AM Admin Functions

ADVR 10081 - ACCOUNT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Class 12
Today’s Agenda

Overview of AM Admin Functions

Contact Reports
Status Reports

ADVR10081 – ACCOUNT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2

AM Admin Functions
AM Admin Functions
As an AM – you have a lot of different balls in the air all at once, and are
likely managing a multitude of different projects at the same time.
To do that, you need to stay organized! And stay on top of all of the
admin functions of your job.
AM Admin Functions
What do you think are some admin functions you’ll be responsible for?
•Keeping files & materials organized
•Creating multiple types of shared documents
•Client & vendor communications
•Meeting prep
•Timesheets
AM Admin Functions
Organization System
First – set yourself an organization structure that works:
 Electronic Files
 Understand your agency filing system – and USE IT
 Create a filing structure for yourself (client, project, financial, admin, …)
 Don’t get in the habit of keeping shared items stored offline on your laptop
 Physical Stuff
 What do you need to store
 Where can you store it, and how will you access it
AM Admin Functions
Creating Shared Documents
There are LOTS of shared documents AM is responsible for:
 Creative briefs
 Client presentations
 Financial reports
 Creative / media / other approvals
 Status reports
 Contact reports
AM Admin Functions
Client/Agency Communications
You will write a LOT of e-mails:
 Client
 Internal
 Vendors
 Publications
 Associations
AM Admin Functions
Meeting Prep
AM is responsible for ensuring all meetings run smoothly:
 Technology is setup and working
 Invites sent, meeting details clearly identified
 Clearly conveys agenda of the meeting, keeps everyone focused
 Plays time-cop
 Ensures room is conducive to the type of meeting
 Arranges snacks/drinks as required
 Recapping outcomes and next steps
 Cleans up afterwards
AM Admin Functions
And of course, Timesheets…..
Status
Status Reports
Status reports are an ESSENTIAL element of successful agency execution:
 Keeps everyone up to date on “status” of active projects
 Reminds all players of immediate execution steps required
 Ensures projects run on schedule
 Identifies concerns and raises flags of potential execution issues
 Gives all players their to-do list for the week
 Reinforces docket number and team members for each project
 Outlines upcoming project work
 Fosters spirit of collaboration and strong teamwork
Status Reports
There will be one status report for EACH CLIENT in the agency
 Covers all projects for that client
 Each unique project has its own row on the status report
 Summarizes everything on the go for a client and associated team members
 May be broken into different sections for different teams within your client organization

NOTE: ONLY covers the facts – what is due, by who, when, what is complete, what is upcoming
Sample Status Report
 Save As File Name: 1-01Status-10/26/20
(Save it as a new file each week with new date)

1-01
October 26, 2020
Let’s fill one out
Hamilton Food Bank
Shelby Nameless snameless@hamiltonfoodbank.org
Member Name 1 (AM), Member Name 2 (PM), Member Name 3 (AD)

• Client presentation Oct 30 • Dec 15/20

• Creative brief approved
• Janice preparing deck for client presentation
Flyer • Creative presentation meeting booked

• Raf designing layouts and determining • Internal review due • Internal review due Oct 28 • Dec 15/20
HFB-1-01 photography shots needed Oct 28 • Revisions Oct 28-29
• Jef working on body copy • Client presentation due Oct 30

Agencies may have different dockets

for each campaign element.
Here – we have 1 docket for each • Confirm talent & studio booking
creative brief.
Radio
• Jef finalizing “Hungry” & “$5 a day” spots • 2 concepts approved • Share revised spots Oct 28 • Dec 15/20
HFB-1-01 Hungry – make more emotional • Final storyboards & • Internal revisions Oct 28-29
$5 – major edits and needs to be shorter script NOT approved • Client presentation due Oct 30
 Save As File Name: 1-01Status-11/02/20
The following week… 1-01
November
October 26,2,2020
2020
Update the Hamilton Food Bank
Shelby Nameless snameless@hamiltonfoodbank.org
existing Member Name 1 (AM), Member Name 2 (PM), Member Name 3 (AD)

projects
• Client feedback received, shared to team • Book review meeting • Dec 15/20
• Timeline updated – feedback rec’d early • Notify legal and translation of
Flyer • Meeting contact report issued Oct 30 updated timeline
• Dec 15/20
• Feedback received, begin revisions today • 1st round approved • Provide revised layouts & copy
HFB-1-01 by Nov 4
• Purchase approved stock shots

