Everything You Need to Know About Creative Agency Project Management

Great project management has the ability to turn a mediocre creative project into one that smashes its objectives - and gets heads turning in the process. 

While many creatives are perfectly capable communicators, and plenty have great organizational skills too, there’s no denying that bringing a number of creative thinkers together via a single, multi-faceted project can make things a little complicated. 

Creative agency project management helps to maximize the diverse strengths of creative professionals. And it does so by ensuring that teams have everything they need to be able to work together harmoniously, as they move toward a final product that ticks all the boxes. 

In this article, we’ll talk you through creative agency project management in detail. We’ll explain what it really is, how it works and why all creative teams need a brilliant project manager on their side. 

Read on and we’ll talk about what goes into great creative project management, before discussing the transformative power of design project management software. 

What is creative project management?

Creative project management is similar to classic project management, but it refers to the use of these management techniques within the field of creative work. 

The fact that we’re dealing with creative projects means that the requirements of project managers are quite different, and that’s why project managers working with creative teams tend to have a markedly different approach.

Project managers look after creative projects right from the ideas stage, when initial wireframes might be drawn up, through to the final delivery of the end product. 

The role of project managers within creative teams is multi-faceted, with every day bringing new surprises and challenges to be overcome. 

Everything from briefs and rough ideas to tasks like tracking progress, managing team workflow and keeping track of revisions comes down to the creative project manager. 

Let’s take a look at the five key features of creative project management. 

Defining Outcomes

At the beginning of any project, the team will come together to discuss what the project is and what it’s really for. The answer to this question is the final outcome of the project, or its deliverables. 

Creative teams need a thorough understanding of what they’re really working towards, and what problems they need to solve, in order to execute a creative project that’s truly successful.

Tracking and Managing Tasks

Once outcomes have been decided upon, the creative project manager will be able to start planning the tasks that need to be completed in order for the final outcome to be realized. 

Project managers will begin to separate larger chunks of work into smaller, more manageable tasks, which can then be allocated to the departments or team members best equipped to complete them. 

Project management software for design collaboration is enormously useful at this point, as it helps to split deliverables into smaller tasks and allocate them in a way that’ll get the project moving as quickly as possible. 

Communicating with Stakeholders

When we talk about stakeholders, we’re really talking about all those involved in the creative project. A project manager will take the lead on communication, ensuring that there are easy channels of communication between all creatives working on a project. 

Project managers might choose to introduce teams to a number of new communication methods, such as digital whiteboards, live chat services and messaging boards to help different departments work together in an efficient and productive manner. 

Checking Progress

A project manager is responsible for the progress of a project, so they’ll arrange different ways in which team members can report back on progress and ensure that everyone’s always in the loop. 

Software is sometimes used to provide a visual representation of progress, whether that be through lists of tasks that move from to-do lists to completed checklists, or other roadmapping and reporting tools. 

This part of creative project management also allows for essential forward planning, helping teams to allocate resources more efficiently. Project managers who keep a careful eye on what’s happening when are also well placed to identify and prepare for any new challenges or bottlenecks that might be on the horizon. 

Organizing Final Delivery

The final part of creative project management involves the final delivery of the end product. 

The project manager will ensure that the end product meets its objectives, and communicate with stakeholders as and when required to ensure a smooth delivery of the product. If revisions are needed, the project manager will facilitate these. 

Once everyone is happy with the end product, creative assets will be organized and handed over by the project manager. The team can then prepare for their next project. 

How do agencies approach project management? 

Creative agency project managers work within a huge range of different industries, which is why their work is so varied - and so complex. 

For some projects, the amount of detail required to plan and manage them successfully really is mind boggling. But there are some similarities between the ways in which creative project managers tend to approach different projects. 

Workflow 

Project managers will often establish a workflow system, in order to track progress and manage processes. Workflows are widely used within creative agencies, as they help to provide a greater level of consistency while also improving efficiency and productivity. 

Resource Management 

All creative teams are dealing with finite resources - and for some teams resources really are stretched to their limits. 

