Non-Negotiable Communication Rules
If your team is still treating email, Slack, and project management tools as interchangeable, you’re setting yourself up for inefficiency, confusion, and wasted time.
Marketing teams thrive on speed and creativity, but without structure, that energy turns into chaos. The solution isn’t to overcomplicate things with more tools—it’s to establish clear, non-negotiable rules for how communication happens and where information lives.
This isn’t about restricting your team. It’s about giving them a system that eliminates guesswork, reduces back-and-forth, and creates space for real creative impact.
Here’s how to do it.
Email: External Communication and High-Level Information Only
Your inbox is not a to-do list, a filing cabinet, or a brainstorming tool. It’s for client communication, onboarding, and key updates.
Use email for external communication only—clients, vendors, partners.
Onboarding a new client? Kick things off in email, but move execution details into your project management tool immediately.
If it’s an announcement, a major update, or something that needs a clear paper trail, email is the place.
What not to do:
Use email for back-and-forth team collaboration.
Let email threads dictate project timelines or approvals.
Send files over email when they belong in Google Drive.
Project Management Tools (Notion, Asana, Trello): The Source of Truth for All Work
Your project management tool isn’t a suggestion—it’s the single source of truth for what’s happening, who’s responsible, and when things are due. If it’s not in here, it’s not happening.
Every project, task, and deadline lives in Notion, Asana, or Trello—pick one and stick with it.
Assign owners, set due dates, and document key decisions here.
Keep meeting notes, workflows, and campaign strategies in one place, so no one asks, “Where’s that doc again?”
What not to do:
Let team members track tasks in email or Slack instead.
Allow disorganized, scattered documents to replace structured workflows.
Work outside of the system and expect others to stay in sync.
Slack: Quick, Daily Communication—Not Project Management
Slack is for day-to-day updates, quick check-ins, and real-time collaboration. It’s not where decisions should be made or where information should live long-term.
Use Slack for discussions, not documentation.
Need to confirm something fast? Slack. Need an official project update? Asana.
Use channels strategically—don’t dump everything into #general and hope for the best.
What not to do:
Make approvals, share deliverables, or track progress in Slack.
Assume messages won’t get buried—because they will.
Replace structured project management with chaotic Slack threads.
Google Drive: The Vault for Every Important File
Every important asset—brand guidelines, strategy decks, campaign reports—should live in one central drive. If your team is still hunting for the “latest version” of a document, your system is failing.
Organize Drive with clear folders for brand assets, content, and reports.
Never send attachments when you can send a Drive link.
Keep everything labeled and structured so no one wastes time searching.
What not to do:
Let files live in personal desktops or email threads.
Have multiple conflicting versions floating around.
Assume someone else is keeping it organized.
Enforce the System—Or Watch Chaos Take Over
A system only works if everyone actually follows it. Set the rules, communicate them clearly, and hold your team accountable.
If someone sends a project update over email, redirect them to Asana.
If a team member asks for a file in Slack, remind them it’s in Google Drive.
If a decision is made in Slack, document it properly in your project management tool.
This isn’t about limiting creativity—it’s about removing the friction that kills momentum. When communication is streamlined, there are fewer questions, fewer mistakes, and more room for impactful, strategic work.
Give your team structure. Watch their creativity thrive.
