Process improvements: an ever-changing journey.

Having a set of core processes in place is necessary to keep a team on track, but due to the ever-changing nuances of the agency world, our processes are always evolving. At Phire Group, the Process and Collaboration Committee is dedicated to reviewing and improving our systems and methods on a regular basis to best fit the needs of the team and our clients. With representation from multiple departments in our company, we’re able to bring different perspectives and solve problems together. The following are a few examples of how our internal teams value and benefit from the structures we’ve put in place.

Design

Having a fluid and ever-changing process allows us to find new ways to be efficient and creative. As a design team, we’ve implemented new tools and checklists overtime to make sure projects get passed off to other departments successfully and our team feels supported and inspired. If a process doesn’t feel right, we’re not afraid to shift to make our team stronger. Our process has a very human element to it. Having multiple touchpoints with all departments involved during a project allows us to quickly adapt for a timeline shift or new unforeseen requests from our clients.

Web Development

Every web project is different. But, just like a story, each project has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Our web process strives to be flexible enough to accommodate all the various twists and turns while still hitting the major plot points (milestones) along the way. Having representatives from multiple departments on the committee means there should always be someone involved to make sure the story (project) stays on track. Working together, we’ve been able to identify opportunities in the web process for other departments to get involved sooner, as well as create checklists to ensure nothing is missed when a site is ready to launch.

Media

As a Media department, prioritizing our process helps us facilitate collaboration across different departments. When we follow processes, we have the time and resources to collaborate most effectively. One way we do this is through Campaign Kickoff meetings. During these meetings, we offer the team full context of the campaign and outline the necessary deliverables. By having all of our needs outlined from the start of the campaign, we can more productively collaborate with Design and Copy teams.

Project Management

Continually having conversations around process allows us to grow as an agency and adapt to different clients and projects. From the perspective of a project manager and the main keeper of processes, it’s nice to have insights from other departments on how we can improve. After gaining some potential ideas and solutions, project management can put together enhanced processes for the agency to work on. We are constantly learning from each other, the industry, and the world as a whole. Having this committee forces us (in a good way!) to exercise our creative process brains and work together to improve our company and working relationships with each other.