During creative projects, people often default to the humble spreadsheet. Perhaps it’s because that’s the only tool they’ve ever used, or it could just be plain lack of creativity. A campaign with many moving parts and varied stakeholders, dependent deadlines, and multiple feedback rounds often gets confusing.
So let’s approach 7 methods that can replace dependence on spreadsheets with approaches that hold up.
Method 1: Build a Single Campaign Brief That Everybody Works From
Before any work starts, write a document that answers the following questions:
- What are we making?
- Who is it for?
- What does success look like?
- What are the hard constraints, such as deadlines and budgets?
Every decision made throughout the campaign should be based on this brief. The advantage of a brief over a spreadsheet is that it encourages critical conversations.
Method 2: Use a Visual Content Board
A visual board organizes work by status. You might have different columns like a spreadsheet, but unlike a spreadsheet, you move tasks from one column to the other as the project progresses. For example, common stages in a content board might be:
- Not started
- In progress
- In review
- Approved
- Live
The principle is that each asset or deliverable gets its own card that moves across the board to the columns as the project progresses. Tools like Trello and Notion are digital tools that use this approach, but some teams use a physical board Try searching for a project management template that suits your needs.
Method 3: Assign One Person With Responsibility for Each Deliverable
When a deliverable is a team effort, it often becomes leaderless and directionless. Diffusion of responsibility takes hold, feedback gets lost, and deadlines slip away. Every asset in the campaign should have a specific named person responsible for meeting the deadline.
That doesn’t mean they’re doing all the work themselves; they’re just the single person in charge of submission or delivery.
Method 4: Centralize All Assets in One Named Location
One of the most costly mistakes you can make during creative projects is not setting up your filing system from the start. Ensure you have a central directory with appropriate subfolders from the beginning. This ensures that people are not staring at their screen searching for the latest version of a file.
Use a consistent naming convention that includes the date and version number so anyone can find what they need without needing to ask around. Pick one storage location at the start, whether that’s a cloud folder or a shared drive, and stick with it.
Method 5: Replace Status Update Meetings With Async Check-Ins
Weekly meetings where everyone reports on what they’re doing often just waste people’s time. You can replace such meetings with a short written check-in posted in a shared channel where each person shares the following:
- What they completed
- What they’re working on next
- If progress is blocked anywhere
Consistent updates often work well enough that they can replace weekly meetings.
Method 6: Have a Clear Feedback System
Feedback delivered over email, especially across multiple rounds with multiple participants in the email thread, is a quick way to lose track of your progress. Have a central feedback system, such as feedback applied directly as comments in a draft document or have a shared file for delivering feedback. When all the comments go in one place, things are more likely to be synchronized and coordinated.
Well-kept records are invaluable because memory fades fast. The more detailed institutional records are the better.
Method 7: Run a Campaign Evaluation Before Meeting Them
When the campaign ends, spend some time with the team discussing the following metrics: what worked, what caused friction, and what could have been different next time. Store this information alongside the campaign assets for later reference. These points of interest become part of your institutional memory, which can bolster the next campaign conclusion.
When exploring creative options outside the standard spreadsheets, you can reduce confusion and keep everyone focused on the task at hand. You don’t have to implement all of these campaign planning methods; just pick one or two and focus on implementing those correctly.
If you’re interested in learning more about topics related to project management, see our other blog posts.
