The Director Sector

I really like to cook, even though I’m not great at it. So when Devilvet posed a challenge to write a 500 word recipe on a theatrical endeavor, I figured I’d give it a shot.

This is a recipe that I’ve come up with in response to problems that I faced a lot in my undergraduate program. The drama club always had these grand ideas for fundraisers, talent shows, and full-on theatrical productions. All too often, the plans would be met with great enthusiasm but by the time the next meeting rolled around, the project would have been dropped. The result was that the drama club rarely did anything productive. I once proposed a solution, but due to general apathy, it never really caught on. I am posting this recipe in hopes that another group out there could use some help.

Recipe for Getting Things Done in an Organization

Ingredients:

• Team Leader
• Team Members
• Paper
• Pen/Pencil
• Patience

Instructions:

1. Team leader should decide upon a project to pursue.
2. Document basic ideas and sparse outline of project. Focus on the needs of the project, specifically as they relate to finances and to team resources.
3. At a project or group meeting, team leader should present basic project idea and outline to the group. The idea here is to explain to the group what exactly the team leader is asking from them. In addition, the team should try and anticipate problems based on previous experiences (see step 7).
4. Team members should agree to participate. Ideally, the project should be a coalition of the willing. In addition, there should be a clear chain of command. For example, the team leader might have the final say over the project decisions or the team might decide on a committee to make the final decisions.
5. Once approved, set multiple deadlines for various aspects of the project. For example, if the team were organizing a show, then the designs should be in by the 10th of the month, the set and lights in place by the 20th of the month, etc. The final deadline, of course, should determine the rest of the deadlines. Plan them realistically.
6. Communicate with team members regarding progress, problems, and solutions. More communication means fewer complications and mistakes. Don’t spend too much time communicating though, or the team will never get anything done.
7. Once the project is complete, hold a post-mortem meeting to ask and document the answers to the following questions:
   1. What went right?
   2. What went wrong?
   3. If the team were to do it all over again, how would they do things differently?
8. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Notes: The two biggest points here are communication and accountability. By communicating effectively with one another, the team can avoid most of the problems they might otherwise run into. My documenting everything — from proposal to outlines to deadlines to post-mortem — the team is establishing accountability and records. Without accountability, it’s far too easy to drop the project or lose interest.

(354 words)