Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: What do you use to plan big translation projects? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
| Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 09:30 Turkish to English + ...
I have never really planned a project as such. I certainly need to look carefully at the job before I start to be sure that I can meet the deadline, but after that I just make a start. I generally work through the files in the order the client sent them to me. I start by translating the first file, when that is finished, go on to the second, and so on until I complete the last file. Is there really that much for an individual freelancer to plan? I don't think so. | | | Excel spreadsheet | Feb 25, 2014 |
That's also my answer to Sandrine's question. My sheet includes client name, PO, job title, source language, date received, deadline, date delivered, # of words, rate, date invoiced, date paid, fees charged, and notes. Sandrine Zérouali wrote: Hello everybody, In fact, my question was changed a little bit by Proz. They added "big" whereas I wanted to know "How do you manage your projects day-to-to not to forget any job to deliver; where you put the client name, the type of project (translation, editing), volume, deadline?" For example, I use a diary (paper way) in which I put all my projects. I have a friend that writes her weekly programm on sheets of paper, some people use also a software like TO 3000. And you? Sandrine For big projects, the only additional thing I do is enter a daily quota in my calendar. I don't go to bed until I've met my quota. Christine Andersen In both cases, pen or pencil and | | | Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 09:30 Turkish to English + ...
Sandrine Zérouali wrote: Hello everybody, In fact, my question was changed a little bit by Proz. They added "big" whereas I wanted to know "How do you manage your projects day-to-to not to forget any job to deliver; where you put the client name, the type of project (translation, editing), volume, deadline?" For example, I use a diary (paper way) in which I put all my projects. I have a friend that writes her weekly programm on sheets of paper, some people use also a software like TO 3000. And you? Sandrine Now I understand. I just keep this information in my head, with the client's e-mails in my inbox there if I need them. I rarely work on more than one job at a time, and I can't imagine that I would ever forget who I am doing my current job for, or what the deadline is. I would only ever break off from a large job to do a very short translation (not much more than one hour) for another client, and again I find it inconceivable that I would forget either who I am doing the short job for or who the client of my longer assignment is. When it is time to deliver, I usually go back to the client's e-mail to find the address to deliver to, unless it is one of my very regular clients whose e-mails I know by heart. I do use a paper diary to keep a log of the time that I work on each project so that I can work out what my hourly earnings were and whether I met my earnings target, but not for details of things such as the client or deadline. | | |
I use categories and flags in Outlook. When there are many small jobs in the week or in general much smaller issues to handle I use outlook calender, which synschronises with my google calender, so all my devices remind me what to do next. | |
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Samantha Payn United Kingdom Local time: 07:30 Member (2008) Russian to English + ... Accounting software | Feb 25, 2014 |
Sandrine Zérouali wrote: Hello everybody, In fact, my question was changed a little bit by Proz. They added "big" whereas I wanted to know "How do you manage your projects day-to-to not to forget any job to deliver; where you put the client name, the type of project (translation, editing), volume, deadline?" For example, I use a diary (paper way) in which I put all my projects. I have a friend that writes her weekly programm on sheets of paper, some people use also a software like TO 3000. And you? Sandrine I used to use an Excel file which also served as the database for invoicing. About three years ago I bought Quickbooks for my invoicing and I now also use it for planning. When a new job comes in I prepare an "Estimate" within Quickbooks - this never gets sent to the client, but means that within Quickbooks I have a screen with all current jobs listed on it. For some clients who send me multiple small jobs I simply add each one to that month's "estimate". If things get really complicated I date the estimates by their deadlines, and can then sort the screen in deadline order. There is also a memo field in which I can make a note, which is visible in the list of "estimates". I delete the "estimates" once I've invoiced the job(s). Although it looks complicated written out like that it works very well for me, and means that invoicing is a breeze In addition I have a Work in Progress file on my desktop, and once work is completed I move the work files to my customer files. | | | Diarmuid Kennan Ireland Local time: 07:30 Member (2006) Danish to English + ...
I have a whiteboard hanging on the wall of my home office. It helps me keep track of all my projects and deadlines. It also serves as a means of communication with my wife, who works with me and does all the book-keeping. I couldn't manage without it. | | | Ventnai Spain Local time: 08:30 German to English + ...
