Five ways to streamline your next publishing project
Communication and organization are key to the success of any publishing project. With today’s diverse workforce and team members often working and communicating remotely, it’s important to implement a few tried-and-true methods for ensuring a successful – and enjoyable! – production process.
Each of the below tips can and should be developed to fit your unique publication and team structure. Following these guidelines will ensure an effective production process resulting in a high-quality publication.
Have a launch meeting.
Get all team members together before the project begins to discuss the:
purpose of the publication,
production timeline,
individual responsibilities,
deliverable expectations, and
communication strategy.
Making sure everyone is on the same page upfront will help avoid confusion and delays throughout the production process.
Create a clear production timeline and make sure everyone has access to it.
Clearly state the due dates for all content and assets, what deliverables are expected on each date and who is responsible for each. Make this easily accessible for each team member, either by hosting it online and having everyone bookmark the page or providing printouts.
Schedule recurring check-ins.
Whether you decide on video calls, phone calls, or status report emails on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis, scheduling recurring check-ins will keep each team member on task and provides a consistent forum to have questions answered and share ideas.
Utilize online collaboration tools.
Dropbox and Google Drive are among the most popular tools for sharing files across a distributed team. Take the time as a team to go through how these tools will be used for your specific project and make sure all team members are comfortable using them. Learning how to use these tools efficiently at the beginning of a project will save hours throughout the production process.
Review the production process after your project publishes.
Get the team together after a project publishes to discuss how the process can be improved for future projects. Make sure everyone has a chance to share their thoughts and bring solutions forward before the next launch meeting.