• Client & studio booked for Nov 12 • Send final script & storyboards
to talent and studio
Radio
• Hungry – approved by client Oct 30 • Hungry – approved • Send $5 revisions for final • Dec 15/20
HFB-1-01 • $5 a day – needs minor edits • $5 – needs final approval Nov 4
approval • Prep for prod’n Nov 12
Status Reports
The “rows” of the project report remain through the life of each job
 New projects are added as new rows
 Existing projects are only removed AFTER they have been fully closed
 May be added to a “completed” tab of the status report document for historical reference
 Changes to a project are always made to the existing row
 Never create a new section for the same project
Status Reports
Status Report Reviews (Status Meetings)
 Status is updated on the same day every week and distributed to the full team
 Weekly status meetings are set routinely to review status with the full team
 Common day is Friday or Monday morning
 Status meetings are NOT the place to get into full project discussions, but rather to focus only on
the details of upcoming executional requirements
 Typically 15-30 minutes depending on number of projects for each client
 If you manage multiple client groups, with distinct teams, split your status meeting up to allow
only the relevant team members to sit through their pertinent projects
Status Reports
Responsibility
 Depending on the agency structure and role assignments, either the AM or PM holds
responsibility for completion of the status report and leading the status meeting
 In either case, both AM and PM contribute to it each week
 PM updates internal executional specifics
 AM updates new projects, closures, client dates, planning, other
Status Reports
Contact Reports
Contact Reports

You will have a lot of meetings in your week when you work at an agency.
…. Like – a LOT
Contact Reports
Every key meeting must be followed-up by a contact report.

Contact reports are the summary of all discussion points, decisions and
next steps that occur in each meeting.

The AM is responsible for completing and issuing the contact report.

Contact Reports
Why are contact reports important?

 Creates efficiency – not everyone is required to attend each meeting

 Informs broader team of decisions made and next steps
 Ensures everyone leaves the meeting with the same understanding
 Avoids future confusion / adds clarity
 Acts as a reminder in the future
 In some cases can act as a CYA
Contact Reports
Contact reports must be completed and issued within 24 hours.
Why?
 Ensures information is fresh when you document it
 Enables you to ask for clarity if necessary when writing
 Shows your commitment to detail as an AM
 Alleviates any client concerns
 Expedites movement of next steps
Contact Reports
What types of meetings are contact reports needed for ?

Contact reports are for ALL meetings

Contact reports are needed for ALL client interactions (phone, video, etc)

IF a significant communication occurs

Contact Reports
Is a contact report needed for this?
YES Creative presentation
YES Client briefing
YES Strategy discussion
NO Talk with your client about their weekend
NO Status meeting
YES Phone call with client requesting upcoming work
Contact Reports
Key components of a contact report:

1. Date / Attendees
2. Purpose of the meeting (ie. present work, get briefed, …)
3. Discussions / Decisions (the most important take-aways)
4. Next Steps (what, when, by who)
Contact Reports
Format
Agencies will typically have a standard template for contact reports
 If there isn’t a standard, create one – and use it consistently

Depending on the nature and depth of the discussion, the contact report
could be as simple as an e-mail rather than a completed report
Always write them to be very succinct
 Short overviews and bullet points only
 Professionally written, spell-checked
 Only include pertinent information (this is NOT a transcription of the whole meeting)
Contact Reports
Completing the Report
Always take detailed notes in the meeting, by hand, and use methods to
indicate decisions and next steps
Immediately following the meeting, summarize your key notes into the
contact report
Before distribution, have a senior AM or a PM that was in the meeting
review it as validation
Contact Reports
WAIT – Did you say take notes by hand?? WHY?
Contact Reports
Distributing the Report / Post-Distribution
Email the contact report to each person that was in the meeting, and cc
any other pertinent members of the team
Include a very short summary in the e-mail copy, with a link to the report
Ask for response approval by your client to the content of the report
Save a copy of the report in the applicable client folder
Update client status document based on meeting outcomes
 Notice this doesn’t sounds like
a status report?
Client Contact Example
Starbucks Don’t put internal tasks in here
October 26, 2020 – this is all about what was
Carrie Client discussed with the client.
Vicki Waschkowski, Sally Student

Agency Briefing for Spring launch campaign

Carrie provided high level details surrounding the 2021 Spring Shiver Iced
Latte campaign, with a request for agency to provide insight from the last
Spring campaign, and to prepare a team for a full briefing in 2 weeks.
• Vicki to provide summary results from Spring 2020 by October 28
• Vicki to open a job number and request team resources by October 30
• Carrie to send background details on the new latte to Vicki by Oct 30
• Carrie to send draft brief to Vicki in advance of meeting by November 5
• Vicki to send invite for full campaign briefing on November 9
RECAP
 What have we learned?
Importance of organization
Today’s Agenda Range of admin duties required by AM
Overview of Admin Functions Need for quality status reports
Contact Reports
How to complete a status report
Status Reports
Importance of contact reports
How to complete a contact report
Communication & meeting requirements

ADVR10081 – ACCOUNT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT 35

Next Steps
Next Steps
No homework
Quiz # 2 due November 16

Next Class
Workshop (worth 5%) on contact reports and status reports

ADVR10081 – ACCOUNT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT 37