Creative Teams Approval Process

Hi! My Content Team and I are looking for an effective way to navigate through the approval process. Right now we have one task that is updated with a workflow (In Progress, Submitted for Approval, and Complete). This is all done as one task but the "start on" date is the due date - where the due date is when we need final copy. I don't want to go back to two tasks but I feel like we keep getting ourselves into a pinch to turn things around because all people see if the "due date". Any suggestions? Thoughts or musings would be greatly appreciated :) 

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Hi Lauren,

Not an expert by any means but have been wrestling with this for some time. Here is what we are currently doing (I love to change things):

For a tiny bit of context this is how we (marketing company) handle projects/campaigns.

Account Manager fills out a Wrike Request. This generates a task (which is really shitty because it should be a project but whatever). Once this is done the first stage in our ladder is 'Assigned'. The PM and the Ops Manager zero in on this daily. When were they assigned and why haven't they been started? In our world 'Assigned' means service ordered but project not yet started - HURRY UP!

When a marketing manager picks up the task they then copy and paste the contents into a project folder and create a project/campaign. The second this is done (handoff) the project is now 'Under Development'. These are great because it lets the PM and Ops Manager know that the project is being worked and they can then look at the due date, estimated hours for completion and see if we are going to deliver early, on time or late (heaven forbid). One major bottle neck is the Account Manager getting approvals to the various parts of the creative team. We've created a 'Waiting For Approval' stage (RED!!!) for this situation. This is easily the thing we look for most on a daily basis. Approvals often take 30 seconds and are just a matter of making sure the right person knows they have to  look at something. 

I'm bot going to go into crazy detail but at my company the Marketing Manager is a Marketing PM. They get the project, flesh it out and assign tasks to different departments. As assets are built the PM liases with the Account Manager to make sure we are on track and eventually take to the client for final approval. At some point all the assets are complete and approved and the actual campaign starts. When it starts we call it 'Active Campaign'. When we are going through our Wrike reports and we see a project marked as Active Campaign the next question is - how is it doing???? Are we near targets, do we need to optimize, is it a disaster etc etc etc.

Finally when a campaign has finished, reports have been completed etc etc etc we change the workflow to 'Campaign Complete', pat each other on the back and then start all over again (or worry about all the other campaigns that are in various stages).

 

There is a quick overview. It is worth nothing that we also communicate through slack. We have company guidelines that tell us when and where to say what but there is a lot of cross over and grey area between the two.

Sincerely,

Jude

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Jude - thank you for going into so much detail, understanding the corporate context of a technical workflow example is worlds above just reading a technical workflow list. Cheers!

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Thank you Jude! 

 

When my Content Person or Graphic Designer has finished a piece and it goes to proof it's all in one task. That Designer or Content Person is getting the piece to their Manager on the "due date". We are struggling to figure out whether we need one task (Create Piece, submit for Approval) or to separate out that task to two (1-Copy or Design Piece Created 2- Proof & Approval)? What does your team do? Do they have one task and then everything gets approved by the due date? 

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One thing that has helped our marketing team through this process is setting custom workflow options. We have multiple sized projects that range through print, digital and video that take place.

We have created options in one task to be able to have not started, in progress, review and completed. Each time it starts out with concept, we assigned to each person (graphic artist or manager). We create a dependency then it moves to design, create dependency and it moves to review. When we have a review task we assign to regular Wrike users as well as collaborators. 

I hope this helps!

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