Hi there, this is Hayashi from the Marketing Department
Progress management is an essential part of production-related work. As the name implies, this position manages the progress of work, and is necessary for everything from the production of flyers in small areas to national-scale projects in larger areas.
No matter what type of business you are in, the person in charge of progress management is responsible for keeping track of the progress of the work and adjusting schedules and other details as needed. To put it bluntly, it is a tough job. At least, everyone I have seen in charge of progress management has had a hard time.
So this time, we have come up with a way to streamline the work of such progress managers with workflow.
What is the Function of Progress Management?
I have never worked in progress management. However, I have had many opportunities to work with progress managers in my work as a writer and editor, and I have seen what they do up close.
I have often written about this, but I used to work as a copywriter for a mail-order manufacturer, and although it was about 15 years ago and things may have improved since then, I found the catalog production progress management work there to be truly grueling.
To begin with, the schedule rarely goes as planned at these production sites. For example, it is an everyday occurrence that product samples do not arrive, product photos cannot be taken, and designs cannot be created. Each time this happened, the production manager would revise the schedule created in Excel, print it out, and distribute it to the team.
Even so, the director would yell at them and ask what was going on, the sales staff would look at me disapprovingly when I made a request, and the writers and designers would fail to meet deadlines. For this reason, the company I worked for did not attract any personnel to the position of progress control.
Save the Progress Manager with Workflow!
It is true that not all progress management in the world is as demanding as described above. However, a friend of mine who worked at a game app production company as a progress manager also used to come home late at night and stay overnight at the company before a deadline, so it is not unusual for progress management to be overburdened with excessive workload. It is a fact that at least in the company I worked for, there were inefficient parts of the business in need of progress management.
We have selected workflow templates that may be useful in improving the efficiency of workflow management operations from the free workflow templates that Questetra has made available to the public, using catalog production as an example. We hope that these workflows will help the frustrated progress managers all over the country, if only a little!
Workflow #1: Work Request Flow
The process of requesting work is fundamental to workflow.
This “Work Request Flow” is a simple but effective workflow that allows the project manager to communicate with various people inside and outside the team.
This flow not only allows the work to proceed automatically, but also allows the person receiving the request to ask questions of the requester and to send the request back to the requester if there are any deficiencies in the content. This will at least greatly reduce the burden of email and telephone communication.
Also, if the director uses this workflow, it may save the time and effort of the progress manager in coordinating between the two.
※ Click here for a description and download of the Work Request Flow.
Workflow #2: Progress Report Process
The Progress Report Process is a workflow that designates one to four reporters and requests progress reports as of a specified date.
If you require designers, writers, photographers, etc. to report in, you can check early on whether the work is progressing according to schedule. If there are many people, it is also a good idea to require chiefs and leaders to complete reports.
After receiving the report the reported values are also tabulated, which is useful in understanding the overall progress of the project.
※ Click here for an explanation and download of the Progress Report Process.
Workflow #3: Manga Production Flow
The Manga Production Flow is a template that can be used for more than just making manga.
In this flow, the process progresses through repeated exchanges of production, submission, and confirmation. As the work progresses, the status is automatically updated and displayed on the input screen, such as “Meeting completed,” “Rough draft being checked,” and “Draft completed”.
This template may be more suitable for directors, but if the progress manager has permission to view the flow, it will be easier to keep track of the progress.
※ Click here for an explanation and download of the Manga Production Flow.
Workflow No. 4: Entrusted-Delivery Flow
The key point of the “Entrusted-Delivery Flow” is that it is linked to Google Calendar, and once the leader confirms the delivery date, that date is automatically written into the calendar.
For example, in catalog production, different pages or roles may have different deadlines. In such cases, all deadlines for each can be listed on a single calendar.
Today, many companies share their schedules on Google Calendar. This flow goes one step further and automates the posting of events to the calendar. Although some modifications to the wording of the processes in the flow are necessary, this flow is rather straightforward and will help reduce the workload of progress managers.
※ Click here for a description and download of Entrusted-Delivery Flow.
Reduce your Workload with Questetra BPM Suite!
As well as the workflows introduced in the section above, Questetra BPM Suite is good at highlighting
- At what stage of completion a process is
- Who is currently dealing with a task
…amongst other things.
If everyone on the team uses the same flow and Questetra BPM Suite makes it paperless and automated, the progress manager will have a lot less to do.
Nowadays, remote work is commonplace. There are many cases where progress managers work outside of the office. Questetra BPM Suite is a cloud-based system, which allows you to access the same system as in the office and proceed with your work from anywhere where there is an internet environment.
Another advantage of the cloud-based system is that you can start immediately without any troublesome procedures after applying. Please feel free to start with a free trial!
