5 Steps to Adopting Creative Workflow Management

Career marketing and creative professional Debbie Kennedy knows first-hand that adopting a creative workflow management solution translates to major efficiency gains for teams, like 85% shorter project lifecycles and 7 less hours a week spent on administrative tasks.

While director of advertising operations at Carmax, Debbie learned valuable lessons on how to select a workflow solution suited to her team–and how to drive adoption across her organization. Here, she shares her best practices for making it happen.

Conduct a Thorough Needs Assessment

Before you rush into buying a workflow system, make sure you thoroughly analyze your problems and assess your needs.

Get Buy-In From the Team

This is big: If you want the team to use the workflow system and processes you implement, it’s imperative that you involve them in the selection process.

Determine “Who’s On First”

No matter how great the system is, it will require work on your end to get it into place, and you still need people to manage the workflow, it will just be a lot easier if you are using the proper tools.

Avoid Pre-Mature Roll Out

Test and retest before you roll out to your whole team; the worst thing you can do is release a product that nobody likes because they will not use it if it doesn’t work or if it is too complex.

Choose a Workflow Partner That Grows With You

Implementing the system doesn’t mean you are done. The more you use it, the more you will want to use it, and the better ideas you’ll have for enhancements. Make sure you partner with a company who will be open to working with you on upgrades.

Debbie Kennedy is a career advertising and marketing professional with over a decade of experience leading the Operations team for an in-house agency at a Fortune 500 company. Her background in the creative field, as a copywriter and creative director, provides her with a broad perspective on creative workflow and processes.