What is Traffic Management?
Traffic managers are the engine of an agency. Or rather, they are the petrol that keeps the engine going. They’re the ones making the fire under every employee to get their job done. We had a quick Q&A sesh with our traffic department, and here’s what they had to say:What exactly is it that you do?
We play a crucial role in keeping things running smoothly within an organization,
especially in advertising, marketing, or media companies. Every day, we coordinate projects, allocate resources, and keep everyone in the loop to make sure we meet our deadlines. We do this by:
- Interrogating briefs to fully understand the requirements.
- Checking creative briefs to ensure that all instructions are clear, and that all necessary collateral/information is provided
- Conducting a daily morning standup meeting to go over items/tasks assigned to determine if there are any roadblocks.
- Communicating ALL THE TIME!
What makes you so important?
The Traffic department is super important for making sure work runs smoothly and projects get delivered on time. It helps ensure resources are used well, quality is kept high, and communication is improved across the organisation. By staying on top of things and fixing problems quickly, the department helps the whole organization succeed.
How do you manage such tight deadlines and high-pressure situations?
We have our traditional processes and check-ins to manage deadlines within each of the teams but one of the best things we can do in these situations is a “time out”. When we see that a particular project is becoming too much for our teams, we take a step back and reflect on where we are. Yes, we have deadlines to meet but to meet these with the best quality of outputs is already a challenge and a time out will allow us to take a breather and remember what we are doing and why. Spend some time talking it out, getting different perspectives, getting fresh air or food, doing or talking about anything else. Just have some time out to focus on anything other than deadlines. This makes a huge difference and gets us back on track.
What are unexpected challenges and how do you deal with them?
The most unexpected challenge for a traffic manager is when clients scrap a campaign mid-rollout. The only way forward is to gather the team, generate new ideas, and present them to the client. This often requires extra hours and close collaboration with client services to manage expectations and meet the revised deadline.
Another unexpected challenge is resource allocation and people management. As traffic managers, we are part of all teams, and we are faced with understanding everyone’s strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. We need to be able to identify when resources are struggling or under pressure and do our best to mitigate burnout and demotivation.
How do you maintain the energy and morale within you team when demands are high?
We can boost team spirit during busy times by keeping communication clear, offering support and encouragement, and making sure the team has all the resources they need. Setting achievable goals gives the team a sense of progress and encouraging them to take regular breaks and be flexible prevents burnout. It’s also great to plan fun team activities or celebrate milestones together to create a positive work environment that keeps everyone motivated and productive during tough deadlines.
What’s a funny or memorable moment where a something went completely wrong, and you managed to get it back on track?
Nothing has ever gone wrong here, we run a tight ship 
What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in traffic?
Don’t do it! Just kidding. You need to love people, good days and bad days. You need to love planning and projects, and you need to get satisfaction from seeing a project to completion.
Keeping an agency running like a well-oiled machine is no small feat, and if traffic management seemed like an easy job before, it certainly doesn’t now! Hats off to all the traffic managers for keeping us sane in the chaos.
