Scenario 1: Why didn’t we send the specification to the printer along with the artwork?

Frankly, Stephen from Marketing who had initiated the artwork request didn’t know that he had to send the specification along with the artwork to the printer.

But isn’t it written down in the process?

We follow a procedure for artwork and proof approvals which is more word of mouth. We don’t exactly have a documented approach to it because we wanted to be flexible and agile.

You are right, of course, but the specification could impact print proof creation. For example, details about the substrate could help the printer get the color right.

No denying that. Going forward, we will instruct all the artwork project managers to send the specification along with approved artwork to the printer.

Wouldn’t it be better to automate the process so that it is more process-dependent than overly reliant on people?

Agreed. Let me talk to IT to figure how we can integrate the applications that we are already using for collaboration and file storage to automate artwork management.

Good but why bother going through the pain of trying to integrate disparate systems? Collaboration, file-storage and workflow automation apps are not built to solve challenges associated with packaging artwork and specification management. ManageArtworks is built just for that. It is a cloud-based Artwork and Specification Management System which enables process automation with customizable workflows, robust asset library, advanced file viewer with proofing, annotation and comparison tools, intuitive dashboard, and advanced reporting capabilities.