WNDYR | BLOG

How Workfront + AEM flip the stress script for every human on your team

Written by The WNDYR Team | Feb 21, 2024 8:20:32 AM

It's not just the workload that burns people out. It's the stressload. Fruitless hunts for key information. Little misunderstandings that lead to big problems. Chaotic pre-deadline scrambles. And the inevitable finger-pointing and grudge-holding.

This isn't "good stress", the heightened, energized state we feel when we're engaged in a rewarding challenge. This is bad stress, damaging stress, the stress that comes from fear and frustration. It's not productive. It's not necessary. And it's not sustainable.

And when those stressors never seem to get better, they can replay negative internal narratives of blame and catastrophizing. These "stress scripts" are corrosive to morale, cohesion, productivity, and happiness for everyone on the team.

That's where Adobe Workfront and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) can shine. Oh, great, we can hear you saying, more platforms to learn, that'll really make my life easier. Or, worse, maybe you've wrestled with a haphazardly organized, poorly integrated DAM system before and now you've got DAM PTSD.

You're not alone. We get it. But believe us: take Workfront's workflow management magic, add AEM's gold-standard asset management, throw in Adobe's new generative AI capabilities, and free your people to be both less stressed and more productive. With a few savvy integrations and some common-sense governance, you can flip that stress script. Let us count the ways...

For Marketers: no more pain in the assets

The stress script: "Did everybody get the brief? Did everybody look at the brief? Have all the right people approved the right assets? Have I approved the right assets? And where are those approved assets when I need them?"

How Adobe flips it:

  • Workfront serves as the central repository for every brief, and sole source of truth for every project question.
  • With optimized workflow automation, Workfront can also cascade all the relevant info from each brief to the right executional teams.
  • Workfront Proof streamlines and centralizes the asset review and approval process. No more random emails and DMs you can never find again.
  • The digital asset management capabilities of AEM Assets make it easy to find and retrieve stored assets, especially if it's structured properly from the get-go.

For Brand & Product Managers: how to save brands and influence people

The stress script: "Half the time I don't even know what assets the marketers are asking the creatives for, never mind having any influence over the design and messaging. If my boss is surprised by one more off-brand Instagram ad, I'm gonna lose my mind - and maybe my job."

How Adobe flips it:

  • Workfront pulls back the curtain on the entire process, from request to final approval.
  • Simplified Workfront Proof reviews let you stay across the assets and influence them without filling your calendar with meetings.
  • You can set up sophisticated custom roles and permissions in AEM, for a governance structure that maximizes agility and minimizes risk.

For Project Managers: status simple

The stress script: "I feel like I spend half the day chasing down updates and the other half putting together status reports. And I still don't really know what my team's capacity and workload are. Then, boom: surprise request! Thanks!"

How Adobe flips it:

  • Automate the rote aspects of project intake and setup in Workfront, so you can focus on the complex stuff.
  • Powerful dashboards put the facts about resource demand, available capacity, and deadlines at your fingertips.
  • Contributors provide asynchronous status updates to give you real-time visibility into progress, risks, and issues. No more pestering people for updates.
  • Fielding an unplanned high-priority request? Workfront's resource planning features will help you reshuffle and get everyone aligned with the new plan.

For Creatives: more imagination, less irritation

The stress script: "More last-second changes because some stakeholders didn't see the designs until after they were 'approved'? Well, it'll have to wait until I'm done resizing the same banner for 16 different formats."

How Adobe flips it:

  • Consistent and centralized briefs make critical project info easy to find.
  • Workfront keeps all your assignments in one central to-do list, linked to deadlines, status updates, briefs, feedback, and more.
  • Native integration with Adobe Creative Cloud lets you upload proofs, launch review cycles, mark Workfront tasks done, and even log time - all without leaving Creative Cloud.
  • The generative AI features of Firefly are now native to Creative Cloud apps like Photoshop. All AI-powered assets produced in Creative Suite are fully licensed for safe use.
  • Dynamic media lets you edit one Master Asset and automatically update all linked assets. No more manual edits to every size, format, or variation of the same content.
  • AEM means you always know where to quickly find approved assets.

For Production & Delivery Teams: don't stop the presses

The stress script: "I'm sorry I missed your email at 10:30 last night with the actual, latest, very most final approved assets, to that email address I don't even check anymore. Would've been nice to have those last week when I asked for them."

How Adobe flips it:

  • No more uncertainty about where and how to find the right assets for production.
  • With project info and communication all in one place in Workfront, you won't lose valuable production time due to unanswered questions and crossed wires.
  • Workfront is ready to integrate and sync with your CMS, marketing platform, and beyond, sharing relevant processes and metadata seamlessly.

Is it really that easy?

Well, yes... if you have Adobe integration experts on your side. That's where we come in. Get in touch with WNDYR to learn how we can streamline, simplify, and humanize your digital workflow. We've partnered with organizations of all sizes, helped hundreds of thousands of people in all industries - and most importantly, taken a lot of stress out of the world.