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Content management tools are lifesavers when you're a marketer. These tools go beyond just a social media calendar or a task tracker. They help you organize and streamline all your content processes, from planning and creating to reporting to your clients. We all know...
Does managing creative projects feel like sailing through a storm, struggling to stay on course and not sink? Making creative production flow is no easy task. Creative workflow management requires a delicate balance: an adaptable structure, room for innovation within deadlines, and handling the constant flood of feedback and revisions.
Tools help a great deal too. For example, the right approval software can alleviate any bottlenecks developing at a critical late stage in the process.
Effective creative workflow management helps your team turn inspiration into a steady stream of high-quality content. By clearly defining processes, everyone – from the creative geniuses to the final editors – knows their role and how their work contributes to the bigger picture.
In this article, you’ll learn how to keep projects moving smoothly, avoid last-minute confusion, and keep the creative spark alive.
Creative workflow management involves organizing the various stages of a creative project, from brainstorming to delivery, and breaking down the big idea into smaller, more manageable steps that are then assigned to specific team members. Setting deadlines, tracking progress, and ensuring quality and transparency throughout are also part of this structured creative workflow process, enabling teams to collaborate effectively and optimize resources.
A robust creative workflow process ensures things aren’t just getting done but done right.
That’s not an easy project management task, but the good news is that creative people love their work. They want to produce high-quality output and be proud of the outcomes. I mean, have you seen how many creative awards there are out there? 😊
However, speaking from experience, creative workflows can quickly become stressful and get out of hand. Things might get delivered in the short run (with some overtime and heated discussions involved), but in the long run, people’s motivation and the quality of the deliverables suffer.
A documented creative workflow helps you avoid chaos and overwhelm your team. It ensures you can set clear responsibilities, deliver consistent high-quality results, and offer real-time visibility into project status. And, yes, maybe get some awards — I can’t promise it, but you’ll definitely stand a better chance.
A well-defined creative workflow is like creating a roadmap. Everyone, including creative agencies and other collaborators, starts on the same page, understanding the project goals, responsibilities, and timelines.
It’s easy to keep stakeholders in the loop with clear deadlines and deliverables, avoiding surprises and misunderstandings. This transparency ensures people are moving in the same direction at the right speed, making your creative journey smooth and efficient.
A successful creative workflow keeps your work consistently good. Without it, bad habits creep in, and you spend time fixing avoidable mistakes.
Creative workflow management optimizes your resources, ensuring you focus your time and effort where it matters most.
Think of it as using your team’s creative superpowers efficiently rather than wasting them on inefficient, frustrating processes.
Visibility is crucial, especially for agencies or freelancers juggling multiple clients or for big teams handling several projects and complex approval layers.
We all know how helpful (or rather life-changing) having a GPS in the car is. Now, imagine you have the same ability to always know where you are and what’s coming next for your projects.
A creative workflow lets you see the status of all projects at a glance, helping to identify and eliminate bottlenecks and optimize processes proactively. You are on the best route!
Building a robust creative workflow process can definitely be overwhelming. After all, I wouldn’t be writing (and you reading) this article if it weren’t.
Don’t worry, I researched, tested over the years, and summarized below 10 straightforward steps that can really help streamline things.
You’re already doing things a certain way. While the process can be improved, it’s important to start with what your creative team already does and prefers.
So, begin by breaking down and documenting your creative workflow. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Create a detailed list of tasks or a visual flow chart. The main thing is to make it clear, easy to understand, and collaborative.
Find a creative workflow style that works best for your team. For example, some teams prefer detailed, task-based workflows, while others work well with status-based workflows.
Talk to each team member about the workflow design and make sure everyone, from copywriter to designer to social media manager, agrees on the steps involved. This will set a good basis for the next steps in the process.
Reusable creative brief templates are lifesavers. They ensure consistency and save lots of time.
Make a list of the types of projects and tasks your team routinely handles and create a template for each. Some brief templates might be similar, while others might include totally different sections.
For example, a project brief might include:
A written content brief could include:
Templates streamline repetitive tasks and provide structure to people’s work, whether tackling a big campaign or a simple social media post.
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each stage of the creative process are crucial for keeping things organized, efficient, and award-worthy. And isn’t the best award a happy team? 🫶🏻🥹
Here’s why this step is so important:
Whether crafting compelling copy, designing eye-catching visuals, or providing insightful feedback, people can concentrate on delivering their best work without distractions.
Imagine everyone on a project waiting for a single person to complete a crucial task. I bet it’s not something you even need to imagine, but a frequent scenario. Defining roles ensures a smoother flow. Project managers can identify potential roadblocks and adjust accordingly.
