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I was once a member of a team that created content for a client in the education/e-learning space. After a trial run consisting of a few pieces, it’s safe to say that the customer’s point person was pleased with our performance.
As a result, another website was added to the account. But along with it was another client representative who expected faster turnaround times. Agreeing to work under extremely tight deadlines was courting trouble, and although I had misgivings, the team worked doubly hard to accommodate the client’s schedule.
Things started to go downhill as soon as we received feedback on the first submission. The brief the writer worked with was missing important information, information all the other briefs didn’t have as well. We asked the writers to revise their content using the updated briefs. Everyone obliged, except for one who asked for extra payment for the additional effort and time -- understandable considering the scope creep.
That wasn’t all. The client expected the pieces to be turned over to them the same day the writers submitted them, which meant practically no time for editing or internal review. Because we were a remote team working in different time zones and handoff roles weren’t particularly clear-cut, one unedited assignment slipped through the cracks and went straight to the client for approval.
Long story short, the client was very unhappy.
Things can go sideways a number of different ways for creatives, and the above is just one scenario. What might have prevented the situation from spiraling out of control was a carefully thought-out creative project workflow.
A creative workflow is the process a marketing or design team follows when producing creative deliverables -- from idea generation to content development and, finally, to campaign or product launch. Although creative workflows are different for every team or organization, the goal is the same across the board: to streamline the process in a way that doesn’t stifle creativity.
That’s not to say that once a workflow has been set up, it’s set in stone. Hiccups will crop up at one point or another, and having a foundational process in place can prevent the project from derailing.
A creative workflow, which should be documented and readily available for all to see and reference, may include the following:
Whether you’re redesigning a website, launching a new product, or creating promotional videos, the creative workflow process typically follows four phases, namely:
The goal of this phase is to define the project’s scope using information provided by the client, such as the type of product or deliverable they’re looking for, the goals the product aspires to achieve, its target audience, the client’s budget and timeline, and other relevant details.
Actions that may occur during this stage include:
Creation is the stage in which the product is actually developed. Tasks or actions expected during this phase include:
This phase involves getting internal approval on the product or content your team has created and then sending the deliverable to the client for review. The feedback you receive from both internal approvers and the client will be used to make changes to the final product -- until the client or their authorized representative finally signs off on it.
Tasks or actions that are likely to occur during this phase include:
This is the final stage of the process, which deals primarily with handing over the completed product to the client, which may mean sending them the printed materials or files in certain digital formats, publishing content online, or releasing a video.
Other tasks you may have to do include:
“Chaos” and “creativity” are two words often said in the same breath. But for a project manager overseeing creative projects, “chaos” isn’t particularly enticing. Deadlines have to be met, and teams must follow a specific set of steps to come up with the desired outcome.
Process doesn’t have to crimp your creative team’s style, so to speak, and the pointers below may help make your workflow stick:
This is extremely important, especially for creative agencies with many different roles. Right at the get-go, each role has to be clearly defined, with every team member understanding where their responsibilities begin and end. This way, you avoid confusion and unnecessary duplication of efforts.
Questions to ask include:
Creative processes will differ from organization to organization, but the idea is to establish the workflow steps team members will follow from project initiation to completion.
For example, a content writing agency working with freelancers may have the following workflow:
A freelance writer may have a slightly different process:
The review process is vital to getting the product or content right, but many creatives aren’t especially enamored of the process. Another person critiquing your work and asking for revisions isn’t exactly fun -- some might even consider it a blow to the ego -- but if team members understand why revisions are necessary, friction can be prevented.
For the final product to align with the client’s expectations and what the team has committed to do, constant communication is a must. For example, project managers are responsible for updating the client on the project’s progress, while team members must regularly provide updates on the tasks assigned to them and if there are any hurdles to address.
Although email has specific uses, for best results, choose software with built-in communication features such as team chat, private chat, one-and-one and group video, and @ mentions to collaborate.
When working on your creative workflow, keep the following best practices in mind.
Project planning and implementation are best done using visual aids, such as the work breakdown structure and Gantt charts.
Similarly, take the time to visualize your creative workflow from start to finish using a flowchart or workflow diagram. Doing so allows you to check for bottlenecks that may cause problems down the road and then streamline the process even further. For example, you may have to remove certain steps in certain stages or reduce the number of approvers to prevent delays.
For recurring tasks, consider using templates. These can be templates for the client brief, team schedule, and invoice, as well as checklists for approvals, website security audit, video content management, and so on. For actual examples, CoSchedule has downloadable creative brief templates here.
Establish a system for alerting team members that the task is ready and waiting for them. Doing so manually via Slack or email may work for small teams but can easily become problematic for growing teams.
Task management systems like Trello and Asana send out automatic notifications once a task has been handed from one team member to another.
You don’t want approvals, such as those for content and design, to be the reason for project delays, so it’s crucial to optimize the process by establishing:
Also, don’t allow just about anyone on the team to jump in with suggestions or recommendations during the review process. Even before you begin work on a project, make it clear to everyone involved who gets to have the last word on approvals.
For some creatives, “process” and “creativity” are two words that don’t go well together. But whether you’re using project cycle management or the agile approach to manage projects, if you’re a marketing or advertising agency tasked with completing creative projects within a prescribed time frame, a streamlined workflow that includes tools and processes has to be in place.
Done properly, the workflow should institute standards that ensure work gets done on time while allowing creativity to blossom.
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