We are finalizing all the plans for the workshop I am helping teach in a couple of weeks in Romania. Through all of this, there are things I am making notes about for any future workshops.

After reviewing some of my notes, here are some tips that are not just about workshops but really apply to everyday assignments and projects.

1) Be Prepared–I think another way of thinking of this is to continue to review and think of anything you can do now that will improve your work. We used to joke in agency work that the person in charge of the deadline was the FedEx or UPS guy; when they come to pick up the package, that is when it is complete.

So until you leave your house or workplace to go to a job, you still have time to make changes and adjust.

Being prepared is making a list of all the gear you need to contact, all travel plans, and most importantly, being sure you have prepared those you will work with on the project. Do they know all they need to do before you arrive? Have they had time to dialogue with you about their responsibilities?

Do you have your contingency plans in place as well? That is when you don’t just have plan B but C, D, E, and so on.

2) Learn from previous jobs–It never fails that while doing a job, I don’t realize there was something like miscommunication that creates a bump in the road for a project. Each time I make a mental note about how to avoid this in the future. Most of the time, I do, and then the next project, another new thing is put on the list.

While I was in Honduras last October, just after we arrived, we sat down to go over the ‘RULES.’ They numbered them, and after we reviewed the list, we signed a piece of paper saying we had reviewed the rules and would abide by them.

The last thing we said was a great way to think of why we have these lists in the first place. The leader said that through the years, as situations arose that caused problems, the organization created a rule to put on the list. “Please, people, think and use your common sense; we don’t want a new ‘RULE’ because of your time here.”

James Dockey talks to the group about how he would approach shooting nighttime shots for b-roll use later for their projects. [Fuji X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/30]

3) Create a Timeline–Think through each step and what needs to happen at that step. What must you have done by then, and what will you need to make that happen? I suggest talking this through with someone and asking them to see if a step is left out. If you do this to the end, you will have done your best to plan for every project phase.

I like to think of creating a timeline as reverse engineering your project. Reverse engineering, also called back engineering, is the process of extracting knowledge or design information from anything manufactured or reproducing it based on the extracted data. The process often involves disassembling something (a mechanical device, electronic component, computer program, biological, chemical, or organic matter) and analyzing its features and workings in detail.

4) Intentional Communication–You need to create a dialogue and not just a list to hand out to people that need to be a part of the process. You may say, “Here is a timeline I have created for this project. Here are the specific areas I see us working together on, and can you see if you agree with this or have changes I need to make? My goal here is to be sure we have adequately planned for this project and to make this a great success for everyone involved.”

Remember, if they are a part of the project, you need them, and you need them to help you see what they need from you to help them meet your expectations and the team’s expectations.

James Dockey taught everyone how important pastries were. In addition, he was teaching us how to have fun and build relationships with everyone–even the worker at the pastry shop. [Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 7200, ƒ/8, 1/100]

5) Put the priority on the people and not the project–Too often, we tend to concentrate on getting the task done, which has us looking at the shortest distance from A to B.

Pretty much everything that became a ‘RULE’ involved a person. The success of a project then, at the root, relies on how people perform. People’s performance often comes down to how well they feel treated by those involved in the project.

Don’t use the philosophy, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” to decide if a person is OK with everything if they don’t complain. Instead, take the time to get to know your team. The key to success is when everyone feels appreciated and accepted by one another.

Treating someone with honor, dignity, and respect does not mean you agree with the person on everything. No two people will ever agree on everything. If so, then one of them is not necessary.

Everybody is better at something than you. The key to getting the best performance out of people truly is making it your job to be sure you recognize another person’s strengths and tell them.

Make the relationships more important than the end product; if you do this, the project will be more successful than making it more of a priority than the people involved.

6) Go with the flow–When you try to oversteer a car, you wiggle the vehicle back and forth. Once you start to look further down the road and relax, the car needs less steering. The vehicle will steer itself if it is properly aligned. Your hand makes minor adjustments to the steering wheel. So too, should your project be produced.