How to improve creative operations management in business.

Enterprise companies rely on Creative Teams to craft branded content, design stunning visuals, and meet the demands of the marketplace. Yet, bridging the gap between high-level departmental requests and nuts-and-bolts creative execution can create a disconnect. The key? Align your Creative Team with the overarching goals of the business.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Companies may be plugging along with creative output, not realizing there’s a bottleneck or roadblock somewhere in the process. Utilizing the right project management system is critical, as is having the right strategic approach to optimizing creative collaboration from request to execution. 

Taking time to streamline and improve internal processes will improve creative output. Commit to conducting honest internal evaluations to identify existing challenges. Then, adopt strategic change management to ensure seamless transitions and foster continuous creative collaboration to keep the process dynamic and effective. Above all, ensure creative teams are aligned with business goals. In this way, companies can improve both workflows and outcomes.

What is creative operations?

Creative operations is the engine powering creativity within an organization. Tasked with managing workflows, allocating resources, and overseeing budgets, creative operations supports Creative Teams—whether in-house or external—as they move from ideation to execution and final delivery. It’s the bridge between the mechanical and the imaginative, blending analytical precision with creative experimentation. In short, creative operations streamlines the process of bringing ideas to life.

Creative operations is a crucial function for any organization producing creative work. At its core, creative operations aims to make the production of creative work efficient, removing bottlenecks and improving workflows to meet business objectives. It plays a pivotal role in aligning creative efforts with the broader goals of an organization so that every project contributes meaningfully to the company’s vision and strategy.

Yet, challenges can arise. Perhaps there’s a project management flaw that doesn’t account for the iterative nature of the creative process. Or maybe there’s a hitch in a workflow that’s causing a bottleneck during the review phase. This is where creative operations management comes into play. By digging into the nuances of how Creative Teams operate, it focuses on reducing inefficiencies, fostering collaboration, and aligning both day-to-day needs and high-level business priorities. The result? A smoother creative process that delivers impactful, well-aligned results.

An example of creative process optimization

For so many companies, it’s business as usual when it comes to creative output. Even with the right talent and systems in place, collaboration and processes may need to be examined. 

One retailer recently faced a challenge in balancing process efficiency within their project management system. While the system streamlined processes and provided structure, its initial intake often lacked key input, slowing production while resources backtracked to get the necessary detail. 

To address this, Aquent Studios focused on three major solutions:

• Standardize intake requirements with the right communication and support.
• Deploy the management roles supported by a clear, effective process.
• Continuously assess and refine processes. 

In this case, experienced account professionals were integral to guiding requesters on how to place the necessary inputs while understanding the broader business context, such as creative decisions and funding considerations. By prioritizing creative efficiency without sacrificing collaboration, they overcame objections and streamlined operations.

Below, we’ll go deeper into the different ways organizations can achieve better results through effective creative operations management. 

First, align creative teams with overarching business goals

If Creative Teams are operating with a different approach than business leaders, there will continue to be roadblocks during creative production. The roadblocks might not be obvious at first glance. Yet, it’s worth taking a look at where processes get slowed down or work has to be done over again. 

Often, the hangup happens when Creative Teams aren’t mirroring business objectives. For example, if your company’s business objective is to provide the best value, are you running the lowest-cost Creative Team? On the flip side, if your business is a luxury brand, does your Creative Team reflect that in the way they develop and produce creative assets?

Luxury brands will often pay more for designers with a different level of skill or experience. Retailers focused on low cost are likely more concerned with volume and speed. If the low-cost provider is running their Creative team like a luxury brand, there’s a disconnect. The overall business strategy must permeate the process. This is the first step to effecting change at the creative level. 

Prioritize change management tactics

The next step is effective change management. While there are some excellent creative project management tools to help smooth workflows, streamlining creative operations requires more than simply deploying a new project management tool. There’s a need for a human-centered strategy.

According to the University of California, Berkeley’s Change Management Toolkit, only 30% of organizational change initiatives are successful. Whenever organizations introduce change, consider a few strategic questions to help guide the goal, benefits, and objectives. 

• Outline the organizational goal. What do you hope to achieve? Knowing your goals within creative operations as well as the greater business objectives will help keep you centered.
• Explain the benefits. Stakeholders will want to know how this will make things better. Be sure the benefits of adopting a new process or tool are clear from the start.
• Look ahead to potential impacts. Be prepared for pushback, and acknowledge anything that could cause bumps in the road.  
• Socialize the new system. Once new processes or tools are in place, new systems must be socialized within the organization so everyone is rowing in the same direction.

While the right structure and the right roles can all help clarify priorities, there will be a need for flexibility. This is where understanding the nuances of the business comes into play. It’s about anticipating fluidity and balancing immediate needs with proper processes to ensure everything gets done efficiently.

In the previous retailer example, there were hidden gaps causing inefficiencies and redundancies. In your company, ask yourself: are there three-step processes that could be boiled down to one? Are there individuals involved in review processes that could be freed up for other tasks? Are the right roles in place to make it all flow from request to execution? This is where an Account Manager comes in.

Involve account management to connect the dots

Even in the wake of inefficiencies, there’s good news. Creative operations professionals thrive on collaboration, bringing together diverse departments like Marketing, IT, HR, and senior management to ensure creative initiatives align with broader business goals. These partnerships are essential for unifying efforts and fostering meaningful connections across the organization.

A key player in this process is account management—often overlapping with project management. These roles require sharp negotiation skills and the ability to bridge gaps, making sure everyone involved is on the same page. Account Managers serve as problem solvers, asking direct questions to clarify goals, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines. They connect people, processes, and objectives, breaking down complexities to focus on what truly matters for delivering results.

Building processes and structures is only one piece of the puzzle. The real magic happens when teams invest in understanding how to work together to turn creative ideas into actionable success.

Optimize creative operations to drive business success

Just like a mail room or a cafeteria, creative services are just that—a service. It’s necessary, but it needs to be managed effectively.

Successfully managing creative operations requires bridging the gap between creative innovation and strategic goals. It’s about navigating internal challenges and adapting to evolving priorities. With the right approach, creative operations will be a cornerstone of an organization’s ability to deliver high-quality, impactful assets that drive business goals forward.

Embrace the opportunity for creative process evaluation 

Every organization has processes in place to get work done, even if they aren’t perfect or well-documented. By diving into existing systems with an open mind for improvement, companies can uncover gaps and inefficiencies and create new solutions. 

In many cases, hiring external consultants for creative assessments can help. Through careful analysis, external partners can identify inefficiencies, streamline workflows, and create systems that are not only more efficient but also flexible enough to adapt to future needs. Strategic consultants can even act as co/creators, working alongside Creative Operations Teams to yield creative results that align with business strategy. After all, creative operations is all about managing resources, streamlining workflows, and supporting Creative Teams to achieve amazing results.