design is made up of these projects. Each project needs to have a vision similar to your overall vision for your company.

Napoleon said: “A leader is a dealer in hope”. Hope implies a sense of expectations, and to give this sense, you must offer a clear vision of what will come, a picture your clients and your team can grasp. Any vision of a goal must have a purpose. In decorating what is our purpose? That’s easy: Its complete client satisfaction. What’s not so easy is how to achieve it.

Let’s breakdown the steps of what it takes to keep our promise as well as the actual steps of what it takes to be a Project Manager:

1) Define the Objective

This is different for each job. On one project it may mean creating an intricate drapery design on an arched window. On another job, you may be designing and installing a custom library.

2) Develop a Strategy

On most projects you know what the objectives are, that part is clear. To reach these goals you must have an organization in place. Your core team of employees and/or vendors must understand the vision of the job. To do this you need to establish processes, systems and tools. Additionally, you need to maintain momentum during the production phase of the job and it is up to you to provide the motivation.

3)  Strategize on a Solution

As you work with each member of your team, you need to determine what requirements are needed to fulfill the job. This is done through analyzing the proposed solutions and coming up with strategies and if necessary, alternative strategies to achieve the desired results.

4) Create a Vision

Just as you planned your 5 year Strategic Vision, you need to craft a clear and inclusive vision for each project. Your mission is to sell your vision with examples and stories of your plans. Also, it is important to encourage cost reduction of your vendors through the elimination of costly mistakes. Why? Because your vendors will try to make up their errors at your expense, on the next job you do together.

5) Communication

Communication is the key to keeping everything on track. As a Project Manager it should be 90% of your job. Always remember to focus on the positive, speak from experience and be prepared with a solution. It is important to remember that this job requires taking your time and focusing on the details. As General George Patton once said, “Haste is speed without planning”.

To learn more about business development for your Design business, visit my website: www.thedesignerscoach.com. We offer great on-line courses in The Designer's Coach Business School. Visit the site or let me know if I can be of service to you. neil@thedesignerscoach.com

To your success,

Neil Gordon

The Designer's Coach

Comments from Debbie,

Many people in this industry can design and sell but many fall short in the Project Management arena. Managing a project is usually time consuming so many people decide to take short cuts. Sometimes people don't write out a detailed work order and wonder why the workroom did not add welting along the top of a valance, they forget to order hardware that takes six weeks, or maybe they forget to call the painter that is always four weeks behind. All of these details should be addressed and planned at the beginning of the project.

I have attended several of Neil's online classes and found them very beneficial. In fact, Neil and I hit it off so well I am teaching an online class for him on December 5, 2007 "Technology in a Window Covering Business". Neil offers a wide variety of classes on his website, check out his website for a complete listing.

If you know someone who could benefit from these newsletters please forward this newsletter, or suggest that they sign up to receive their own newsletter.