Unclear feedback lines can lead to confusion and wasted time. Determining who provides input and who holds final approval ensures everyone’s voice is heard while accelerating the decision-making process.
Creative projects often involve multiple people and skill sets. Knowing who’s responsible for what facilitates collaboration and eases the integration of external contributors into the workflow.
When defining roles and responsibilities, consider:
Everyone must know their role in the crew to keep the ship afloat.
Setting workspace roles and permissions in Planable
While most creative workflows feel like sprints, your team needs to perform well over long distances — or sail oceans, to keep the metaphor going.
Avoid overloading creative people and set a steady pace for projects and tasks to prevent suboptimal output and burnout.
Using a content planning tool can help you map out the way forward and keep track of creative projects.
Timelines will vary based on team size, experience, workload, and type of project. To ensure you’re being realistic, analyze data from previous projects and get buy-in from the people involved before communicating timelines.
Also, be prepared to offer deadline flexibility when needed. The creative process requires multiple rounds of feedback and even starting from scratch sometimes. Keep people accountable, but build some buffers into the timelines so you don’t stifle the muse.
Content planning in Planable’s calendar view
Kickoff meetings are essential to get everyone on the same page. Discuss the brief and clarify team responsibilities and the project scope.
This isn’t a brainstorming session, but ideas will naturally emerge. Make a note and visit them later while reminding team members to use the time to ask questions and understand expectations.
Set up regular check-ins, ensuring everyone stays in sync.
Brainstorming is where the creative spark shines. And it’s a fun step if done with some structure and an open mind.
Encourage everyone to contribute to brainstorming sessions, regardless of seniority. The more ideas you generate, the higher the chance of coming up with unexpected combinations that lead to cool, unique concepts.
But how do you actually brainstorm? Here are a few popular options to get you started:
Universal Content in Planable
Find what works best for your team. Mix and match methods, and remember to add an essential ingredient: research into what’s been done before, the audience, and what competitors are up to.
The copywriter stares out the window for a painfully long time, trying to come up with that brilliant tagline. The designer dips into the chair, headphones on, to get the creative flow going.
Creative people need time and space to do their work. However, team collaboration is also key to fostering innovation, benefiting from diverse perspectives, and driving the creative process forward.
Collaboration on a blog post in Planable
While a project manager going around the room (or the preferred chat platform) asking people for task status can work, it’s far from the ideal solution.
Leverage creative workflow management software to strike the balance between letting people work at their own pace and getting them to come together and communicate in an organized and efficient manner.
Image and video editing in Planable
These tools also help provide regular updates to clients and stakeholders and integrate their reactions into the creative process.
Real-time feedback keeps projects on track and ensures everyone stays in the creative operations loop.
One of the biggest creativity killers? Chasing down stakeholders for feedback and approvals.
Automating the review and approval process changes the game. Tools like Planable allow you to:
Multi-level approval workflow in Planable
Automate for less back-and-forth and more moving forward — smoothly, of course.
The final stages of the creative process are as essential as the initial brainstorming.
Add these steps to the project management workflow:
Collaboration tools provide a central hub for the entire project and visibility into project progress. They allow your entire team to catch any last-minute edits or delays, adjust quickly, and work together to avoid surprises.
Social media post previews in Planable’s feed view
Celebrating the success of a creative project is a must to keep people motivated, but before diving into the next one, take a moment to analyze performance.
A post-project review session allows you to improve the creative workflow management process. By openly discussing what worked well and what needs improvement, you can identify areas to refine your workflow.
It’s also a chance for everyone to share their feedback and learn from experience. Did someone discover a more efficient way to tackle a task? Did something go wrong? Why and what can you do to avoid that situation in the future?
Make post-project reviews a regular practice to ensure completing creative projects is both satisfying and educational.
Planable isn’t just another project management tool. Designed specifically for content creators, Planable streamlines every stage of the workflow, from brainstorming to final approval.
Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for everyone on your team, regardless of technical expertise, to jump in and collaborate seamlessly.
Here’s why using Planable for creative workflow management is a game-changer for creative teams:
Internal comments and notes in Planable
Planable empowers your team to focus on what they do best – crafting amazing content.
With its streamlined workflows, real-time collaboration features, and user-friendly interface, Planable automates management and fuels creativity.
Try it now for free to streamline your creative workflow and get a quick win — after a long but useful read.
Sabina is a freelance writer with 15+ years of experience in the MarCom industry. Her to-do list includes helping people write better and businesses sell more through content. She is the host of Zest, a podcast that brings writing within listeners’ reach.
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