I also have a small whiteboard for when things get complicated - lots of different projects for different customers. It helps me see where I can fit in more work. A big project presents fewer problems really - just calculate how long it will take and offer a deadline. | | | Anne Bohy France Local time: 08:30 English to French
Sandrine Zérouali wrote: I wanted to know "How do you manage your projects day-to-day not to forget any job to deliver; where you put the client name, the type of project (translation, editing), volume, deadline?" For example, I use a diary (paper way) in which I put all my projects. I have a friend that writes her weekly programm on sheets of paper, some people use also a software like TO 3000. And you? Sandrine In the past, I've used an accounting software (QuickBooks, too complicated for what I needed, and unable to handle different currencies) plus hand-written notes to remember all current jobs... Now I've moved to TO3000, I enter each new job info as soon as I receive it, and TO3000 updates automatically its schedule view, which I can check now and then, so that I don't have to maintain any kind of hand-written notes... For my accounting, I export data to an Excel file, that's enough. | |
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Anthony Baldwin United States Local time: 03:30 Portuguese to English + ... rolled my own | Feb 25, 2014 |
In the past I have used TransProCalc for at least management of some of the logistical and financial aspects of managing larger projects that I was sharing (outsourcing) with other colleagues. Now I am in the process of creating TransProCloud which will serve a similar purpose, but also include clients and providers databases and other features (at this juncture the client/... See more In the past I have used TransProCalc for at least management of some of the logistical and financial aspects of managing larger projects that I was sharing (outsourcing) with other colleagues. Now I am in the process of creating TransProCloud which will serve a similar purpose, but also include clients and providers databases and other features (at this juncture the client/provider DBs are about the only part production ready, whereas most of the project management stuff has been on hold for a while as I've been busy). TransProCloud will run on a webserver (php/mysql stuff), where TransProCalc is a desktop application. Both are Free/Open Source Software. ▲ Collapse | | |
A sheet with clients (columns), info (rows) and colours, month by month...and another one for invoicing related info. | | | Evans (X) Local time: 07:30 Spanish to English + ...
I've always kept a job book, going back to 1983 when I began to have more than a few jobs at a time. I've thrown away most of the very old ones, but I still have those that cover the last 5 to 10 years. They are interesting to consult regarding clients, rates, particular jobs. Also I like being able to check it when I'm not on the computer. My numbering system, which I changed after a few years so it doesn't reflect my entire translation career, tells me that I have clocked up over 8000 differen... See more I've always kept a job book, going back to 1983 when I began to have more than a few jobs at a time. I've thrown away most of the very old ones, but I still have those that cover the last 5 to 10 years. They are interesting to consult regarding clients, rates, particular jobs. Also I like being able to check it when I'm not on the computer. My numbering system, which I changed after a few years so it doesn't reflect my entire translation career, tells me that I have clocked up over 8000 different jobs. ▲ Collapse | | | neilmac Spain Local time: 08:30 Spanish to English + ...
I don't really plan anything much and tend to go with the flow. I keep all my work-related documents in a folder called Work, inside which there is a folder for each client, containing the jobs from them in folders arranged chronologically (year, month, day). | |
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Mario Chavez (X) Local time: 03:30 English to Spanish + ... Use MS Outlook as dynamic calendar for projects | Feb 25, 2014 |
Szymon Metkowski wrote: I use categories and flags in Outlook. When there are many small jobs in the week or in general much smaller issues to handle I use outlook calender, which synschronises with my google calender, so all my devices remind me what to do next. Thanks, Szymon, for bringing up a sensible option: MS Outlook. I have been using MS Outlook for years and years: 1) I use Outlook 2007, where you can add calendar things and color them by category: Project deadlines, Contract work, Doctor's visit, etc. 2) A quick look at the To-Do Bar on the right shows me all the things I'm supposed to pay attention in that given week. 3) I have two big folders in my Outlook PST file: PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL. The latter has subfolders on anything imaginable, such as Clients, Finances, Software & Subscriptions (for the software packages and trade magazines I buy and keep), etc. 4) Under Clients, I have folders for each customer. And under each customer (Hansa, for example, is a client) I have subfolders per year, and per project number or name. It sounds complicated but it works as a system for me. The main point is to make things immediately visible. I use Outlook 24/7 all year round. I also plan conferences to attend, work lunches, university classes I teach, etc. Like Szymon, I sync my Outlook calendar and email accounts with my iPhone 4S via iTunes (my choice). That way, I can add, delete or modify calendar entries at will. Top that with an Excel sheet. | | | We do the same | Feb 25, 2014 |
Diarmuid Kennan wrote: I have a whiteboard hanging on the wall of my home office. It helps me keep track of all my projects and deadlines. It also serves as a means of communication with my wife, who works with me and does all the book-keeping. I couldn't manage without it. We do the same thing here. Even down to my wife handling most of the accounting. We were very excited to upgrade to a bigger whiteboard this year, we just didn't have enough room for all our projects ^_^ | | | Mario Chavez (X) Local time: 03:30 English to Spanish + ... Using whiteboards | Feb 25, 2014 |
Triston & Gaby wrote: Diarmuid Kennan wrote: I have a whiteboard hanging on the wall of my home office. It helps me keep track of all my projects and deadlines. It also serves as a means of communication with my wife, who works with me and does all the book-keeping. I couldn't manage without it. We do the same thing here. Even down to my wife handling most of the accounting. We were very excited to upgrade to a bigger whiteboard this year, we just didn't have enough room for all our projects ^_^ Whiteboards have some advantages (they are very visible!) over an Excel spreadsheet or a tiny calendar. However, it boils down to a matter of personal convenience or taste. I had two whiteboards that I used to jot down some ideas and projects, but then I quickly forgot about them. They became invisible. So I took them down. | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: What do you use to plan big translation projects? Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
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