The ask

I was called upon to re-define how the Creative Lab department operates and bring the new ECD’s vision to life. The structural foundations were misaligned. With no definitive ways of working, I was tasked with defining and implementing this.

The approach

To understand and identify the needs of the business, the first few weeks were spent in deep-dive sessions. A proposal was presented, which included the following recommendations:

• Formalising a briefing process to ensure that requests are funnelled through the right channel and all information is captured prior to kick off 
• Creating a road map by project type, tiers and phases
• Restructuring teams and bringing in missing or additional disciplines 
• Facilitate and build the new Creative Services arm (Head of, Project Management and Traffic)
• Workflow management for visibility of all projects and team capacity
• Streamlining ways of working with folder structures and templates 
• Instilling best practices across the board

The implementation

How this was rolled out:

• A briefing process doc was created, along with brief templates and an asset list. The process included how to submit and write a brief, the project tiers and project lifecycle
• The new structure and processes were communicated firstly to the Creative Lab team, then the wider business, in the form of ‘The Brief of The Brief’ sessions. These were led by the ECD with myself supporting and elaborating where needed
• Project Management template and folder creation, including project overview and project plan (RACI, timeline, deliverables and status)
• A workflow doc was created for the new Creative Services team, outlining the Project Management and Traffic process
• Traffic system recommendations and implementations
• Freelance budget forecast creation 
• Defining best practices, cultivating the team and wider business 
• Post-project reflection and learnings (what went well, what didn’t go well, KPIs)

The result

A process of patience and nurture, changed mindsets and undoing of old habits led to continual evolution over a six month period. The change was monumental. From having nothing to having:

• Visibility of all briefs, tracked and managed coherently in priority order
• An overview of all projects in the department
• Visibility of the team’s capacity and measured efficiency
• Structured ways of working and streamlined processes
• Financial overview
• Revised team structure to fit the new ways of working, with clear roles and responsibilities
• Increased communication and transparency
• Changed behaviour and the drive to make continued improvements across the business 

I worked closely with Pei Ling during my time at asos, so when I moved to MATCHES she was my first port of call to come on-board and help me evolve the creative ops function within the business - helping to drive more efficiency and rigour in the day to day. Pei Ling has an inherent ability to manage this whilst also bringing all the ‘good energy’ you could ever want in your team. I always look for that balance of skill and behaviour in the people I recruit as it, of course, helps to build better culture, plus we all surely want to surround ourselves with ‘good people’. Pei Ling is the best of good people. Teams/ brands/ accounts/ businesses will only flourish with her around. I can’t speak more highly about Pei Ling; for her focus, drive, understanding and aptitude in her role.

Everyone needs a Pei Ling in their team.