Qualitative Design Metrics

Although I’d be the first to acknowledge their validity and usefulness in managing an in-house creative team, I’m not a big fan of numbers. I barely hobbled through Trig in high school. But the fact of the matter is that … Continue reading

Inspiring Creativity

As in-house creative leaders, we’re charged with inspiring our teams to be and stay creative. This can be daunting when there are many revisions, only one client, only two fonts to choose from (y’know: Book and Italic, or if you … Continue reading

The Case for a LEAN approach to Creative Process Improvement

As a six sigma black belt, much of my training focused on manufacturing processes. When I work with transactional processes, such as those in creative services, I apply six sigma techniques whenever possible. But I’ve found that often a much … Continue reading

Applying Six Sigma to Creative – Good Idea?

Creative services is one of the last parts of corporate America that has been relatively untouched by Six Sigma.  Many manufacturing companies apply it rigorously to their production lines, with the mathematical target of Six Sigma being to get errors … Continue reading

Collaboration vs. Process Discipline – How to strike a balance in the world of creative services?

When I first started consulting with creative services organizations I brought a “manufacturing “ mindset which I was anxious to apply to the undisciplined creative world. I knew the organizations I worked with could be much more efficient and productive … Continue reading