In creative agencies, project managers take responsibility for managing the resources that teams have at their disposal. Managers check that resources are allocated fairly across different departments, and that everyone has what they need to be able to get the job done. 

Project Management Tools 

Creative agencies make full use of a wide range of different types of project management software, and tools designed to make managing projects simpler, easier and more efficient. Software is used to help with everything from task tracking and managing workflows, to ensuring resources have been allocated properly and that the team isn't approaching a bottleneck that could derail progress. 

The lifecycle of a creative project

Creative projects tend to follow a set lifecycle, which we can simplify by breaking it down into four specific phases. Let’s take a look at how creative projects move from initiation to sign off, and what happens in between. 

Initiation 

As soon as a creative team and client agree on a new project, we can say that the project is in the initiation phase. At this point, everyone involved will begin to discuss what the project is, what it’s for and what a good result might look like. 

The initiation phase is the beginning of the project, and it’s probably the most crucial stage. During initiation, team members need to work closely together to ensure that everyone understands what the client is looking for from the final product. 

This is the time to decide on the scope of the project, determining everything from project timelines and milestones to the different types of reporting that will be used to track progress as the project begins. 

Budgeting is a crucial part of this phase of project management. Team members should use the early stages of a project to agree on budgets and begin thinking about how budgets might be split across different departments, or allocated to different tasks. 

Creatives need to be clear on project scope from this point onwards, as anything that falls beyond the initial scope of a project might incur extra fees. 

Planning

The planning stage sees the project start to come to life. Project managers will begin to outline the tasks that need to be completed for deliverables to be realized. Those tasks can then be split into smaller chunks, making workloads more manageable for those who are assigned them. 

We recommend that teams get together for a thorough discussion of what will go into the project, to help identify every task that team members will need to complete to create an end product that meets expectations. 

Once teams have a good idea of the work that’ll go into the project, milestones can be established. Milestones help to guide teams through the project, working as landmarks that move them towards the end goal. Brilliant for motivation levels as well as project tracking, a good number of milestones will make all the difference to a team’s rate of progress. 

Execution

In the execution phase, team members really start to bounce ideas off one another as they work through the tasks they’ve been set. 

Great project management software is invaluable at this point, as it helps to bring teams together and enables faster, more effective communication that works for everyone.

When teams work with project management software, everyone can keep an eye on where the project is at, and what needs to be done next to keep it moving forwards. 

The software also helps to keep team members briefed on who is working on what, and enables simple sharing of ideas and feedback that can make all the difference to the effectiveness of a completed task. 

Time tracking also plays a key role in this phase. Enormously useful in the planning of future projects, time tracking of key tasks is made simple with good project management software. 

When time is tracked on a daily basis, project managers can begin to make better informed decisions on future deadlines, and more accurate predictions of when key tasks might be complete (without piling more pressure on the team by moving deadlines forward).  

Sign off 

The last stage of any project is of course sign off. This is where weeks or months of hard work comes to a head, and the end product is revealed. 

The sign off phase begins with a discussion amongst team members, where potential problems can be identified and last minute revisions can be made. 

Once everyone is happy with the product, it’ll be presented to the end client. At this point the project might be hailed as a huge success, or teams may be faced with requests for further edits or revisions before a new version can be created. 

If revisions are needed, project management software can be used to bring team members together once again, to work on any new tasks that might be required for a revised version of the end product. 

What does a creative project manager do? 

A creative project manager moves a project from start to end, helping to navigate obstacles and keep the work on course for delivery on a predetermined date. Great project managers enable teams to work together more effectively, nurturing top level teamwork to make the most of the unique skill sets of all creatives involved in a project. 

Creative project managers bridge the gap between end clients and creative professionals, providing a means by which clients and team members can communicate to keep projects running smoothly. They’re also on hand to keep team members communicating as a project runs, providing a means by which creatives can work more collaboratively - for the benefit of all involved. 

