If you are planning to launch a Kickstarter campaign for your creative project, you might think that you can do it all by yourself. After all, it’s your vision, your passion, and your responsibility. However, the truth is that you will need a team of people to help you make it happen. A team that can support you, advise you and collaborate with you. But how do you build and manage such a team? How do you communicate and coordinate their efforts? How do you work with them to ensure quality and coordination? These are some of the questions that I will try to answer in this blog post based on previous experience from discussing with my clients.

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Who is on your team?

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The first thing you need to do is to identify who is on your team and what role they play in your project. Depending on the nature and scope of your project, you might need different types of people with different skills and expertise. Here are some of the common roles that you might need to fill:

Business partners

Investors/advisers

Artists

Designers

Developers

Manufacturers

Video editors

Advertisers

Kickstarter backers

Facebook fans/Twitter followers

Rules proofreaders/translators

Cultural consultants

International production partners

Freight shippers

Fulfillment centers

Distributors/retailers

Replacement part helpers

Bloggers/podcasters/reviewers

Conventions/convention volunteers

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Of course, not all of these roles are applicable to every project. You might need more or less people depending on your specific needs and resources. However, these are some of the common roles that you might encounter or need to coordinate.

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How do you communicate and coordinate with them?

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The second thing you need to do is to communicate and coordinate with your team effectively and efficiently. Communication and coordination are essential for any team to work well together and achieve their goals. However, they can also be challenging and time-consuming, especially when you have a large and diverse team.

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Here are some tips on how to communicate and coordinate with your team:

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- Use the right tools for communication and coordination. There are many tools available that can help you communicate and coordinate with your team online or offline, such as e-mail, phone, chat, video call, calendar, task manager, file sharing, etc. Choose the tools that suit your needs best and that are easy to use and access for everyone on your team.

- Establish clear expectations and deadlines for communication and coordination. Communicate clearly what you expect from each person on your team in terms of their role, responsibilities, deliverables, and deadlines. Make sure everyone understands and agrees on the scope and timeline of your project. Use tools like calendars, task managers, or file sharing to keep track of the progress and status of your project.

- Communicate and coordinate regularly and proactively. Don’t wait until the last minute or until something goes wrong to communicate and coordinate with your team. Communicate and coordinate frequently and consistently throughout your project. Use tools like e-mail, phone, chat, or video call to update, inform, consult, or collaborate with your team. Be responsive and respectful to your team’s messages and requests.

- Communicate and coordinate effectively and efficiently. Don’t waste your team’s time or attention with unnecessary or irrelevant communication and coordination. Communicate and coordinate only when something needs to be discussed or decided that can’t be done over e-mail. Use tools like agendas, minutes, or action items to make your communication and coordination meetings productive and focused.

- Communicate and coordinate positively and constructively. Don’t let your communication and coordination become a source of conflict or frustration for your team. Communicate and coordinate with a positive and constructive attitude. Use tools like feedback, praise, or recognition to motivate and appreciate your team. Be open-minded and flexible to your team’s ideas and suggestions.

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How do you work with them to ensure quality and coordination?

The third thing you need to do is to work with your team to ensure the quality and coordination of your project. Quality and coordination are crucial for any project to meet the standards and expectations of your backers and customers. However, they can also be challenging and costly, especially when you have a large and diverse team.

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Here are some tips on how to work with your team to ensure quality and coordination:

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- Try hard to communicate clear expectations and deadlines up front. One of the best ways to ensure quality and coordination is to communicate clear expectations and deadlines up front. This will help you avoid misunderstandings, errors, or delays that might compromise the quality and coordination of your project. Make sure everyone on your team knows what they need to do, how they need to do it when they need to do it, and why they need to do it.

- Only have meetings when something needs to be discussed and can’t be discussed over e-mail. Another way to ensure quality and coordination is to only have meetings when something needs to be discussed over e-mail. This will help you save time and resources that might affect the quality and coordination of your project. Make sure your meetings are necessary, relevant, and productive. Use tools like agendas, minutes, or action items to make your meetings effective and efficient.

- When you request work, compensate fairly and promptly. A third way to ensure quality and coordination is to request work from your team members and compensate them fairly and promptly. This will help you build trust and loyalty with your team members, which will improve the quality and coordination of your project. Make sure you agree to the terms and conditions of the work, such as the scope, price, payment method, and delivery date. Use tools like contracts, invoices, or payment services to make your transactions secure and smooth.

- Try a small sample before going big. A fourth way to ensure quality and coordination is to try a small sample before going big. This will help you test the quality and coordination of your team members before committing to a larger or longer project. Make sure you provide clear feedback and suggestions for improvement to your team members. Use tools like prototypes, demos, or reviews to evaluate the quality and coordination of your project.

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