The distinction between process and procedure: "a process is any series of actions or operations viewed as a whole, with a start and a finish. A procedure is a series of actions or operations viewed as discrete steps." In the context of the discussion I feel that the semantics of process and procedure are subtle. I see things differently and from my somewhat brief experience in agency I feel that a lack of process and procedure can leave people scrambling to piece together the puzzle in an ad hoc and dislocated manner. Indeed process and procedure where carefully implemented can free time and resources in all areas of an organisation to focus on the creative elements required in a truly innovative environment. An alternate question might be not how to avoid the constraints of process and procedure at the expense of creativity, but how to refine it to allow creative thinkers to focus on adding value without being constrained by its implementation. I believe this is crucial in an Interactive agency looking for an edge in a rapidly diversifying cross-media environment with players that generally do process and procedure very well.

If some clients' process charts were stretched across the width of our lobby, the box for creative would occupy about the space of a cigarette pack. It's tough enough when they see it that way. Worse when the agency does.

Yes, process is all too often neglected. Yet it can produce brilliant results. In my experience, the best ideas are produced when creative and strategy - as well as account management - all sit together and work through a brief methodically. Good ideas seldom emerge by immaculate conception: you have to go through the process of grappling with the brief, weighing up different ideas, keeping what works and throwing out what doesn't. In the end, you're more confident about what you're presenting to the client, because you've tested your thinking.

Although often viewed as dirty word, process can actually be liberating. If we're not caught in endless cycles of debating what needs to be done, by whom, when -- and reinventing a process (explicitly or otherwise) every time we approach a new assignment, we can put more of our efforts into being creative, regardless of what discipline we represent. And process does not imply rigidity -- they can be designed to be flexible, and in doing so, guide us to the right decisions.