How to Build a Creative Workflow That Actually Works

A creative workflow is the path a marketing or design team follows to produce creative work, from the first spark of an idea to content development and, eventually, the launch of a campaign or product. No two teams run their workflow exactly the same way, but the goal is always the same: move the work along without choking the creativity out of it.

That doesn't mean once you set up a workflow, it's carved in stone. Problems show up sooner or later. Having a solid process in place is what keeps one of them from sending the whole project off the rails.

A creative workflow should be written down and easy for everyone to find and reference. A good one usually covers:

• The steps of the creative process each team member follows over the life of the project, spelling out who does what, and when.
• Who signs off on approvals, and at which stage.
• How you'll track and measure progress.
• The tools and tech the work depends on, like project management software to run the workflow, store files and documents, and keep team communication in one place.

The phases of a creative workflow

Whether you're redesigning a website, launching a new product, or shooting promo videos, a creative workflow generally moves through four phases:

1. Define

This phase is about pinning down the scope of the project using everything the client gives you: the kind of product or deliverable they want, the goals it needs to hit, who it's for, their budget and timeline, and any other details that matter.

Here's what usually happens at this stage:

• Writing the creative brief.
• Defining each team member's role and responsibilities.
• Setting milestones so you can track how the project is moving.
• Spotting potential risks and building a plan to handle them.
• Researching how to set the client's product apart from the competition.
• Getting clear on what the client can expect from the final result.

2. Create

Create is where the product actually gets built. The tasks you'd expect in this phase include:

• Brainstorming ideas and writing them down.
• Taking a hard look at similar products and figuring out how to do them one better.
• Building product prototypes, or website wireframes, when that applies.
• Putting together a work schedule for the whole team and making sure everyone can get to it easily.
• Holding regular team meetings to talk through updates, plus any setbacks and how to get past them.
• Keeping collaboration alive with steady check-ins and the right online tools.
• Creating status reports.
• Tracking the time team members spend on tasks, which you may need later for billing.
• Making sure people hit their deadlines.
• Sharing the review and quality expectations with the team.
• Updating the client on progress so they always know what's going on.
• Pulling client feedback to confirm your team is building exactly what they want.

3. Review and approval

This phase means getting internal sign-off on whatever your team built, then sending it to the client for review. The notes you get back, from your internal reviewers and from the client, drive the changes to the final product, and you keep at it until the client or their authorized rep gives the green light.

Tasks you'll handle in this phase include:

• Approving the final product internally, then sending it to the client for review.
• Using dependable file-transfer tools to share large video or design files with clients.
• Using review software to pull feedback from different sources into one place.
• Checking whether the type and amount of feedback you're getting falls inside the terms you agreed on, and deciding if it's time to charge more.
• Setting limits on the review process so you don't get stuck in endless rounds of revisions.
• Locking in the client's final approval.

4. Product or campaign launch

This is the last step, and it's mostly about handing the finished product to the client. That might mean shipping printed materials or files in specific digital formats, publishing content online, or releasing a video.

Other things you may need to do:

• Invoicing the client.
• Staying in touch with the client to make sure they're happy with the finished product.

How to organize a creative workflow that works

"Chaos" and "creativity" get said in the same breath a lot. But for a project manager running creative work, "chaos" isn't exactly appealing. Deadlines have to be met, and teams need a clear set of steps to get to the result everyone's after.

The process doesn't have to cramp your creative team's style, so to speak. These suggestions can help your workflow hold up:

1. Get clear on who owns what

This one matters a lot, especially at creative agencies with a bunch of different roles. From day one, every role should be clearly defined, and every person should know where their responsibilities start and stop. That's how you avoid confusion and two people doing the same job twice.

Questions worth asking:

• Who handles which specific tasks?
• Who runs the reviews?
• Who, if anyone, needs to be consulted during the review process?
• Who has the final say on approval?

2. Map how the creative process flows from start to finish

Creative processes look different from one organization to the next, but the idea is to lay out the workflow steps your team will follow from the moment a project kicks off to the moment it wraps.

For example, a content-writing agency that works with freelancers might run a workflow like this:

1. Send the client an intake form.
2. Invoice the client.
3. Write a project brief.
4. Assign the project to the writer who's the best fit.
5. Hand the writer's draft to an editor.
6. Send it back to the writer if revisions are needed.
7. Share the content with the client for review once it clears final internal approval.
8. Revise based on the client's notes, then send it back for another look.
9. If the client is happy with the result, send over the digital files and related materials, and pay the writer.
10. Archive the project in your workflow management system.

A freelance writer might run a slightly different process:

• Set up a discovery call. (Or, if you're working with an agency, take the assignment and go straight to producing the content.)
• Write a brief.
• Produce the content.
• Send it to the client (or editor) for review.
• Revise as needed.
• Get final approval and tie up loose ends, meaning send the files and invoice the client.

3. Make it clear that revisions are how you get the best result

The review process is how you get the product or content right, but plenty of creatives aren't crazy about it. Having someone else critique your work and ask for changes isn't exactly fun, and some people take it as a hit to the ego. When team members understand why revisions matter, the friction mostly disappears.

4. Make communication a priority

For the final product to match what the client expects and what the team signed up for, steady communication is non-negotiable. Project managers, for instance, keep the client posted on progress, while team members give regular updates on their tasks and flag any roadblocks that need attention.

Email has its place, but for the best results, go with software that has communication built in: team chat, private chat, one-on-one and group video, and @ mentions for collaboration.

4 tips for building the right creative workflow for your team

As you build out your creative workflow, keep these best practices in mind.

1. Visualize your workflow

Planning and running a project goes better with visual aids, like a work breakdown structure and Gantt charts.

In the same way, take time to map your creative workflow from start to finish with a flowchart or workflow diagram. Doing that lets you catch bottlenecks that could cause trouble down the road, then tighten the process even more. Maybe you need to cut certain steps at certain stages, or trim the number of approvers to avoid delays.

2. Use templates

For tasks that come up again and again, lean on templates. Think templates for the client brief, the team schedule, and the invoice, plus checklists for approvals, website security audits, video content management, and so on.

3. Automate task handoffs

Set up a system that lets team members know a task is done and waiting on them. Doing it by hand over Slack or email can work for small teams, but it gets messy fast as the team grows.

Task management systems like Trello and Asana fire off automatic notifications the moment a task moves from one person to the next.

4. Streamline the review and approval process

You don't want approvals, like the ones for content and design, holding the whole project up. So it pays to streamline the process by setting:

• How many rounds of revisions a client gets per project.
• How many days a client has to send feedback.

And don't let just anyone on the team jump in with suggestions during the review. Even before work starts on a project, make it clear to everyone involved who has the final word on approvals.

Final thoughts on creative workflows

For some people, "process" and "creativity" are two words that don't belong together. But if you're a marketing or advertising agency on the hook for delivering creative projects inside a set timeline, you need an optimized workflow with the right tools and processes, no matter whether you run on project lifecycle management or an agile approach.

Done right, that workflow sets the standards that keep work shipping on time and still leave room for creativity to flourish.