Draft
In a Nutshell
A draft is the first version of not-yet-completed work. Shared for evaluation, direction-setting, or development. In theory: initial work. In practice: often a file critiqued as if it were finished.
What It Really Means
A draft is a natural part of the process. But in agency life, the biggest problem with a draft is that people forget it's a draft.
Work that isn't yet complete is sometimes evaluated as if it's the final version. Definitive judgments are made about colors, spacing, words, and placeholder visuals.
A draft is actually for discussing direction. But it often turns into a detail debate.
A good draft accelerates the process. A poorly managed draft causes the idea to be judged before the work has even matured.