What Are The Best Practices In Localization Project Management?

Localization Project Managers (LPM) are the oil that makes the gears of every translation and localization project run smoothly. They focus on which professionals would suit the projects best, design the process, and streamline the workflows that cater to the client’s demands. Long story short? They are here to make sure the team succeeds. Here are the core responsibilities in Localization Project Management!

1. Scoping and managing timelines

As an organizational wizard, the LPM will have to answer the what, who, when, and how of every project before it even starts. In order to meet the client requirements to the letter, they ask themselves questions such as:

• What resources and tools should be used to meet the project’s technical requirements, quality expectations, and timeline?
• Who will be assigned the task? There should be a vast network of subject matter specialists available for a LPM to select from.
• What languages are the clients looking to translate into and which requirements do each of these languages have?
• What is the expected method of delivery and what will the QA process look like?
• Who are the external and internal stakeholders?
• What is the timeline and how much time can be allocated towards each task in order to meet the deadline?

2. Budgeting and maintaining overview

The client will have a budget in mind that the LPM will make sure to stick to as much as possible. They will monitor the developing work, communicate budget expectations internally, and keep communications flowing with the client in case the budget may need to be pushed for a specific reason.

3. Localization Project Management & Risk Management

The client – agency relationship is a fragile one, and risks are part of the job. It is up to the LPS to identify any possible risks and act accordingly to resolve them before they will impact the project in any way. Part of this is anticipating the risks and taking steps to prevent them from happening.

4. Maintaining a steady flow of communication

The LPM should initiate a communication plan prior to the project’s conception. In this, the LPM is in charge of passing on any details or information at the agreed upon time. Within the plan, each stakeholder’s communication method should be taken note of as well as the frequency of communication with each of them.

5. Monitoring and controlling

The LPM will be a part of the project form beginning to end, continuously monitoring and staying alert in case of any compromises on the timeline. While it can be expected to have some hiccups along the way, an eventuality the LPM will prepare for with a contingency plane, the priority should lie with resolving them while still respecting the timeline. If this will not be possible, the project plan will need to be tweaked and the stakeholders involved alerted.

The Takeaway

Localization Project Management need to carefully control and manage the dynamic and often complicated translation and localization process.

Learn more

Learn about the cost of the Localization Project Manager contributions in our blog on Multimedia Localization and the price tag of subtitling!Discover the ideal technology and software the Localization Project Manager can leverage in order to manage projects efficiently