Dependencies and timelines

An example of a Gantt chart, related to the production of a brochure.

It’s important to take the time to understand your timelines and dependencies for creating each asset and communication.

Start at the launch date, working backward to understand when you need to start preparing things. Third parties will often have lead times so remember to factor this in.

One of the hardest things is planning a series of tasks that rely on separate tasks before they can be started. For example, you can’t schedule a tweet until the copy and image have been created. Everything has a structure, and, to some degree, a predetermined timeline. Fortunately, there are a number of tools we can use, from a traditional Gantt chart through to complex tools like Jira. Other alternatives include Trello, Monday.com and Basecamp. By visualising the dates using a project management tool it becomes much simpler to plan and manage your time.