Designing your project well from the start is fundamental to success.

Starting out right

Developing a storyboard

Client review and approval

Job estimating

Before you start implementing the project

It's easy to design something that can't be built or that won't run on many of the computers available to your audience. Find out what the lowest common denominator playback environment will be and design for it. Don't start designing a piece without this basic information about the target audience.
 
Developing a storyboard
After you decide what you want to do and for whom, it's time to start designing the project. There are many methods for designing a project, but at some point you need to get the ideas out in the open and recorded for others to review.

It doesn't matter how you do it. You can lock a group of creative types in a room, feed them sugar and caffeine, and not let them out until they're done. You can take a trip to Kauai and sit on the beach by yourself with a note pad and a daiquiri (although I don't know how much you'd get done). Warner Brothers cartoons were all created by writers and animators who sat in a room with a stenographer, having a wonderful time thinking up new schtick for Bugs to do. The only rule was that no one could say anything negative about somebody else's idea. Whichever process you choose is fine, as long as the result resembles a storyboard.

Following is a sample storyboard that I used quite successfully on a recent project. Use it as a starting point for your own storyboard standards.

Download the Windows file format (41K)
Download the Macintosh file format (88K)

 
Client review and approval
The storyboard informs the client what they'll get for their money. Experience and familiarity with a client will teach you the level of detail the storyboard should include.

In a sense, the storyboard is a binding document that clearly delineates the scope of a project so that you and the client understand exactly what you've agreed to. After the client approves the storyboard, you're obligated to give them what the storyboard describes. It's a two-sided deal: The clients know what they are going to get; you know what you can charge if they change their minds.

Storyboards should specify the visual details, text, voiceovers, and animation that the piece will contain. This gives clients a clear idea of what's going to be delivered before they sign off on it. For a more complex piece, consider building a quick prototype for the client to sign off on too.
 
Job estimating
Creating a storyboard forces you to see areas where extra effort may be required. It's a good idea for the storyboard to include details about the factors that affect estimates. Some typical things to include might be animations or notes on special programming requirements that require extra help from contractors.

With a detailed, well thought-out storyboard in hand, you can more accurately estimate the time and media acquisition needed for any project. You'll know how much art needs to be generated, you'll time the amount of voice-overs and video, and you'll understand the technical requirements.

However, don't storyboard too much detail. Put in just enough to meet the requirements. The storyboard should have enough detail to get client consensus and provide vendor guidelines.
 
Before you start implementing the project
Don't underestimate the need for thoroughness in designing and storyboarding before you begin building a multimedia project. My rule of thumb is that about one third of a project's effort should be spent on design. If you spend more time, you probably won't gain any benefit from the extra work. As a result, the extra design time adds to the total time of the project. If you spend less than about one third on design, you greatly increase the possibility of needing basic structural changes after implementation starts. This can also significantly add to the project's total time. Somewhere it's written that changes during the design phase are much cheaper than changes during implementation.