Clients and agency stakeholders can and do engage in dump and run rush requests. Sometimes it’s their fault – they sat on a request and suddenly realized there was a time constraint. Many times it isn’t – they either got the rush request from their boss (likely someone in the C-suite) or they’re so overwhelmed with work that they had to put the project on the back burner until it became a crisis. It’s helpful to have some compassion for the perpetrator, but not necessary.
The fact is that, regardless of the cause and unfairness or unreasonableness of the rush request, we’re often still expected to just get it done. That being said, there are some best practices you can employ to set expectations and frankly establish a CYA should the project go sideways.
First – set expectations and educate the requestor on what’s involved with the execution of their request. Some constraints are like gravity – they exist whether the deadline is tight or not – like the time it takes for ink to dry on a print job. You can’t rush that. Also, if concepting or other activities associated with the ask need to be curtailed, point out that there might be some impact on the quality of the deliverable. Finally, there might be a need to reduce to scope of the project in order to hit the deadline. Maybe a talking head with a green screen might need to be employed instead of an on location production. Make sure to get this all agreed upon up front – in writing.
Second, a rush project will very likely cost more – either because of your team’s OT (if they’re hourly – otherwise, well, they could be exploited as salaried staff) or freelancer rush fees. Whether the cost gets charged back to the client’s budget or not – the greater enterprise is footing the bill one way or another. Please make sure to let the requestor know this. You don’t want there to be any surprises when the bill comes due. Make sure to get this in writing.
Third, you could offer to cut corners to make the deadline. The most obvious choice is to forgo proofreading and other QC. If you propose this option make sure you include a risk assessment so the client is aware (and accountable) for the decision should errors show up in the final published deliverable. Did I say yet to get it in writing?
Fourth – other agency projects could get put on the back burner. Is the stakeholder good with this? Are there others whose projects will be delayed because of this new priority who will be okay with this? Put that monkey squarely on the requestor’s back – get it off yours.
Finally, note that these types of rush requests can burn out your team and should be avoided whenever possible. Have your team’s back as much as you can.
Most likely, most clients and stakeholders are looking to be respectful of you and your team’s time and need to manage priorities in a way that is both good for your team’s health and the organization’s bottom line. Then there will be the consistent offenders who you’ll need to manage and possibly call out to upper management as a drain on your resources and the team’s ability to sustain a level of performance that meets your clients’ expectations. I know of one team that created an infographic that captured by client group (but without naming names) rush request offender data. Clients who saw the infographic were left to wonder whether they were the offenders. It had an impact.
Rush projects are a given for in-house creative teams and there can be legitimate business-critical reasons for those requests. That being said, it’s on us agency members to do our best to minimize and manage those requests in a way that ensures our and our team’s health and ability to powerfully contribute to our organizations.
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