Why Resource Management is Your Agency's Secret Weapon

The Industry School's MD & Resource Management Trainer, Jo Petroccia, sat down with members of the institution to discuss strategic Resource Management and the positive contribution it can make to a business.

This short guide below was originally written for Henry Stewart Events, Creative Ops London 2018.

Read below to read her responses and discover her expert opinions on how company resources can be used more effectively for business purposes. 

Q> What does Creative Operations mean to you?

Jo Petroccia> To me, Creative Ops is where great ideas become reality.

It’s the collaboration of People, Process and Technology working seamlessly together to produce great content.

Simply put, it’s the engine that keeps the wheels of a creative business turning.

Q) What role does Resource Management play in Creative Ops?

JP> Resource Management is the backbone of Creative Ops. It’s a unique discipline and the lynchpin between creative, production, client servicing and finance.

Creative Directors are obsessed, rightly, with creative output. Account Managers want happy clients. Project Managers want to deliver on time and on budget. Finance Directors want good profits margins. These are, of course, all vital to the success of Creative Ops, however they also make these people’s focus necessarily narrow.

The secret weapon that brings all these functions together, allowing them to operate seamlessly and harmoniously together, is Resource Management.

Q) What value does resource management add to Creative Ops?

JP> In brief, HUGE.

A Resource Management vacuum is an invitation for chaos to reign as the lack of coordination across Creative Ops puts a strain on individuals, departments and ultimately, creative output, project health and profitability.

By contrast, Creative Ops with a commitment to best practice Resource Management reaps the benefits of a joined up and proactive approach.

Resource Managers are the eyes and ears of Creative Ops. They’ve got their finger on the pulse; they spot problems before they hurt the business; they ensure the right people perform the right tasks; they help you retain great talent; they know what’s happening today, tomorrow and next week.

More importantly, they are planning and preparing for what’s happening in three months’ time.

Q) What is the most common mistake you see people make in Creative Ops?

JP> Resource Management treated as little (or nothing) more than human Tetris! Driven by half-arsed resource requests, which are usually a knee jerk reaction to a client or marketing team’s request.

It’s a sure sign that production and resource planning is reactive and short-sighted, which in turn means finance, recruitment and staff development planning is reactive and short-sighted too. That makes things costly.

Q) If you had one piece of advice for companies looking to improve their existing creative ops team what would it be?

JP> Training. Training.Training.

Invest in your people. It’s much more cost effective to train and retain than to recruit!

Q) What do you see on the horizon for Creative Ops in 2018?

JP> Client and marketing budgets are being cut and they increasingly want more for their money, which means Creative Ops needs to be more efficient and streamlined to protect their margins. Therefore getting People, Process and Technology right is going to be more crucial than ever.

Want to discuss how resource management can make a positive contribution to your agency? Get in touch – jo@theindustryschool.co.uk