Improved Workflows: Schedules and Systems (Parts 2 and 3)

Since I was asked to write about this for Publishing Perspectives (original article can be found here), I am copying the remaining two parts below for your convenience.

Step Two: Schedules

Before you go down the “speed to market” route, here are a few things to consider:

1. Is this actually good for the business? In other words, will this help you sell more books? I remember a Director of Marketing telling me that books released before six months weren’t given enough time for “sell-through” and therefore the timing wasn’t good for business.
2. Do you have the resources to shorten schedules? There’s an inverse relationship between speed and cost/quality. So if you want it faster, and still want to maintain quality, you’ll have to pay more and/or bring on more resources — which also means more money. Is this worth it?
    
So instead of aiming for shorter schedules because asked to and/or someone thinks it will improve profits, sit down with all departments involved and discuss the following:
3. How long does each department need for their part of the process? Add a small buffer since things will get delayed and/or mistakes may happen. Discuss all the different types of products/workflows.
4. How long do the authors need — realistically — to do their part? Again, add a small buffer since most authors have a “day job” and getting back to you is not their priority.
5. Are there any conferences or other events where books or bound galleys will mean appreciable sales?

Take all the above and create standard turnarounds for each product type and a system whereby rush schedules need sign-off by people in the position to decide whether the rush makes business sense or not.

Step Three: Systems

Although some companies will have more to invest than others in systems, the following tools are the minimum needed for a proper functioning workflow:

1. File management system: Whether on a network drive, in the cloud, or outsourced, every company needs a clearly defined naming convention and place to save all documents and files. Imagine not owning your content and having to track it down every time something is up for reprint? Imagine not knowing where the latest version of an important form is located — or which version to use?
2. Title Management System: At the minimum, project details and schedule should be shared. If a company cannot invest in a large system, Excel, Project, or Access can be used. If there is money to invest, there are systems that can be bought or built that can provide much more functionality.
3. Content Management System: In this day and age of digital and repurposing of content, it is vital to have a repository for this content. Authors can be allowed to write directly into the CMS, searches can be run to see what you already own on any given topic, and cross-media publishing and updates can be done more easily.

There is obviously more to a good workflow than just the above, but these are the common denominators I’ve seen and which are still necessary even when dealing with new media.