Project managers tend to take the lead on the project management software that team members will use. They’re often responsible for onboarding staff and ensuring that they understand everything they need to know to be able to get the most out of the features the team’s chosen software provides. 

Meetings and discussions are usually led by creative project managers. Often, managers will call meetings to discuss progress or talk about emerging problems. Project managers will request input from different departments to find the best solutions for the issues the team might be facing. 

Stakeholders require progress reports at regular intervals during lengthy projects, and project managers are responsible for these too. Software will often give managers all the information they need to be able to report back on progress and predict when the next milestones might be reached. 

Project managers are ultimately responsible for the success of a project, so they’ll evaluate whether or not the end product meets its objectives before it is presented to an end client. If revisions are needed, project managers will also look after these, determining who is best to complete the required tasks and how long team members will need to make any requested revisions. 

The Benefits of Using Project Management Software in Creative Agency Project Management 

Intelligent software makes all the difference to the job of a creative agency project manager. With the best project management software, teams can work together far more easily - because they have everything they need available at the touch of a button. Just take a look at some of the key benefits of using project management software. 

Track tasks simply and effectively 

Project management software makes task tracking simpler and easier than ever before. Bigger can be split into smaller, more manageable chunks, and these smaller tasks can be allocated to the team members best equipped to work on them. 

All team members then have access to lists of tasks and information on who is working on what, and project managers know exactly what different departments’ workloads look like. 

Design project management software like Hello Ivy even comes with a ‘today tool’ which grabs tasks from all design projects and combines them into a single overview, to show team members what’s happening and what needs to be done next for you and your team. 

Communicate whenever you need to

There are endless different communication options available to design teams today, some of which are more effective than others. But what really works is providing teams with one piece of kit that does everything they need it to do. 

Great project management software comes with communication tools built in, to avoid team members having to check on a number of different message boards and communication apps during the working day. 

By keeping everything in one place, teams can easily check messages as they go, and the risk of messages being lost or going unread is vastly reduced. 

Managing documents, data and imagery 

Design project management software brings documents, data, images and other resources together in one place. This means that team members can easily access everything they need to, through one dashboard. 

Gone are the days of waiting around for access to vital documents. Now, project management software ensures that creatives have the documents they need to complete their tasks - without even having to send off an email. 

Reduce the need for meetings 

There’s nothing wrong with an occasional meeting to check on project progress and discuss potential issues. But too many meetings can really hamper productivity - and put a damper on motivation levels too. 

With good project management software, the need for constant meetings is vastly reduced. This means that team members have more time to get on with the job - and everyone’s still kept in the loop thanks to the project management features that the software provides. 

Allocate resources in a data-driven way 

Project managers have to be careful with the resources they have at their disposal, but it’s not always easy to see which tasks require more resources than others. 

Project management software helps here, as it provides a means by which managers can prioritize different tasks, and see what needs to happen before other tasks can be completed. This information is invaluable when it comes to resource allocation. 

Software also helps to predict potential bottlenecks, enabling managers to allocate additional resources as and when required, to avoid situations like this from occurring.

Measure success easily 

Measuring the success of a project is sometimes more complicated than it sounds. However, great project management software simplifies tasks like this by ensuring that everyone remains clear on the initial objectives of the project as it moves forwards. 

When teams keep project goals in mind at every stage, they’re far more likely to stick to the brief and deliver an end product that surpasses expectations. Managers can easily check that tasks have been completed according to the initial brief, and that stakeholders are satisfied with recently completed milestones before teams move on to the next part of a project. 

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Hello Ivy is the secret weapon that’s making all the difference to creative agency project management. The collaboration tool has been exclusively designed to simplify and streamline the day-to-day work of a design team, and it’s already redefining project management for design teams. 

With Hello Ivy, teams can connect everything from tasks and conversations to documents and calendar events. Tasks can be shared and worked on collaboratively, with smart task management that propels design teams forward. 

Hello Ivy is revolutionizing how design teams collaborate, maximizing productivity in design. If you’d like to find out more about Hello Ivy and how it works take a look at Hello Ivy’s features.