Best Practices For Managing Creative Teams

Best Practices For Managing Creative Teams

Project management is not very often associated with creative teams because creativity cannot be controlled or forced. However, creative teams too need to be organized in order to align their process with the company’s goals. It is possible to manage them by providing a work environment that boosts their creativity yet holds them accountable for meeting the project deadlines.

A company’s creative team is responsible for building its brand image with artistic designs, innovative content, witty headlines and so much more. Since there is so much fluidity involved, project managers handling creative teams must approach things differently.

When it comes to managing a team of creative individuals, using the right tools can help you allocate resources and keep track of everyone’s progress within a project. For instance, tools like an enterprise project management software come in handy to avoid things from getting chaotic for managers handling projects on an organizational level. Teamwork is perhaps the best project management software that you can consider purchasing.

We have listed below the best practices for managing creative teams efficiently

• Provide flexibility

This is a must for managers dealing with a creative team as pushing them to meet deadlines will only add to their stress which ultimately affects their performance. This does not mean there should be no deadlines, but to ensure quality work you must not rush your creative teams.

They are constantly trying to find innovative ways which means putting them in a box will be counter-productive. When you provide them flexible deadlines and allocate some extra time when they really need it, it will definitely allow them to produce better quality of work.

• Define boundaries

While you provide flexibility to your creative teams so you don’t curb their creativity, you do need to make them aware of certain goals they must meet. Setting boundaries helps in ensuring the project doesn’t get derailed or goes out of budget.

When a creative team receives clear briefs from the manager, it allows them to understand their responsibilities and fulfill them to the best of their abilities. When a manager clearly communicates project goals, creative team members can focus on meeting these goals.

• Encourage quality communication

This one is quite obvious. Creative individuals often get lost in their own world when working on something as they are always trying to materialize some new idea. It is important to discuss these ideas so that everyone on the team is on the same page.

Clear and concise communication goes a long way in helping them understand your expectations as well as giving them feedback on their work. It also allows you to connect with them and understand any concerns they may have.

• Avoid micromanagement

The last thing a creative person needs is a manager constantly hovering over their desk asking for updates. It is impossible for them to perform when someone is scrutinizing every activity and can soon make them feel they are not trusted to do their job well.

A creative team project manager must avoid micromanagement at all costs and try to look at the bigger picture instead. As long as your team is providing cutting edge design solutions and meeting their goals on time, there is no point fussing over every small detail.

• Remove admin work from their task list

There are a lot of administrative tasks in every project that are important for the smooth flow of work. These could be tasks like filling timesheets, generating expense reports, preparing action plans, etc. The manual tasks can be automated to save time.

The tasks that do not require participation of your creative team must strictly be kept away from them. Keep your creative team occupied only with the tasks that need their utmost attention.

Conclusion

With the help of the above mentioned strategies, you can manage a creative team and drive them to produce extraordinary results. Having said that, you must not forget to show faith in their ability to successfully produce quality work.