17 Ways to Improve Your Creative Workflow Management in 60 Days or Less

Effectively managing creative workflows well is non-negotiable for teams that need to handle high volumes of work without losing quality. But many teams worry that investing in a new system will take too long to show benefits. Using a creative workflow management solution can start improving workflows almost right away.

Here are 17 ways a creative workflow management platform can make your process better in just 60 days or less.

Request Intake

A few simple steps to improve your request intake process will jump-start your entire workflow.

1. Getting All the Information in Advance

Start with identifying all the different types of work requests your team receives from stakeholders. Then gather all the information you need to kick off a project and translate that into forms that requesters must fill out to submit a work request. This means you can get started on work faster, rather than chasing down requesters that submit incomplete briefs.

2. Increase Collaboration with Requesters

Creative teams are more than just a set of hands. They are strategic problem solvers that stakeholders should view as partners. Creative workflow management platforms, such as Lytho Workflow, provide features like request dashboards, threaded comments, and request sharing so that it’s easy for creative teams to collaborate and increase transparency with stakeholders.

3. Let Request Details Guide the Project

Purpose-built creative workflow management solutions know how important the initial creative brief is to the success of the entire project. That is why they automatically connect requests to associated work. In this way, project participants can refer back to the initial request throughout the lifetime of the project.

Project Management

Management of projects is not the area of creative workflow management that causes the most trouble for creative teams. That being said, having the right project management tools that integrate seamlessly with the request intake and review and approval stages of the creative workflow can go a long way toward building a more efficient creative workflow.

4. Keep Track of Everything You Are Working On

For busy creative teams, there is always the danger that one project or proof slips through the cracks. A good creative project management solution helps team members keep track of their projects and due dates. How? By using personalized dashboards and work spaces, they can focus less on juggling and more on designing brilliant creative.

5. Get a Clear View of the Team’s Projects

Keeping track of all the work your team is doing can be challenging, but visualizing project progress can make it much easier. Use tools that offer visual representations of tasks and timelines, such as project dashboards or task lists.

These tools provide an overview of:

• What everyone is working on
• Upcoming deadlines
• Overall progress of projects

Visual summaries help team members stay organized and ensure that nothing slips through the cracks. This way, everyone can see at a glance what needs to be done and who is responsible for each task, improving collaboration and efficiency.

6. Allocate Resources Effectively

Accepting new projects can be tricky if you lack a strong understanding of how your team’s time is allocated. Start by logging their time in a resource management solution. Then you can start making smarter decisions about project timelines and workload distribution.

7. Utilize Agile Methodologies

Use agile methods like Scrum or Kanban for managing projects. These methods allow for flexibility and continuous improvement, helping your team quickly adapt to changes and work more efficiently.

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Agile methodologies break projects into manageable tasks and keep everyone focused on their goals. For instance, using a Kanban board helps visualize the workflow and identify bottlenecks. Regular sprint reviews and retrospectives ensure that the team can adjust their processes and improve continuously, leading to better project outcomes and increased efficiency.

Review & Approval

Sending proofs out for review is a defining aspect of creative work. Still, it can be quite challenging for teams that do not have the right tools.

8. Receive and Give Useful Feedback

The problem with sending a proof out for review? It is hard to get high-quality feedback that your team can take action on. Additionally, you may often be forced to consolidate feedback from multiple reviewers. Such work can be duplicative, contradictory, and raise more questions than it answers. Our advice? Use an online proofing solution built with creative teams in mind. You can now benefit from better quality, actionable feedback on the first proof.

9. Receive Said Feedback Promptly

The only thing worse than getting confusing feedback on a proof is being stuck waiting on it. Creative workflow management platforms offer automated solutions to help you get your feedback on time. Features like automatic review reminders chase the reviewers for you, so you can focus on productive tasks instead.

10. Establish Immediate Accountability

Ever had creative work go live in a campaign, only to realize a crucial approver didn’t sign off? Avoid these situations with a creative workflow management platform that tracks review statuses.That leaves you with an audit trail to confirm signoff. This helps prevent unapproved work from going out the door.

11. Establish Clear Review and Approval Processes

Make your review process simple and clear. Define each step and assign who is responsible for approvals. This avoids confusion and speeds up feedback.

For example, set up a checklist for each stage of the review process, from initial draft to final approval. This ensures everyone knows their role and deadlines, reducing the chances of miscommunication and delays. Having a clear process helps maintain high-quality standards and keeps projects on track.

12. Leverage Automation for Repetitive Tasks

Use automation tools to handle repetitive tasks like:

• File conversions
• Tagging
• Sending notifications

Automation saves time and reduces errors. In fact, 83% of IT leaders believe workflow automation is crucial for transformation.

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For example, software can automatically tag digital assets based on predefined criteria, ensuring everything is organized without manual effort. Notifications can be automated to remind team members of upcoming deadlines or approvals. This way, your team can focus more on creative work and less on administrative duties, improving overall productivity.

Reporting

Reporting may not seem like the most exciting or creative part of the job. It’s crucial to track key metrics so that you can continually improve your process. A few immediate benefits of implementing a creative workflow management platform with reporting include:

13. Get Access to Metrics

Missing out on a lot of data? You would not if you used an end-to-end creative workflow management platform. Having a platform that is actively recording key data, like submitted requests, cycle time on reviews, and total project duration, means that you can start acting on that data. Just getting access to the data is already a huge step forward.

14. Foster a Culture of Open Communication

It’s important to encourage open communication in your team. Make sure everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and feedback. Regular team meetings and brainstorming sessions can help. This helps to solve problems quickly and fosters a collaborative environment where innovative solutions can thrive.

In fact, teams using project management software with built-in communication features reported a 52% improvement in team communication, which can enhance overall workflow and project outcomes.

15. Discover Completion Times for Each Project Type

The first step to meeting deadlines is to set reasonable ones. In order to do that, you need to know how long different types of work take to complete. You can start getting an understanding of project length after just a few projects go through your new creative workflow management system.

16. Identify Blockers

Going a step beyond simple total project time, you can also look at how much time was spent in each stage of a project, how much time a proof spent in review, or which reviewers are taking the longest to complete reviews. Once you know where projects are getting hung up, you can take steps to clear the way and keep work on track to hit deadlines.

17. Incorporate Regular Training and Skill Development

Regularly train your team on the latest tools and techniques. This keeps everyone up-to-date and improves efficiency. Offer workshops or online courses to help your team learn new skills and stay current with industry trends.

Continuous learning opportunities encourage team members to develop their skills, leading to higher job satisfaction and better performance. It also ensures that your team can adapt to new technologies and methods, keeping your creative process innovative and effective.

Improve Your Creative Workflow Management Today With Lytho

Improving your creative workflow management can significantly boost your team’s productivity and the quality of their work. By implementing these strategies, you can streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and ensure timely project completion. Start making these changes today and see the positive impact on your creative team’s efficiency and output.

Discover how Lytho’s creative workflow software and digital asset management solutions can streamline your processes and boost efficiency. Schedule a demo with Lytho today and see how our tools can transform your workflow management, helping your team deliver high-quality creative work faster and more effectively.