--- title: 5 Common Workflow Problems That Derail Creative Teams (and How to Fix Them) description: Discover the top 5 workflow issues that slow down creative and marketing teams—and how to fix them. From messy intake to meeting overload, here’s how to streamline and deliver better work. image: https://manageitpros.com/hubfs/common-workflow-problems-to-avoid.png --- [Skip to content](https://manageitpros.com/blog/common-workflow-problems-to-avoid#main-content) [![Manage it Pros Primary HORIZ@2x](https://manageitpros.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Manage%20it%20Pros%20Primary%20HORIZ@2x.png?width=5000&height=2500&name=Manage%20it%20Pros%20Primary%20HORIZ@2x.png "Manage it Pros Primary HORIZ@2x")](https://www.manageitpros.com) - What We Do - [Services](https://manageitpros.com/services/) - [The Manage it Method™](https://manageitpros.com/manageitmethod) - Who We Help - By Role - [CEO](https://manageitpros.com/role/ceo) - [CMO](https://manageitpros.com/role/cmo) - [VP of Marketing](https://manageitpros.com/role/vp-of-marketing) - [Creative Director](https://manageitpros.com/role/creative-director) - [Project Managers & Producers](https://manageitpros.com/role/project-managers-producers) - [Content & Communication Teams](https://manageitpros.com/role/content-comms-teams) - By Use Case - [Creative Operations](https://manageitpros.com/use-case/creative-operations) - [Contractor Management](https://manageitpros.com/use-case/managing-external-contractors) - [Creative Request Management](https://manageitpros.com/use-case/creative-request-management) - [Leadership Support](https://manageitpros.com/use-case/project-visibility-for-leadership) - [Event & Campaign Support](https://manageitpros.com/use-case/event-campaign-support) - By Industry - [Startups & Scaleups](https://manageitpros.com/industry/startups-scaleups) - [Agencies](https://manageitpros.com/industry/agencies) - [Marketing & Creative Teams](https://manageitpros.com/industry/marketing-creative) - [Non-Profit & Mission Orgs](https://manageitpros.com/industry/nonprofits) - Client Stories - [OpenX](https://manageitpros.com/client-stories/how-openx-improved-the-way-marketing-work-gets-done) - [Wall of Love](https://manageitpros.com/testimonials/) - Resources - [Blog](https://manageitpros.com/blog) - [Impact-Led Project Brief](https://manageitpros.com/impact-led-project-brief) - [Project Manager Network](https://manageitpros.com/project-manager-network) - About Us - [Our Story](https://manageitpros.com/about/) - [Careers](https://manageitpros.com/careers) [Contact Us](https://manageitpros.com/blog/common-workflow-problems-to-avoid#main-content) [Contact Us](https://manageitpros.com/contact/) [Process](https://manageitpros.com/blog/tag/process) # 5 Common Workflow Problems That Derail Creative Teams (and How to Fix Them) Discover the top 5 workflow issues that slow down creative and marketing teams—and how to fix them. From messy intake to meeting overload, here’s how to streamline and deliver better work. ![](https://manageitpros.com/hubfs/common-workflow-problems-to-avoid.png) Once you’ve [mapped your current workflow](https://manageitpros.com/blog/mapping-the-mess-how-to-visualize-and-fix-your-broken-workflow), the next step is spotting the trouble areas—and trust us, you're not alone. Across creative, marketing, and cross-functional teams, we see the same handful of **workflow problems** pop up again and again. They’re small on the surface but big in impact. Let’s break down a few of the most common ones: ### 1. Unclear Intake Work shows up in five different ways: emails, Slack messages, impromptu conversations, or a vague *"Can you take this on?"* **The Fix:** Create a central **project intake process** with structured fields—deadline, owner, scope, and priority. ### 2. Overcomplicated Approvals Assets bounce between too many people, with no clear decision-maker. Projects stall waiting for feedback that never comes—or comes all at once, last-minute. **The Fix:** Define who *really* needs to approve what, and in what order. Build turnaround expectations into the project timeline to streamline approvals. ### 3. No Central Hub Everyone’s working from different tools, or worse—no tool at all. Files are scattered, statuses are unclear, and updates live in people’s heads. **The Fix:** Choose one consistent **project management hub**. Whether it’s Asana, ClickUp, Smartsheet, or Trello—the tool matters less than using it consistently. ### 4. Manual, Repetitive Tasks Copy/pasting updates, retyping briefs, sending the same reminders every week… it adds up fast. **The Fix:** Automate what you can. Use templates, recurring tasks, and integrations to eliminate repetitive admin work and boost efficiency. ### 5. Too Many Meetings, Too Little Progress Back-to-back syncs without clear outcomes. Or meetings that could’ve been async updates in your PM tool. **The Fix:** Move status updates to asynchronous check-ins. Save meetings for solving problems, planning, or aligning—*not* recaps. --- You don’t need to fix everything overnight. But identifying just one of these **workflow issues** and addressing it can make a huge difference in how your team feels—and delivers. If you’re not sure where to start, take a step back. Read our post on [how to spot workflow chaos](https://manageitpros.com/blog/how-to-spot-workflow-chaos-before-it-derails-your-projects) before it derails your projects, then build on that foundation. Small process problems create big slowdowns. Start where the friction is loudest. 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