You’re here! Be amazed.
That’s the opening line of this year’s HOW Design Live booklet, and with good reason: The amount of industry intelligence you can gather from just a few jam-packed days is remarkable.
This morning was particularly special—at 10:15 AM, we hosted a spirited panel discussion with three industry leaders titled Harder, Better Faster: In-House Agencies and Workflow Technology: How Workflow Technology is Making Us Stronger. Our three panelists, Michael Johnson, Creative Director at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals; Ashley Pyatt, Senior Graphic Designer at H.D. Smith; and Debbie Kennedy, Creative Operations Consultant, shared their substantial collective knowledge with an audience of over 200 creative professionals. The running theme? When it comes to crafting the perfect workflow process for your team, the key is to keep it simple.
“The best thing that you can do for your team is to work on simplifying one singular workflow at first,” said Debbie. “Then, build the workflow out, or add additional workflows as needed.”
All of the panelists agreed that introducing technology before you’ve simplified your creative production process is a mistake. First, map out a workflow that actually works for your team; get internal buy-in; and invest time in education. Remember, you can always refine your process once you know it works. If you create a simple system that you’re able to evolve and scale, it will be easy to adjust if the demands on your team change.
“A good workflow system is simple, but also flexible enough that you can adjust the steps if you need to,” Debbie explained.
The other major benefit of prioritizing simplicity when crafting your workflow? Change management. Each of the panelists experienced “growing pains” on their respective teams when it came time to implement a new process and technology solution. After all, they admitted, getting an entire organization to change the way they work is hard. But ensuring the new process is simple and easy to understand will encourage your team to get on board quickly.
Debbie also offered the audience an important rule when it comes to change management: Stick to the new process, and make sure your team does, too.
“Do not allow your team to deviate from the new workflow process and technology system,” she said. “If you stay firm, you will have success.”
What do you think of HOW Design Live so far? Tweet me @EllieBaldini, and don’t forget to stop by the inMotionNow booth and tune in to @inMotionNow for even more HOW Design Live updates!
Ellie Baldini is the Content Marketing Manager at inMotionNow. Having been a member of several creative teams herself, Ellie knows the challenges of inefficient workflows. Ellie draws on her experience to connect creatives and marketers with the benefits of inMotion, so more teams can get back to doing the work they love.