Editorial planning

An editorial work plan is essential for  setting project timelines for the publication to be released in a timely manner . Work plans guide the team responsible for project execution and offer clients a clear understanding of the process and steps necessary to achieve publication goals.

The choice of the method to provide a well-organised overview of project tasks, including clear timelines will vary from team to team but ideally the overall goal should be to the project schedule, ensuring that the timelines at each stage are met.

To create an effective timeline, you should first identify the project’s purpose and give it a meaningful name, then list the project’s goals and consider any holidays, weekends, and days off that may affect the project’s timeline. Finally, if you are working with a team, consider which team member is best suited to carry out a particular task.

Creating a scope statement can help you identify the deliverables you plan to produce by the publications’s end. From there, you can create a list that identifies all that  needs to be done for the publication. This might include the editing, checking the bibliography, identifying the text that you would want represented as an infographic, the sort of photos needed and so on. This will help you to identify from the get-go if there any gaps that need to be addressed, so that you are not scrambling further down the line.

As you create your work plan, be sure to determine project dependencies and set a start and end date for the publication. As you label each task, specify the requirements for completion. Finally, tracking your progress will ensure that you stay on track and make good progress towards achieving your publication goals.