In our design team, we rarely praise our workflows — we simply live them. Good processes, like good design, don’t shout about themselves; they quietly make life easier. And that’s exactly what I want to share, speaking as Wrike’s head of creative design, where I spend a lot of time making sure our team’s processes stay as seamless as possible.
I’ll start with our weekly planning, team meetings, and creative rituals. I also want to share about our medium-term planning and a bunch of other ideas, but those will have to wait for future articles.
For our weekly planning and team meetings, we’ve set up plenty in Wrike project management: recurring template tasks, automation, and reminder bots. But it’s not about the platform itself — it’s about how we use it to keep design collaboration smooth and transparent.
Why we do it
Our creative team is spread across different design disciplines: graphic design, web experience, and motion design. The main goal of our planning and rituals is team synchronization in every sense:
- Sharing work updates and company news
- Showcasing completed design projects, discussing, and exchanging feedback
- Keeping each other updated on large cross-functional projects (for example, a brand refresh)
- Spotting when someone needs help
- Tracking how the brand’s visual identity evolves and sharing techniques while keeping it consistent
- Taking the pulse on the team’s overall mood and engagement
Starting the week: Monday planning
On Monday mornings, a recurring task with a template is automatically set to appear in our Wrike dashboards — one for the whole team, due Friday. A bot reminds everyone to fill it in with details pertaining to their tasks. The template provides quick instructions on how to complete the weekly report and a checklist of tasks for each person. That list covers both designers and managers — we keep a high level of transparency for everyone. Each person starts by making their own plan, sorting through incoming tasks.
Next comes our one-hour meeting. We open with casual chat to shake off the “Monday mood.” Then each person shares key tasks and their status, leaving minor ones in the checklist. This way, everyone knows what others are working on, we can rebalance workloads if needed, and I get the big picture. Plus, this gives me the opportunity to dive deeper into any task.
One of our rituals: cameras on. Even those working remotely see faces up close, not just the conference room view. We’ve found it makes a difference for team connection.
Monday planning sessions have already become a nice weekly routine. They help me get a clear overview of the team’s projects, align with everyone, stay on top of priorities, and set the tone for the week. The better the jokes, the better the week!
Alexander Terekhov, Motion Design Manager at Wrike
During the week: Focus and catch-up
Tuesday is focus day. In our shared calendars, there’s a block: Please confirm the meeting with me before booking. Everyone focuses in their own way; I often work from a favorite café. It’s a no-meeting day for deep creative work. I’m actually writing this article on a Tuesday. And honestly, some weeks I wish there were more of them, just so I’d have space for all the ideas I’d like to spin into full articles.
Wednesday is our optional 30-minute catch-up. I’m always there; others join if they want or can. We might discuss design project progress, ask a quick question, or just swap updates. Despite being optional, I’ve never ended up alone — the team values these moments to reconnect.
Wednesday meetings are a great way to connect with the team — even remote members — and get a glimpse into their projects and progress. Plus, having “extra brains” around makes it easier to get quick feedback when you’re stuck.
Alexey Atapin, Lead Web Experience Designer at Wrike
Ending the week: Wrap-up and review
Friday is when we close the weekly report in Wrike. Some update it gradually, others in one go. The bot reappears in our inboxes again, reminding us: tick the boxes, leave a comment if something’s unfinished. Wrike makes it easy to track task statuses because we can drop permalinks into our plans. Important tasks get a 🚀 — those are the ones I’ll mention in our internal marketing newsletter.
Another micro-ritual: before our names, we add an emoji showing the week’s mood — a kind of team health check. Sometimes, it’s a riddle or a playful message for someone on vacation.
Rituals help me stay motivated, feel connected to the team, and stay in touch with the bigger picture. They create a safe space to ask for advice, even during the busiest weeks.
Vilém Slíž, Senior Graphic Designer at Wrike
Teamwork and creative collaboration
Fridays also include a one-hour team meeting, alternating formats:
- Week one — Team Work: anyone can bring a project for group critique or a brainstorming session. If no projects are on the table, we work on brand emotional navigation — this involves collecting new assets in Figma and discussing the emotions they convey depending on channel, audience, and desired action. This also helps us build a living brand style guide to draw from anytime.
- Week two — Team Talks: our informal hour. We share inspiration, hold retrospectives, discuss trends in design and branding, or even just play a quick online game together. The only rule: no direct project work — the focus is on connecting as people.
A living process
Our processes and rituals are alive. I keep an eye on whether our meetings are actually valuable and regularly check in with the team — both in person and through surveys. Any workflow can grow outdated or lose its spark. That’s fine; we adapt so it keeps helping. In the end, processes should fade into the background, letting the team focus seamlessly on the work itself — with room for creativity, and for fun. That’s how we stay motivated and actually enjoy what we do.
