A provocation for you: What is a process?
Put simply, a process is a series of things arranged over time. Or - with a nod in the direction of Dr Suess - Thing 1 followed by Thing 2 followed by Thing 3... and so on.

Most production processes in the interactive working space are fixed or static in this sense, where a group focuses on the things in the series: doing thing 1, presenting thing 2, delivering thing 3, i.e. the classic stuff of milestones, deliverables and actions.

Such approaches have much to recommend them. Prince2, decision space matrices, waterfall methodologies are all examples, and all have their places and uses. In a previous role at Getfrank, I instigated exactly this kind of system, which we ended up calling a production methodology.

In contrast to static systems, a "processual" system is one in which a group focuses on what is between the things, not on the things themselves. Or in other words, the "followed by’s", the creative currents, the joyful motivations of shared humour, the shaping forces, the flow.

Processual is an invented word I know, but it connotes the sort of periodic, cyclical behaviour that natural processes have, and that I believe a "creative production process" can also posses, given time.

In all my projcts, I strive to ensure that the way I work is a processual process, not a static process, in this sense.

Because...

The problem with process
Is that in many commercial organisations processes are viewed as static entities. There is "one way" of doing things - and that is "our way" and it will not change. Often, what should be a uniquely fluid process becomes instead a fixed series of static snapshots and trivial decisions.

And as we all know, creative people - by which I mean anyone capable of consistently novel thought - do not work well within the bounds of a "process" (or "box") in this odd, fixed sense.

So is there anything that can be called an effective creative process? Answer: yes!

An ecological approach

I believe that an ecological approach to process management within a creative group is the most enjoyable - and the most effective - way to run a project or commercial group.

By "ecological" I mean simply an approach where we all strive to look and work between the Things, in a processual way, so that feedback, periodicity, serendipity and flow are all allowed to take precedence over static things and fixed conventions.