Optimising publisher workflow
What are we trying todo?
1) Stay in business
2) Have decent lives
Where's the controversy?
THE PROBLEM:
People are justawful
“It's as if they don't want us tosucceed!”
● They don't do their job properly
● They stop you doing yours
● They don't care about your problems
● When they go on holiday they're even more annoying
● You can definitely do your job quicker without them being involved
● They need to be convinced of everything
● They cost more money than they make
● You can do their job quicker than they can
● You wish you could just do it all yourself
What's the real problem?● They don't do their job properly
● They stop you doing yours
● They don't care about your problems
● When they go on holiday they're even moreannoying
● You can definitely do your job quicker withoutthem being involved
● They need to be convinced of everything
● They cost more money than they make
● You can do their job quicker than they can
● You wish you could just do it all yourself
Responsibility
Authority
Skills
Managing metadata as a metaphor for life
RESPONSIBILITYAUTHORITY
SKILLS
METADATA important, obviously
- One version of the truth -- Accurate data is a basic necessity if you hope
to appear at all professional or competent -- Efficiency -
- Productivity -- Sales tool -
- Images sell books - - All retailers use electronic metadata to maintain their catalogues -
- Blah -- Etc. -
What happens when metadatamanagement goes wrong
Getting it right
Responsibility, Authority, Skills
● Who is responsible for what data● Who has the authority to finalise it● Who knows the ramifications and the detail
Responsibility Authority Skills
Pub date
Price
Jacket spec
Title
Blurb
MS due date
Cover
Part of a wider picture● The difference here is that we're setting
responsibilities, authority and skills as part ofpublishing workflow planning – not at adepartment level. We're coming up withunifying objectives for the organisation
● We're also hoping to speed things up● This is a starting point for rehearsing different
skills within the organisation – better placed tobe rigorous, technically capable, and nimble.
Task
● Fill in the grid. Use more paper if necessary
● Write down either data or processes that need to bemanaged in your organisation, across departments(created, looked at, updated and deleted)
● Who owns it (responsibility)?
● Who has the authority to decide on it?
● What skills do those people need to be responsible andable to wield authority for this data / process?
● NB: Skills likely won't be the same as currently in theorganisation.
How did that go?
● Finding new skills: let it inform your job specs,recruiting, training plans, KPIs
● Elevating people to positions of responsibility:you have to support them and honour theagreement
● Giving people authority means they areobligated to consider all stakeholders' views
Final thoughts● No publishing skill is beyond the wit of man● Seniority != an abdication of technical skill● Gut feel is so 1997● Measure everything● When you buy in technical expertise, make it a
training exercise too.● Use Bibliocloud to manage your workflow and
data. It's really good.
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