Every project plan we send has one week near the end with nothing in it. Clients notice it straight away and ask what it’s for.
It’s for the thing none of us has spotted yet. On every project so far, something has turned up to fill it.
It Isn’t Padding
Padding is hidden. It’s spread across every task so nobody can see it, and it gets spent early, on small delays that didn’t need it. The empty week is out in the open, in one place, and it’s guarded.
- 01It sits after the last design sign-off.
- 02It sits before anything goes to print or goes live.
- 03Nobody can book it without telling the whole team why.
What Usually Fills It
A trademark issue in one market. A photo shoot rained off in Lisbon in May. A board member back from holiday with an opinion. None of these are anyone’s fault, and all of them are normal.
Plans fail on the thing you didn’t plan for. So we plan for not knowing.
When It Stays Empty
It has happened twice. Both times we spent the week polishing: tightening type, fixing small things on the website, writing the logbook properly. Both clients called it the best week of the project.
Don’t call it contingency. Call it what it is, give it a row in the timeline and explain it in the first meeting.
- Planning
- Production
- Process
Marta Reis
Marta produces projects across both studios from Lisbon. She plans the calendar, guards the empty week and knows where every file lives.
