A Framework for Creativity

Pixar is one of the most creative companies in the world. It is also a business; and a successful one at that. Pixar sold to Disney for $7.4B in 2006 and it’s films have earned more than $13B at the worldwide box office.

Businesses need predictability, especially in production. However, the very product Pixar produces is, by definition, hard to predict. It is based on the creativity of a team of directors, story-tellers and engineers. While there is certainly some proprietary technology underpinning the delivery of hit movies, the core product is based on the imagination of the people working on the project.

How does a business like Pixar remove risk and establish a predictable production line? And what can all product-driven companies learn from the Pixar approach?

Pixar’s hit-parade is not a coincidence. The company has a framework for managing the creative process of movie-making; which Ed Catmull details beautifully in Creativity, Inc.

I believe the same approach works for managing product teams.

What is a framework?

A framework is designed to systematically help a team through the product discovery and delivery phases. In other words, it helps them determine what to build and guides them as they ship it to production.