Have you experienced frustration, delay or an overblown budget when developing medical communications? Here are some simple principles to help keep your projects on time and on budget:
- At the project outset determine the objective, the primary audience and budget. The format, structure, style and length of the piece should be agreed with all stakeholders, such as the project lead (primary client contact), all reviewers of the material, the medical writer and graphic designer.
- Ensure all people involved have the right skill and expertise for the job.
- Spell out and agree the process for material development, the role of all stakeholders and the process for material review.
- Set realistic deadlines and stick to them. It is important all stakeholders commit to the agreed time frame.
- Strike while the iron is hot. Avoid lengthy delays between drafts as efficiencies and motivation wane over time. Important pieces of information may be forgotten and often time is lost “getting back up to speed”.
- Ensure clear communication throughout the process. Avoid ambiguous comments. Clarify important information as soon as possible, remembering sometimes for particular circumstances it may be more effective to communicate verbally or in-person.
- Try to offer alternatives, suggestions and specific wording, rather than a comment to change the content. This enables the reviewer to consider the feasibility of the amendment, avoid any miscommunication and expedite the review process.
- Before submitting the piece for rework or review, all stakeholders should check and double-check their work and comments in line with the agreed project parameters.
