'Creative outputs' should link back to an ID

When using the creative pattern, it's important to note that creative outputs should always relate back to one of the other IDs in your system. They aren't things in and of themselves: they're always in service of something else.

Think of it like this. When Lucy was a creative professional (copywriter), she was tasked by the 'account service' team to do some 'creative output'. She says that they were never allowed to start work without a 'job code': to which customer and project does this work belong, and to whom is it billed?

The 'job code' is one of the other IDs in your system. Why are you doing this piece of creative work? What is it for?

Our current video projects

In my current system, right now, we have a bunch of IDs in the 500xx range where we're recording and producing videos for the 'Be better at computer' series and the upcoming 'Task and Project Management' course for JDU. Each of those things has its own ID:

  • 21.41 JDU Task & Project Management
  • 31.21 Be better at computer

…and that's where I'm tracking the video series: which episodes we're recording, my inbox of ideas, all of that high-level stuff.

But when I set up my computer, plug in the microphone, and put the camera on the tripod, that all gets saved in a new folder down at 50-59.

So there's a one-to-many relationship from the parent ID – the 'job code', if you like – to the creative output. You should use your JDex to create this link, if it isn't obvious from the name of the creative job.

Two simple mindmaps showing the parent IDs as noted above, each with a handful of child IDs in the 500xx range.

50-59 is your workshop

We like to use the analogy of a workshop or a shed. That's what the 50-59 area is for. You go in there and you have a bunch of wood and tools and you bang about a bit and you make a chair.

But why did you make the chair? You still need an ID somewhere else in your system that's tracking the fact that you make and sell chairs. Because as a chair-maker, you'll make another chair.

See BBaC #002

Speaking of the video series, I also spoke about this in the members-only segment at 08:13 in episode 002 (JDU membership required). It's a common confusion. I'm happy to keep clarifying: let me know what you need.