The keys to a more efficient process might be hiding in plain sight.
At WNDYR, we're proud to let our techie flag fly. But even the shiniest tech will never realize its full potential if it's in service of inefficient processes.
So when our clients need to increase the velocity of their content delivery, we take a good close look at their processes before we install a single byte of software.
The big thing we've learned is that shortening the content production process isn't always about reducing the number of steps from A to Z. Here are four other questions we ask to root out those hidden points where the content production timeline could be tightened up.
Think about a multi-channel campaign. There's an overarching strategy brief that spins off multiple tactical briefs to drive various executional workstreams. A lot of the content across all of those briefs will derive from the big one, or even duplicate pieces of it whole.
So with purposeful design of your briefing frameworks, a little savvily applied automation can create all those execution briefs automatically, based on that one master brief submission.
Or consider the endless versioning and renditioning required to make an approved key asset publishable in different channels. A tool like AEM Assets can automate a lot of that work, from resizing to cropping to changing color profiles.
It wouldn't eliminate a human designer from the equation, nor should it. But their expertise can be used to look over the assets and make minor refinements where necessary. Then they can move on to other high-value work rather than grinding out different versions by hand for hours on end.
The assembly line can be a misleading metaphor. It's not really all that linear. No car is built one piece after the other; the individual components are built at the same time, then brought together further down the line.
So we always try to consider where the true dependencies of cross-functional work really lie, and where work can happen in parallel. Can copy compliance reviews come at the wireframe stage, while design is still working out the visual detail? Can package shots be retouched while lifestyle photography is shooting?
If you can get two sequential stages to run in parallel, you've effectively eliminated a whole stage's worth of time.
We get it. There's always too much to do and never enough time to do it. And the last mile before deadline is always the shortest. So metadata management seems like a worthwhile sacrifice to get the assets out the door.
Who's got time to fiddle with tags when Black Friday is bearing down on you? Ship now and we'll deal with the admin later. Problem is, there's always another urgent fire to put out. Later never seems to come.
If you can't find an asset, it doesn't exist. You'll probably end up recreating it. Probably more than once. And it most likely won't be quite as good the second time.
We find that intentional, consistent, carefully governed taxonomy and metadata is often the lowest-hanging fruit to quickly make a content supply chain more efficient. No more time wasted searching for assets. No more rework when you can't find them. A moment of metadata management now can be worth hours of work later.
This one isn't about judging anybody. It's about looking at the functions and roles involved in the process. Sometimes we find that legacy "we've always done it this way" practices may overweight input from peripheral stakeholders while giving more essential ones short shrift.
The result can be blockers early on, mad scrambles at the last second, and overlooked quality issues. Aligning people to their most valuable role in the process - even if that means some of them not having a role in the process anymore - ensures that unnecessary friction isn't grinding your whole system to a halt.
Of course, we here at WNDYR are ready to help you find the right tech solution for your workflow management, with our team of Adobe-certified experts. But we're just as interested in simplifying, streamlining, and humanizing your processes. We've done it for companies across industries, employing hundreds of thousands of people. Why not take a minute to find out how we can help you, too? Take it from us: it'll be time well spent.
It happens all the time. You hear a new word and all of a sudden you're reading and hearing it everywhere. It's called the frequency illusion.
From workflow management to client relations, change is coming. Start now to make the most of it.
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