Let’s imagine that you are an independent music creator with a vision to build a powerhouse social media team.

I don’t mean that you’ll be paying each person on the team to help you. Think of it more as a ‘mastermind group’. 

The team will meet regularly and work together to create content and develop marketing strategies, while also ‘hacking the algorithm’ by engaging on each other’s posts and getting them shared by influencers.

Your goal might look like this:

Boost each member of the group’s social following by at least 1000 new followers in just 90 days.

This project isn't just about posting content—it's about building a cohesive, dynamic team that can support each other’s growth and amplify their online presence.

This is the fourth post in a mini-series on project planning and management. Before you move forward, be sure you have read:

• Strategic Thinking 101

• 10 Step Project Planning Guide

• The Art of Getting Things Done

Now, let’s dive into the final three frameworks we’ll discuss in this series - GRPI, Agile, and Scrum.

I’ve tailored this post specifically for small creative teams in the music industry.

These tools go much deeper, but we’re zooming in on the essentials to help you streamline your project and lead your team with confidence.

GRPI - A Foundational Model for Team Building

Development and Adoption: The GRPI model, which stands for Goals, Roles, Processes, and Interpersonal Relationships, was developed to help teams clarify their structures and functions. It's a tool that has been widely adopted across various industries to ensure that teams are set up for success from the start. GRPI also helps diagnose issues within the team and resolve them efficiently.

Understanding GRPI: It’s a framework designed to ensure teams are effective and aligned. For small creative teams, it’s essential to nail down these fundamentals to avoid confusion and inefficiencies.

Here’s an illustration:

You design how the team will operate with GRPI from the top down in 4 steps.

1. Goals: Set a Clear Vision

• Example Goal: Build a social media mastermind team where each member gains at least 1000 new followers in 90 days. Remember to make sure this goal is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).

• Action Tip: Write down your goal and share it with everyone on the team. Ensure everyone understands the target and is committed to reaching it together.

2. Roles: Define Responsibilities

• Example Roles: Content Creator, Social Media Strategist, Engagement Specialist, Analytics Guru, etc. Each person should know their role and how they contribute to the team’s overall success.

• Action Tip: Create a simple chart listing roles and responsibilities. Make sure no role overlaps unnecessarily, and everyone knows what they are accountable for.

3. Processes: Establish Clear Workflows

• Example Process: Weekly content planning meetings, daily check-ins, content review cycles. Define how content is created, scheduled, posted and promoted.

• Action Tip: Develop a content calendar and a checklist for each process step. Ensure everyone knows the workflow and follows it consistently.

4. Interpersonal Relationships: Foster a Collaborative Culture

• Example Focus: Encourage open communication, regular feedback, and support. Make sure team members feel valued and understood.

• Action Tip: Hold regular team meetings where everyone can share ideas, challenges, and successes. Create a safe space for feedback and collaboration.

Diagnosing with GRPI from the Bottom Up: If you encounter issues, use GRPI to pinpoint the problem, starting from the ‘I’ and moving back to the ‘G’.

Are interpersonal tensions brewing?

Are processes unclear? '

Are all of the roles properly outlined and agreed upon?

Does everyone still believe in the goal?

Use GRPI to diagnose and resolve these issues, keeping the team aligned and productive.

Agile: Iterative Progress

Introduction to Agile: Agile originated in the software development world, promoting project development in small, incremental improvements. Other core principles of Agile are flexibility and rapid response to change.

Agile thinking is ideal for creative projects where adaptation and innovation are key.

Applying Agile to Your Social Media Campaign:

• Iterative Sprints: Break your 90-day goal into 2 week sprints. Each sprint focuses on specific targets, like launching a new campaign or engaging with a new influencer.

  • Sprint Example: Week 1-2: Define content themes, create content calendar, and begin creating content. Week 3-4: Launch the first batch of posts and monitor engagement.

• Functionality Over Perfection: Don’t wait for perfection. Release content, gather feedback, and refine your approach. The goal is to keep moving forward, learning, and improving.

  • Action Tip: Use a spreadsheet or task management tools like Trello and Asana (the HOME Team uses Monday.com) to track progress. Keep the content flowing and adjust your tactics based on audience feedback and performance metrics.

Review and Adapt: At the end of each sprint, gather your team to review what worked and what didn’t. Discuss insights, celebrate wins, and pivot strategies if needed. This continuous loop of planning, executing, and reviewing keeps the team agile and keeps the project dynamic and responsive to change.

Scrum: Daily Sync-Ups for Team Momentum

Overview of Scrum: Scrum, a branch of Agile, focuses on teamwork, accountability, and iterative progress through short sprints. Daily stand-ups are the cornerstone, ensuring everyone stays aligned and informed.

Implementing Scrum in Your Team:

• Daily Stand-Up Meetings: Keep these short and focused, aiming to keep each meeting to just 10-15 minutes. Each team member answers three questions:

  • What did I accomplish yesterday to help us move towards 1000 followers?

  • What will I do today to push us closer to our goal?

  • What obstacles are in my way?

• Action Tip: Encourage everyone to show up at the meeting prepared to answer the questions above. Use a timer and stick to the agenda. This keeps everyone on track and fosters a culture of accountability and support. If certain members of the team need to discuss a part of the project, they can do that outside of the scrum meeting.

Creating a Scrum (aka Kanban) Board: It can be helpful to visualize your tasks and progress on a Scrum board. Use columns like ‘To Do’, ‘In Progress’, and ‘Done’ to track each task’s status. This visual tool helps the team see the big picture and stay focused on the next steps.

See below for an example of a Kanban board where each task or project has a corresponding sticky note with information about it.

The board makes it easier for the team to visualize the progress together. Most task management platforms have a digital version of a kanban board that you can use.

Fostering Team Dynamics: Daily stand-ups are not just about status updates—they’re about fostering collaboration and problem-solving.

Encourage team members to offer help, share ideas, and support each other’s challenges. This practice can transform your team’s dynamics, making it more cohesive and effective.

With GTD from my last post, plus these key components of GRPI, Agile, and Scrum, you now have a powerful toolkit to build and manage your dream team of creative professionals.

These frameworks will help you set clear goals, organize your information, build effective teams, streamline processes, and maintain momentum.

Embrace these methods, and watch your vision turn into reality!