Creative and operations are two terms that don’t seem to blend well together. For example, we use the word creative to highlight things such as branding, marketing, and advertising, and when we think of operations, we think of processes and rigid systems. When operational experts properly lead creatives, you can overcome bottlenecks and accomplish client-related projects and operational projects on time. That’s where creative operations would come into play.
What exactly is creative operations?
Creative operations emphasize optimizing productivity by providing structure to a creative process. This can help manage deadlines and make sure that projects are delivered according to schedule on time. No more missing deadlines, losing document versions, disorganization, and tracking down client feedback. The operations side deals with all the process-driven tasks, and creatives are left to create!
What are the differences between creative operations and project management?
There are numerous overlaps between creative operations and project management. For example, creative operations would require a strategic mindset. For marketing/creative agencies, that means you should understand many different forms of cross-functional marketing activities such as copy, design, email marketing, working with various stakeholders, etc. You will need to be able to create a space for collaboration within these teams so they aren’t operating in silos.
It would help if you were an expert in wearing different hats to get the best results from creative operations. On top of that, you also have to manage different systems and assets that make up your creative deliverables.
Responsibilities of people who work on creative operations
There are some key responsibilities that people who work on creative operations have. For example, you will need to define a formal process that can be easily repeated and streamlined for your creative concepts.
The operations person also has to facilitate the creative process, looking for gaps in technologies and tools that keep the creative teams from excelling to their full capacity. There should not be any blockers to creativity for the creative teams. The operational expert will need to discover alternative solutions to ensure that the best results can be achieved.
No matter what, you should be aware of the right KPIs and metrics, which determine the success of creative projects that you are working on. This can distort attributed sales and digital marketing metrics.
Why should you focus on creative operations?
There are numerous reasons why businesses out there should think about focusing on creative operations. One of the primary benefits is the ability to get the most out of your creative teams.
You can overcome process inefficiencies with creative operations as well. Wasted time and bottlenecks are banes of every business, so increased productivity and reduced costs are major benefits.
In terms of the internal management of an agency, with creative operations, you can see how each phase of a project runs and take corrective action, make improvements and analyze results for future use. You can optimize the processes accordingly and make sure that you don’t waste time.
Final words
Ideally, it would be best to have an excellent project manager who understands marketing, marketing tools, and creative processes to implement creative operations effectively. As previously mentioned, not all project managers have the skills to manage creative teams, and you need someone with the skills and knowledge to ensure a smooth flow between the creative process and the operational process, resulting in better creativity and lower costs to get that creativity.
At Optimize Management Group, we have the skills and resources to effectively implement creative operations within your agency. Contact us today to make the most out of your creative teams.
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