Red_Right_Arm
Well-known member
I manage the prepress department for a company that I've been working at for four months. This means that I've inherited the company workflows that they have already put in place. As a company culture there is a strong emphasis on being able to track all the details of any given job. However, the way those details get recorded and tracked becomes seemingly chaotic. Some pieces of info are applied that no one ever checks, but is good to have incase someone some day wants to know. Some pieces of info are important to one member in a department, but not to other members in that same department. Some info is logged digitally inside the job tracking system. Other info is logged digitally in another completely different system. Some info is logged by hand in a physical job folder. Some info is logged on a sheet hanging in a plastic sleeve. Some info is only recorded for a certain client. Other info is applied across the board for every job. I understand that the nature of flexographic printing requires a lot of small details to be managed, otherwise the jobs can go sideways very quickly. However, I can't help but feel like the way we are doing it is inconsistent, chaotic at times, only serves specific people on specific jobs for specific reasons in their own preferred specific way. It also means that prepress team members need to be able to just remember that for certain jobs info is logged this way. And for certain jobs info is logged this way. And for certain jobs info is logged this way.
I'm wondering if anyone can give me examples of a simple, yet effective workflow that they use that avoids this type of multiple input sources?
Maybe someone out there uses a completely digital workflow. Maybe someone uses a folder system. Maybe someone does all their work using tablets. Whatever it is, I'm trying to find a workflow I can look into and suggest that avoids continuing to use a digital / hand written / folder / notes / envelope / sign off / partially computerized / partially analog / partially specific / partially broad strokes system of information exchange.
I'm wondering if anyone can give me examples of a simple, yet effective workflow that they use that avoids this type of multiple input sources?
Maybe someone out there uses a completely digital workflow. Maybe someone uses a folder system. Maybe someone does all their work using tablets. Whatever it is, I'm trying to find a workflow I can look into and suggest that avoids continuing to use a digital / hand written / folder / notes / envelope / sign off / partially computerized / partially analog / partially specific / partially broad strokes system of information exchange.