I Have a Client Brief — What Are the Next Steps?

Receiving a new client brief is a high-energy moment for any creative agency. However, without a standardised starting point, this energy often dissipates into scattered WhatsApp threads or lost email attachments.

At ButtonShift, we recommend the “Worklist-First” SOP. This ensures that from the second a project is conceived, it has a “Source of Truth” that handles everything from ideation to final delivery.

Here is the step-by-step workflow for agencies to initiate a new project:

Step 1: Create the Master Task in Worklists

Don’t wait for the creative to be ready to start tracking. Go to your Worklists and create a new task named after the project (e.g., “Campaign Reveal: Project X”).

• Attach the Brief: Upload the client’s brief or document directly into the task so it never gets lost.
• Set the Timeline: Input the Start Date and End Deadline. This immediately populates your team’s Action Centre, giving leadership a bird’s-eye view of the project’s lifespan.

Step 2: Categorise with Intelligence (Labels & Priorities)

Use Labels to categorise the work. This allows for instant filtering later.

• Example Labels: #SocialMedia, #WebDesign, or #IGReel. If using a single Worklist for all your tasks, add client name as a label too, for example –  #BigClient
• Assign a Priority to help the team manage their bandwidth effectively.

Step 3: Assign and Delegate

Assign the task to the primary Project Manager or Creative Lead.

• The Description Tag: In the task description, @tag specific team members and outline their individual responsibilities.
• Example: “@Rahul – Please handle scriptwriting by Tuesday. @Anjali – You will lead the visual aesthetic for this.”

Step 4: Bridge the Workflow to Creative Review

While the Worklist tracks the Task, you need a space for the Creative.

1. Navigate to the relevant Customer Space.
2. Create a new Board specifically for this project (e.g., “Project X Creative Review”).
3. The Connectivity Hack: Copy the URL of this new Board and paste it into the Comment section or the Description of the Worklist task you created in Step 1.

Why do this? This creates a two-way bridge. Team members can jump from the Project Management view (Worklist) directly into the Creative Review view (Board) with one click to upload or review the content.

Step 5: Start the Ideation Loop

By setting this up immediately, you can bring the team in right from the Ideation Stage.

• The team can use Worklist to collaborate on early drafts before the client ever sees a single frame. 
• Editors and designers can share mood boards, reference images, or rough scripts on the task comments.
• When the draft content (Images, Videos, PDFs or Audio) is ready for review & feedback, the Board can be accessed directly from the Task, and creative workflow on the content can be started.

Following this simple SOP ensures that new joinees can pick up the project instantly and your agency avoids the “Chaos Tax” of fragmented communication.