Considerations for your 2014 Strategic Plan

by Jackie Schaffer

It's that time of the year again: some of your teams are pushing hard here in the final stretch this week, while the rest of your teams have started to taper off following the final rush that most creative teams feel beginning in November (and for the retail companies, much sooner). We finally have a minute to breathe now, and the promise of a new year comes into focus.

We're all looking forward to some time to plan--because typically we're too busy leading up to the holidays to think about 2014 outside of the mandatory budgetary planning we squeeze in around the chaos of Q4. January holds the promise of time to strategize and prioritize.

As you consider what to include in your 2014 Strategic Plan, take into consideration the most common improvement opportunities we see within in-house creative teams:

Track your time--I know, you're sick of hearing me preach this about this one, but it's a huge opportunity for teams
Implement a creative-specific project management system--SharePoint, Basecamp, or Excel spreadsheets aren't going to get you to the promised land, look at a true creative-specific system
Implement tiering--at minimum, you need to know how much of work requires creative concepting and how much is "bang-it-out, templated" work
Update your processes per your tiering--not every project should have a creative brief and the Creative Director should not review every project
Use metrics to tell your story--using numbers to substantiate your team's capacity, demand, efficiency and more is how you get more money for your team
Specialize roles--once your team gets to 15 people or so, less people should be wearing multiple hats
Partner with your clients to forecast demand--being regularly surprised by projects is partially on you; talk to your clients about upcoming work
Implement a flexible labor strategy--if you don't already use freelancers for surge support, make it a priority to do so versus burning your team out during peak periods
Poll your clients--don't live in a black box, ask the hard questions of your clients
Know and live your value proposition--articulate what and how you can deliver, don't chase every opportunity unless it fits in your vision

Jackie Schaffer

Jackie, a 13-year veteran of Cella, serves as Global Head bringing digital talent, global capacity and solutions to our clients. She is well known for her deep understanding of the industry, strategic vision and commitment to delivering exceptional client experiences. Prior to her appointment as Global Head of Cella in 2023, Jackie was Cella’s Senior Vice President and led the managed in-house agency business, recruiting function and corporate departments. Most recently, she played a key role in Cella’s sale to Randstad in September 2021 and subsequently led the successful integration into our new parent company. Jackie was included in Staffing Industry Analysts’ 2021 “Global Power 150 — Women in Staffing” list in recognition of her success in the industry.

When Jackie came to Cella in 2010, she built and led the new consulting practice and quickly developed a first-in-kind training for in-house agency leaders, launched our hosted networking events and spearheaded the introduction of Cella’s In-House Creative Industry Report. Based on findings from our annual benchmarking surveys, the Report has become the standard for the industry.

At home in Maryland with her husband Joe and three young sons, Jackie cheers for the Terps as a loyal University of Maryland alumna. She’s also one of those Peloton fanatics, and she always finds time to enjoy watching her boys play any number of sports (though lacrosse is her favorite to watch), play tennis and hitting the slopes with her family.