Urgently create POSM: what is the real cost?
Rushing not only costs more money but also carries risks that money cannot buy back.
Rushing POSM always incurs both costs and risks for the team, with no exceptions. Costs increase because the printing house charges extra for squeezing in schedules, while risks rise due to less time for color checking and many processes needing to run in parallel, which can lead to rework. Sinh Vũ does not provide a fixed percentage because the actual costs depend on the scope, materials, and event season of each project.
- day G is non-negotiable and the value of the occasion justifies paying extra fees
- Prioritize doing things in parallel first (fast-tracking), then schedule compression later.
- narrow the scope instead of folding everything, keeping a few core touchpoints intact
- Expectations for urgent work without price increase and without added risk.
- Cut color checks to fold, then ruin the entire large print batch.
When you say "urgent," it does not mean the printing house will work faster without additional charges. Urgency always comes with a price, and that price comes from two sides: increased costs and increased risks. These two factors do not offset each other; they accumulate.
Why are costs increasing?
When you request a shorter timeline than usual, the printing house and contractor must rearrange schedules, arrange overtime, and order materials urgently. This is the reason for the rush fee: it accurately reflects the actual costs they must incur to prioritize your work. Additionally, expedited shipping is also more expensive than regular shipping. In total, each day taken out of the schedule has a cost, and the larger the project, the more expensive each day becomes. During the peak event season at the end of the year, both the price and difficulty increase significantly.
Why risks increase
Cost is what you see on the invoice. Risk is what you only see when the goods arrive and are incorrect.
- Limited color proofing time: the proofing round for printed samples is shortened or skipped, with color discrepancies only discovered after mass printing.
- Few content review rounds: text errors and incorrect information are not caught before release.
- Many processes run in parallel: design and material preparation happen simultaneously instead of sequentially. If the design changes, the materials already ordered may not fit, requiring a complete redo.
Fast-tracking does not incur additional costs, but it is a way to trade cost for risk, not a way to escape the consequences of urgency.
Crashing: allocates additional resources, pays extra to the workshop, and increases overtime. It shortens the timeline, but costs increase significantly. Suitable when the deadline cannot be moved and the occasion's value justifies the extra expense.
Create in parallel (fast-tracking): Run processes simultaneously instead of sequentially. It does not cost extra, but increases the likelihood of having to redo if one process changes affects another. Suitable when the scope is clear and the risk between processes is low.
Sinh Vũ prioritizes doing things in parallel upfront, only paying extra when absolutely necessary.
Common mistakes when creating brochures
- Expecting quick results without increasing costs or risks, then being surprised when receiving an invoice or incorrect delivery.
- Running all processes in parallel without assessing dependencies, resulting in needing to redo everything, costing more than doing it correctly from the start.
- Cutting the color control ring for the printed sample can save one to two days, but it risks ruining the entire large print run.
- Request to report a fixed percentage markup while the actual amount depends on each specific project.
Rushing the timeline is about allocating more resources to meet tight deadlines with minimal additional costs, but it still increases costs. You need to weigh the benefits of shortening the timeline against the price you have to pay.
Crashing schedule, Cirkus
The viewpoint of Sinh Vũ
Sinh Vũ does not commit to a specific percentage increase in overall costs because it does not exist in that sense. The actual increase depends on the scope, materials, printing house, and event season. What Sinh Vũ does is clarify the cost of urgency before you decide, to avoid surprises later.
When the schedule is tight, Sinh Vũ's priority is to narrow the scope to the most important core touchpoints first, then work on parallel tasks where possible, and only then pay extra for the remaining necessary work. One thing Sinh Vũ does not negotiate: the color proofing round of the actual print must not be cut, even if it means shortening timelines in other areas.
If you are considering whether to rush or not, the right question is not "how much more percentage will it cost?" but rather "is the value of this opportunity worth the additional costs and risks?" Sinh Vũ helps you answer that with the actual numbers from the specific project.
Decision checklist
Topic: How much additional cost and risk does rushing event POSM incur. Sinh Vũ guide, sinhvu.com
Select each item you find appropriate, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
Crashing schedule, Cirkus. Fast tracking vs crashing, Asana. Rush fee, Millo. Sinh Vũ's practical experience.
Frequently asked questions
How is the rush fee from the printing house usually calculated?
The rush fee is an industry standard when clients request a shorter timeline than usual. The specific rate depends on each printing house, the scope of printing, and the time of year. Sinh Vũ does not provide a general number because it varies greatly between projects, especially during the peak season at the end of the year.
Can it be expedited without additional costs?
There is a way: run parallel processes that usually run sequentially, meaning approve designs simultaneously with preparing materials instead of waiting for each other. This method does not incur additional costs but increases the risk of having to redo if one step changes affects the other. This is exchanging cost for risk, not a complete escape.
Can we skip the color check to speed up the timeline?
Sinh Vũ does not do that. Color proofing of actual prints is the only way to detect color discrepancies before mass printing. Skipping this step to save a day or two can lead to the failure of an entire large print run, costing much more time and money than doing it correctly from the start.