By now you have seen that to be a multimedia "person" there are a few things you have to be aware of; such as, the roles and the products available with the kind of audience expected. In this section, let us take you through the process involved, albeit briefly.

This is not meant to be a lesson in Project management, or marketing for that matter, but as tomorrows multimedia experts you should be aware of the different aspects involved in making a multimedia product.

There are seven steps in the development of the multimedia product. This is typical of any product development really, except that there are some characteristics typical of a multimedia environment.

The seven steps are Management, Concept & Planning, Design & Prototype, Production, Testing, Distribution, and lastly Follow-up.

Experienced multimedia developers are surprised at how many new developers underestimate the importance of good management. In a sense, management is a form of navigation. Whether a project is a small custom application or a large-scale commercial venture, certain principles can help chart a course, maintain direction, work with a crew, and deal with challenges in order to reach the destination.

Two categories of management are commonly seen in multimedia today. The first is business management, which is the handling of the day-to-day operations and growth of a company. The second is project management, which entails the coordination of the creation of a specific project.

The principles involved in Business management are: developing a charter, also known as a mission statement. Defining a framework, defining skills and capabilities, creating a business plan amongst other things.

The principles involved in Project management are: estimating and coordinating finances, people and resources. It also requires overseeing legal issues, marketing and sales, amongst other things.

The concept provides an answer to the question, "What does this project do?". Every form of multimedia, kiosks, electronic books, interactive games, or presentations, begins with an idea or concept. Together with a plan, this concept defines a project. In a sense, a multimedia project is a journey with the concept forming the vision of the destination and the plan acting as the map.

Anyone can think of a concept, a family friend, a designer, an artist, a programmer, and anyone can help refine it. Whatever the source, the concept is often a simple statement that becomes a driving force throughout the life of a multimedia project.

The concept and planning stage is a time of asking such key questions as: what is the purpose and what are the major themes or messages? Who are the people that can make it happen? Who is the audience? The answers to these questions will vary but the underlying goal of the concept and planning stage is the same - to give shape to the idea so that it can be communicated, developed, and then delivered to the audience.

A prototype illustrates a design or an aspect of a design. It is not a finished product. The amount of content needed for prototyping is usually a fraction of what will be used in production.

A positive way to begin the design and prototype stage is to gather everyone involved with the project to discuss the project direction and plan. The design and prototype stage is also a time for refining the project plan, after determining accurate times for completing tasks.

At first glance, the prototype and production stages seem the same. Both involve creating and editing content or interactive use on the screen. But while production steps emphasize repetition, automation, fine quality, consistency, and volume output, prototyping emphasizes exploration, rough quality, trial runs, and evolving standards. Many of the same processes and techniques are used in both stages, but prototyping helps a team make decisions that will simplify and improve production processes.

Simply stated, the goal of production is to build and finish the project. "To finish" can mean to complete a CD-ROM title for distribution, to create and install a custom kiosk, or to fulfill whatever final requirements there could be in the contract with your client.

One of the challenges in organizing production of a multimedia project, or any project for that matter, is to specify all the tasks and interdependencies. This includes listing all tasks involved with generating, integrating, and testing content and interaction.

Each production task or responsibility in a multimedia project has a role associated with it. These responsibilities have to be divided into logical collections and then roles should be assigned to them.

Testing is a way of walking in the user's shoes before the user does to make sure the experience is complete, using as a map the specifications in the project plan or proposal.

Multimedia products are a careful balance of complex interdependent parts. The greater the degree of testing, the greater the degree of certainty that a multimedia project will succeed. Almost every creative development process involves some form of testing. For example, filmmakers test for continuity between shots, checking such details as making sure water in glasses is at the same levels or hats are worn at the same angle.

Multimedia development with its quick and frequent changes to code or design requires a flexible and interactive approach to testing. Testing should occur throughout a project. This test as you go philosophy has been mentioned by many multimedia developers.

Developers have a tendency to underestimate the value of distribution. They take the view that good products will always succeed.

The distribution of multimedia products is constantly changing because of new products, new distribution models, and the market competition. Just as products face competition at a feature level, they also face competition at a distribution level.

A product will not sell, no matter how much better it rivals a competitor's, if customers do not know about it, cannot find it, or will not pay the price listed.

The corporate kiosk has been installed in the company's lobby. The demo disk has been delivered to the client. The interactive children's book has finally reached the software store's shelf. The electronic magazine is in the mail. What's the next step?

While the shipment or delivery in formal terms, other less formal endings should occur to leave the production effort on a good note. At the same time, steps can be taken to help support a project as it moves into the marketplace. These can include areas such as maintenance, support and training as well as a customer relations, product feedback, and looking in new directions.

These new directions include ways to capitalize on past efforts through planning upgrades, or launching special programs to invite continued customer participation.