You can learn a lot about project organization by examining how different algorithms sort numbers. Take a look at this:

As you can see, there are several different ways for computers to sort numbers. While they all end up getting the correct result, there are faster (i.e. better) implementations. Similarly, there are different ways of organizing and executing projects. A project could be executed like an insertion sort, with each new task addressed only in reference to tasks that have already been finished. The problem with this type of execution is seen at about 2:30 in the video- even after the algorithm has chunked through a substantial amount of the data, you don’t have a very good picture of what the final result will look like. For a project, this is a disaster – you can’t see the forest for the trees.

This is because planning and execution have to exist in concert, informing each other through a series of iterative sweeps. Honestly – how many projects have you completed that were done in the exact order that they were planned? This doesn’t mean planning is irrelevant, it just means it has to be fluid. Look instead at the shell sort – the beauty of this algorithm is that it does a series of passes, allowing the algorithm to operate (execute) on a set of data that is being continuously optimized (planned). As a project management technique, this method allows the execution of tasks to inform the way the overall plan evolves.

Great. What does this mean for a creative project? There’s a certain hierarchy of things to consider when making an album:

I. Concept
II. Themes
III. Characters
IV. Songs
V. Verses
VI. Words

Or – in an album, the main concept is represented by a set of themes which are portrayed by characters in songs composed of verses that are made up of words. Iteratively sweeping through these elements allows you to gradually zero in on the final result while building a sense of internal trust in your work. This trust enables you to focus on your most brilliant ideas, instead of worrying about how each idea works relative to the overall structure. Songs become collages – structures becomes flexible (which suits the abstract lyrical focus of Jubilee). In addition to being a logical way to work, it also is extremely practical (for me). The way my life is structured, I can’t hole up Walden-style and crank out a masterpiece in a few months – and that’s OK. This system allows me to work when I have the time.

Tags: Jubilee, Music, Project Management

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.